Mission accomplished at M&S!

On a grey and windy November day, in a boardroom at Marks & Spencer's head office in central London, 26 Prima readers gathered excitedly. Joined by Prima's editor Maire Fahey and Marks & Spencer's senior womenswear buyers and technicians, our campaign volunteers were here to discuss a problem that has blighted women's shopping experiences for too long - the lack of stylish tops and dresses with sleeves. The session was led by Wayne Couzens, Marks & Spencer's customer panel manager, who kicked things off by inviting each of the group to share their favourite item of clothing, explaining why they loved it.

Linda McBurnie, 58, from Chester, showed her wardrobe hero: a patterned V-neck dress in shades of brown, with sleeves, that always makes her feel sexy. Having suffered skin cancer, Linda can't expose her arms to the sun, so is always looking for fashionable tops with sleeves that will keep her cool in the summer. Maureen Craig, 60, from London, then talked about the problems she had encountered when looking for a suitable outfit for her daughter's wedding in Antigua. She's recently lost a stone and is feeling great, but could only find strappy dresses that would force her to wear a cover-up. Anne Bell, 59, from Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, is so miffed with the lack of sleeved tops and dresses that she has taken matters into her own hands. She makes her own sleeves and sews them into the dresses she buys on the high street.

And she wasn't the only one who'd found a novel way to solve the sleeve shortage. Joanna Collinson, 38, from Amesbury, Wiltshire, invented an ingenious crop top with sleeves that fits snugly under sleeveless tops and dresses. Her creation went down a storm with everyone.

Still stylish!

Jane Turnbull, 56, from Luton, struck a chord when she announced that she didn't want to dress like an older woman. Looking chic in her favourite dress - a stripy, fitted number, with clever detail under the bust designed to flatter the tum (and sleeves, naturally) - she explained that being in her fifties was no barrier to wanting to look trendy. ‘I'd like to see Marks & Spencer come up with designs that are fashionable but adapted slightly for the issues that older women face, like something to disguise a tummy and a generous sleeve to cover arms,' said Jane, to nods of agreement around the table. These are women with style, who want to look great, whatever their age.

Cyndy Dixon, 60, from London, pointed out that today's fifty-something women are completely different to those of even ten years ago. ‘We're a lost generation,' she said. ‘We're children of the 1960s and '70s, and we're used to being fashionable.' Maureen felt the same: ‘We still want to look good. We're not ready for the twinset and pearls just yet.' Carolyn agreed: ‘We're vibrant - we want to be seen!' Sue Hixon, 54, from Rustington, West Sussex, showed off a stunning gold brocade dress that she'd bought for a party, but it had one big problem - tiny straps that meant she had to wear a bolero over it. Lesley Koulouris, 53, from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, sympathised. ‘It's so annoying. I want sequins and style, but instead I have to cover up my glamorous dresses with frumpy cardigans.'

Exclusive preview

After a delicious lunch of Marks & Spencer food, the ladies were given a sneak preview of the company's spring womenswear collection and asked to grade each top or dress. They were to award a green ticket if they loved it, a red ticket if they hated it and an amber ticket if they liked it but felt it needed a different sleeve. The Per Una collection was a real winner, particularly the two-in-one tops and cardigans and dresses sold with wraps (which means there's no need to buy a separate cover-up). Womenswear technologist Mary (whose job is to ensure clothing fits properly and doesn't fall apart) explained that clothes are fitted onboth size 12 and size 18 models - and these models are real women, not teenage waifs - to ensure the designs fit real women's bodies. This was welcome news.

Our ambassadors did us proud, with Wayne praising them for their great ideas and suggestions. Even better, a detailed report of their views will be sent to every department in Marks & Spencer, so the Prima A Call to Arms message will be heard by the people who really matter. Annette Browne, director of women's casualwear at Marks & Spencer, said: ‘We fully support Prima's A Call to Arms campaign, and we decided the best way to show our support was to offer Prima readers the chance to voice their opinions to Marks & Spencer. It was a fascinating and enjoyable experience for us to hear first-hand accounts from Prima readers about what they love about us and what they're not so keen on! We gained insight into the issues that ladies face, with many valuable opinions and possible solutions. This has provided us with a wealth of information, which we will feed into the Marks & Spencer design and buying process, and we hope that in due course Prima readers will see the fruits of their labours on the shop floor!'

What are the other high street stores doing?

It's not just Marks & Spencer hearing our cry for more sleeves please...

John Lewis

Jo Hooper, head of womenswear buying, says: ‘Prima's A Call to Arms campaign is a great way to engage and educate those women who don't feel confident showing their upper arms, but don't want to compromise on style. Our buyers are always on the lookout for designs and brands that offer a flattering sleeve option, such as the new Celia Birtwell for John Lewis spring collection and the new Tracey Boyd collection, which includes a sensational sequined coral shift dress with mid-length sleeves. John Lewis's in-store fashion advisers are also equipped to make all women look stylish and feel great, whichever problem area they want to disguise.'

House of Fraser

Marie Jones, design director, says: ‘A Call to Arms is a wonderful campaign. At House of Fraser we have paid particular attention to sleeve lengths across a number of ranges this season. Dickins & Jones and Episode are two such brands that we've specifically thought about and designed with varying sleeve lengths in mind for our customers.'

Next

The Next design team says: ‘We want everyone to find clothes they absolutely love at Next, and this means offering the greatest possible choice. So, although most of our inspirational fashion themes include options for women who love the bare-armed look, we also have fabulous dresses and tops with sleeves in every elegant, flattering length, from the elbow right down to the wrist.'

Learn more about the Call to Arms campaign here