John Lewis versus M&S - the new High Street fashion war: LIZ JONES on whether the Middle England store has finally made it as a style destination

John Lewis HQ in London, and I'm surrounded by the new collection of womenswear for autumn/winter, with the head buyer Jo Hooper and chief designer Iain Ewing, and they are asking me the 64,000-dollar question: have I ever bought a piece of clothing from John Lewis?
Like many of us, while I have bought Miele vacuum cleaners, Le Creuset pans, duvets and pillows, a fridge, and TVs, plus food in the Waitrose in the basement, I have never, ever bought fashion from John Lewis.
It would just never cross my mind even to buy knickers here: it's too safe, too mainstream, too boring.
Even a refit for the fashion floors at key stores nationwide, completed in 2008, didn't change my mind. John Lewis just isn't on my fashion radar.

In the pink (L) This coat is alpaca plush - which means it’s soft, furry, warm and repels rain - and is beautifully lined and finished inside. The colour is key, making it a fashion piece. And while it’s more expensive than a similar coat at M&S, which is £85, it’s a slouchier shape,  with more volume. These grey ponte trousers are great for work, with the John Lewis trademark high waist, which makes legs seem longer and keeps the tummy under control.  The bag is hot pink - again key for winter,  with so many brands, including Prada, sticking to dull old red, burgundy and black. Liz wears pink coat, £190, grey trousers, £59, pink handbag, £69, and necklace, £25, all Collection by John Lewis. White shirt, £79, Reiss, Black court.

Simply sexy (R) I would buy this black wool tux: it has an interesting geometric shape, and no fiddly buttons or fastenings which litter the suits at M&S. The Somerset by Alice Temperley leather pencil skirt is a really good length, great for work or sexed up for a date, and has a back zip, not the side-zip you'd find at M&S. Though I'm not super-keen on Temperley's range of shoes for the store, these are high-octane glamour and comfortable.
Black tux jacket, £99, and ivory silk sleeveless blouse, £49, both Collection by John Lewis. Black leather pencil skirt, £199, and ankle-strap heels, £120, both Somerset by Alice Temperley

But it seems John Lewis, and most notably Jo Hooper - a blonde powerhouse who is approaching 50 and rocks a floral cashmere scarf (£99 from John Lewis, while similar scarves at Mulberry are over £200) and Prada checked bag - wants to change all that.
Mindful of the renaissance taking place over at Marks & Spencer under the direction of style supremo Belinda Earl, it's clear the people here are tired of all the attention been given to its rivals, what with its new ad campaign featuring Helen Mirren et al.
John Lewis is ready to fight back. Fed up of being in the shadows, it wants a much bigger share of the female fashion pie. So can John Lewis really take the place of M&S in our hearts? Is this new landmark collection really capable of tempting flocks of M&S-loving, middle-aged women through its doors?

 

It's clear its fashion team thinks so. Indeed, Jo is keen to tell me that while M&S's sales have dropped over the past few years, sales of womenswear at John Lewis have soared, up 40 per cent in the past five years.
Who came up with the idea of vamping up  its womenswear?
'It's been five years in the planning,' insists Jo, keen not to be seen to be jumping on the latest M&S bandwagon.
John Lewis wasn't doing terribly at womenswear, but for a retailer with such a place in British hearts for other products, it certainly wasn't doing brilliantly. However, it has a loyal fan base: mainly mums who come with their daughters.

Cream de la creme (L) Somerset by Alice Temperley is exclusive to John Lewis and a real coup. You could almost get married in this dress. It's beautifully lined, and well-cut, and proves how brilliant she is at dresses.
It's a nice change, too, from all her very feminine prints, pyjama suits and frilly, Edwardian blouses. A mainline Temperley dress would set you back over £300. This is a third of that. The necklace is from the vintage selection on the ground floor at Oxford Street: affordable and unique. Cream lace pencil dress, £99, Somerset by Alice Temperley. Gold necklace, £325, Eclectica. Maroon handbag, £158, DKNY. Shoes, £140, Kurt Geiger

Soft yet strong (R) Yes, the jacket is £300, which is more than an M&S black biker (£249), but it's fantastic, the best I've seen for winter. It's super-soft, not too girly, not too short and has a great detail: ribbed wool insets in the sleeves, which makes it very Rick Owens, a designer label that would cost more than £1,000. The dress, which is silk, is lovely if you are about 20 years old, but I found it a bit flimsy. It should be lined. Patterned dress, £89, Collection by John Lewis. Leather jacket, £299, Kin. Black and gold sandals, £130, Carvela

The seeds of change were sewn in 2012 when it secured a huge coup by convincing Alice Temperley to design an exclusive range. Called Somerset and now in its third season, it features her signature prints, and ultra-feminine blouses and dresses, at a fraction of the price of her mainline label.
Suddenly, women began to notice John Lewis - the Somerset debut collection was the fastest-selling in the store's history - and Jo Hooper realised upping the style ante was the way to go.
Jo, who is married to a financial director and has three sons, lives in Wandsworth, South London, grew up in the Wirral and her first job, aged 21, was styling fashion catalogues at Littlewoods.
Like M&S's Belinda Earl, Jo cut her teeth at Debenhams as head of womenswear buying and was key to the success of Designers at Debenhams. Now she and Earl are in direct opposition, and you can tell she relishes the competition between the two behemoths of the British High Street.
So who is a nose ahead this winter? Who should you visit to buy your key autumn pieces - the new work suit, the stylish winter coat?
Well, unlike Earl at M&S, who has championed a capsule collection for men and women that is entirely British made, Jo Hooper doesn't believe the future is in British manufacturing. She feels the expertise is not here, and that prices would be too high (John Lewis manufactures in China, India and Europe). But on the whole, prices at John Lewis (for cashmere, for leather bikers) are higher than at M&S. How does she justify this?

