When a few years ago I first saw the Marks & Spencer food ads on British TV I thought someone was honestly taking the piss. I’m talking about the (orgasmic voice mode on) “This is not chocolate/salmon/whatever, etc” ads. I found them utterly stupid. Yet I wish M&S would use the same ads today for its Patricia Field “Destination Style New York” line of clothes inspired by Sex And The City. Only the ad should go like: “These are not designer clothes, these are horrendous copies that we made for you with the excuse of turning fashion into something more democratic.” Democratic what? M&S signed a £5 million deal with Field, so capitalistic is the word you're probably looking for to describe this operation. 
I’m not probably the only one here that finds this marketing operation rather silly. This collection is a bit like attempting to revive a moribund: fashion is a fast industry and with the glamour around the Sex And The City movie now completely faded, M&S and Field must have thought it would have been a brilliant idea to rekindle it by producing clothes inspired by the series. I just hate it, but I hate even more the fact that Field is hailed like a saviour for the fashion starved masses. Besides, I’m rather annoyed by the fact that the TV series/movie mainly uses designer/vintage clothes/accessories and doing a line inspired by them simply implies copying these items. Yes, you’ve made a point there, most of us can’t afford them, but we’ve already been literally bombarded by suggestions on how to copy Carrie & Co’s style when the film came out without spending a fortune. 
I find the Sex And The City line rather redundant, apart from being absolutely horrible (by the way, what had Field in mind when she designed those horrendous floral print layered frocks?). The thing is why are women supposed nowadays to go around dressed like somebody famous rather than like their own selves? Why can’t you be imaginative and create your own style? I see this whole marketing operation as a message to women saying, “Hey, you can’t have the glamorous life, you can’t have the Sarah Jessica Parker look, you can’t have the men and the money, so, there you go, get this M&S dress
and be mediocre!” Rather sad, isn’t it? And don’t come to me saying that this line has made fashion accessible, well, also made-in-China copies of Louis Vuitton bags made fashion accessible, but they are considered (for obvious reasons) satanic things. You want accessible/exclusive fashion? Look out there and you will find thousands of independent designers producing original stuff at affordable prices and, if you don’t like it, well, go for vintage, at least there’s also an added value to it as some vintage items can become real investments. 
I shudder at the thought of seeing more fashion crimes being committed in the city centres of many British towns at the weekend now that this new madness has been unleashed. It was enough having to go through the horror that accompanied the film with SATC cocktails, meals, nail bar sessions and other assorted shenanigans. I see it coming again: more all-girls party nights this time with an added dose of bad taste in sight thanks to Field’s 60-piece collection, that perfect crossover between drag queen chic and horrendous prints with a disgusting over the top and dated (note, not vintage, just dated) edge. 
A final note: you know why film directors opt for costumes made by the best tailoring houses when they shoot their films? Because they don’t want to see little imperfect stitches on the clothes worn on the big screen, but high quality stuff. If you're really into fashion you will be able to spot the horrid cut of the Patricia Field designs for M&S miles away. Yes, it’s unlikely that the average M&S customer will end up on the big screen in a Patricia Field frock, but then again, why shouldn’t you aspire to something a bit better, something more original and personal? This is not fashion, this is just a pile of crap, recycled, vomited and repackaged for unimaginative people.
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