Would probably last until next summer, but then you might not want it to.WhistlesPrice: £44.95 in the sale, a 35 per cent reduction from £69.95Label: WhistlesQuality: 100 per cent high-quality cotton with nylon trim. Few customers at the checkout so no queuing, but no sense of occasion either.Durability: M&S's in-house quality team ensures that most of its garments are easy to wash and long-lasting, with little or no shrinking, bobbling or colour loss. Nicely floaty, but colour a little sickly.Source: Made in Turkey. M&S always reveals the country of source and is a leading member of the Ethical Trading Initiative, with the highest industry standards on both labour conditions and environmental issues such as not using toxic or harmful chemicals in manufacturing consumer goods.Ambience and service: Bright strip lights, acres of frumpy clothes concealing the odd clothing gem. Unlikely to be still wearable by next summer, but will probably last through this one.Marks & SpencerPrice: £21Label: per unaQuality: 100 per cent viscose, so could be sticky in hot weather Detailing on bust slightly wonky. No perceptible service, lengthy but fast-moving queues at the checkout.Durability: Experience suggests Primark garments often lose their shape and colour after a few washes.
Is not a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative, but says supplier factories are independently audited and that it has its own ethical standards.Ambience and service: Bright strip lights, piles of clothes, packs of shoppers clutching huge nylon sacks for storing their bargains, priced £3 and up General feel of a bun-fight Customers stripping off among the rails to try on clothes. Flattering, floaty shape and good colour.Source: No country of origin on garment. Primark frequently does not reveal where it sources its clothes, stating only that it uses the same manufacturers as other UK retailers. Belatedly, M&S has introduced a "value" range, with silk ties for a fiver and a pair of socks for a quid, to tap into the trend. But with Primark announcing this week that it is about to convert 30 old Littlewoods stores into more of its own, it looks like too little, too late.PrimarkPrice: £6Label: AtmosphereQuality: Pure cotton with nice detailing around the bust and hemline. Sourcing in countries such as China, Bangladesh and Turkey has helped to bring clothing prices down by 40 per cent in the past decade, and 5 per cent in the past year.A new generation of "pravs" - proud realisers of added value - expect to pay less for a pair of jeans than a cinema ticket, less for a suit than a couple of rounds in the pub.
Prada Woman wouldn't blush about being spotted in M&S, she just wouldn't go there in the first place. M&S may be worthier, but its far more expensive stock sits on the rails from one week to the next producing about as much sartorial excitement as a trip to see a maiden aunt.Even multimillion-pound advertising campaigns by M&S haven't stemmed the mass exodus to Primark, which relies on no-cost word-of-mouth to bring in the punters. So what if they fall apart after a few washes? This is disposable fashion for a fast-moving, fickle world. Bling bling is boring; it is no longer cool to be a label snob.M&S may bang on about quality, durability and ethical standards - but its voice is drowned out by the mix'n'match'n'bin furore of its competitor.Primark - run by Arthur Ryan, a 69-year-old Irishman who wears slippers in the office - changes its stock practically daily, ensuring that no two visits are the same. Sequinned summer tops sell for £6, Pradaesque shrugs for £10, and gorgeous flowing kaftans for a heady £14.