All wrapped up (L) I love, love, love the cashmere at John Lewis. Rather than having a ribbed hem, which makes it cling, this jumper has a shift shape, an asymmetric hem (i.e., it has a bit of a tail which covers the bottom) and comes in really zingy colours. Again, though, it's £20 more than at M&S. I wouldn't buy jeans from John Lewis: its own-brand ones have ghastly ribbed waistbands. These James for John Lewis jeans feel mumsy. But this Toast coat is super-warm and stylish. Yellow wool coat, £295, Toast. Green cashmere jumper, £99, Collection Weekend. Black jeans, £140, James. Nude court shoes, £160, Kurt Geiger. Bag, £185, Somerset by Alice Temperley

Well-suited (R) I had to be persuaded into this suit, which is too fitted for me whereas I like a man-ish cut. But if you are petite, this would be a wonderful, versatile buy. The jacquard, too, is very this season, while the trousers skim the ankle nicely. The jacket isn't quite long enough to avoid that awkward exposure of the fly zip, but thank God the trousers at John Lewis have flies, not awful, mumsy side zips. The belts are great: patent and narrow in hot colours. Blue and black Jacquard trousers, £59, matching blazer, £99, and navy snakeskin belt, £25, Collection by John Lewis. Ivory sculptured top, £75, Whistles. Navy court shoes, £195, LK Bennett

'We are all about value for money. We are never going to sell something that is badly made or will fall apart. And our customers don't want that. This summer, our bestseller has been a linen tank top at £35.
'Yes, you could find it cheaper elsewhere, but ours was really the best.
'I can't take credit for the brand's 150 years of trust. I have to earn it afresh, season in, season out. I've worked in this business for 20 years, and I don't think fashion has ever been this diverse or this speedy.'
I think where John Lewis really scores is in its design manager for womenswear and accessories, Iain Ewing, 45, who joined the store in 2010 from Oasis, and who has excellent taste: his inspiration comes from designers Alexander Wang and Helmut Lang.
He is all about old-fashioned tailoring, avoiding ever being mumsy, and use of cool fabrics and bright colours. He is a brilliant find, and I hope he's not snapped up by the likes of Mulberry any time soon.
Another great John Lewis innovation is that key looks will be put together on store mannequins, in ads and on billboards. They're even labelled with names like 'hard-edged heritage', 'pastel luxe' and 'sports luxe'.
Jo says this means the shopper, who they have found spends just seven seconds trying to find what she wants before turning up her nose, will not have to work too hard to put a look together, but will have it signposted.
Is Jo as obsessed with sleeves as Belinda Earl, who believes it's the key to M&S's success as older women just don't want to show their arms?

Liz found the perfect white stretchy shirt and a vintage statement necklace at John Lewis

'I am,' she says. 'The majority of our dresses have sleeves: three-quarter, or long and skinny and just covering the hand.'
Middle-aged women everywhere, rejoice. Your bingo wings will be covered up here.
Of course, where John Lewis differs from M&S is that alongside its own-brand Collection, Weekend and Kin ranges (Kin is its quite plain, Scandinavian-influenced brand for all the family), it also sells well-known brands such as Barbour, LK Bennett and Toast.
I think this is a huge plus: women can take a great piece from Whistles, say, and just add to it the John Lewis Collection cashmere and that wonderful John Lewis innovation to finish it all off - vintage costume jewellery that is both affordable and unique.
But where John Lewis falls down is in its own-brand shoes and bags. Even the Somerset shoes are just awful.
In the Oxford Street flagship store, I have no idea why bags are not sold on the same floor as the shoes. They should change this, and fast.
But on the whole, Jo Hooper has her priorities just right.
She is rolling out this new fashion ethos to every store in the land. She listens to what her shoppers have to say, but is not afraid to experiment.
While there are a few too many M&S doppelgangers - jackets and dresses embellished with leather trim, waterfall cardigans, cowboy boots ('But people love these!' she wails) and really stiff, ghastly lace dresses - on the whole, I'm amazed that here I could find the perfect white stretchy shirt, a vintage statement necklace, a perfect cashmere sweater and a sticky-outy pink skirt.
It feels cooler than M&S by a shade, which makes sense, given Jo says her mantra has been: 'Be braver!'
Who will Jo work with next? Emilia Wickstead? Manolo Blahnik?
'We have a few names in the pipeline,' is all she will say.
A lot will rest on how each store does come Christmas party season. I have the feeling John Lewis will have a few less sequins than its rivals at M&S.
Let the battle commence!