Marks & Spencer's spring 2011 collection: back to the 1970s

It was back to the 1970s at Marks & Spencer today as the retailer unveiled its trends for spring 2011. With rails of maxi hemlines, swirling prints and A-line denim skirts, next year's Marks and Spencer wardrobe has a whiff of the St Michael label about it. "There were so many references to the 1970s that we've had to split it into 70s day and sleek 70s" Neil Hendy, the M&S head of design, explained. He distinguished between full maxi printed dresses for day and jewel-coloured halter dresses for night, which recalled Studio 54 looks, all of which were much in evidence on the catwalks in New York and Paris earlier in the year. It is not only the 1970s that M&S is relying on to get the tills ringing. Seven trends were on offer today. Many had a retro reference, from the 1950s-inspired Coney Island section, which included accessibly pretty floral print and striped dresses, to the Fluid Form rail, which focused on minimalism and pleating and was reminiscent of Japanese designers who made their names in the 1980s. Hendy defended the retro references, saying: "Decades are useful reference points for customers to understand new trends." The breadth of looks on offer next spring emphasised the commitment to inclusivity on which the brand, in its current "your M&S" incarnation, now trades. "We are chasing the key trends but we need to do it so that all our customers can have the opportunity to buy into it," Hendy said. Other key looks will include laser cut leather tops, snakeskin print – gambled on as the new leopard print – and a beautiful red lace dress reminiscent of top London label Erdem. "It's actually very M&S," said Hendy. Today's focus on trends rather than the distinctions between the label's in-house brands underlined new boss Marc Bolland's recent findings that customers struggled to understand the difference between Per Una and Autograph. Another Bolland-esque strategy was in evidence in the underwear department. He plans to make more of the fact that, in the label's heyday, it was famed for its innovation, bringing the avocado to British kitchens. Next year M&S will launch its Nearly Naked bra, which uses bonding and so-called free cut technology rather than tradition stitching so the straps stick to the body without unflattering bulging around the ribcage.