M&S and teenage frills

Frilly hemmed denim micro-minis, button emblazoned vest tops, vintage wash jeans - is the latest high summer collection from Per Una Due the one to turn around Marks & Spencer's flagging fortunes? Well, to be perfectly honest, probably not.

But, with all the action at boardroom level these days it is good to be reminded the retail giant is primarily about clothes, not takeover bids and allegations of insider trading.

Launched in March, Per Una Due is the younger, more trend-led sister to George Davis's successful Per Una range. Aiming to take on the likes of Topshop, H&M and Zara, it prides itself on a fast turnover of stock, with new items hitting the store rails every four weeks.

The latest instalment will be in the shops next Thursday. High summer is a notoriously trend-free zone but Per Una Due has hit on some of this season's key pieces - the tea dress, the full, swingy skirt and the fitted, shrunken jacket - as well as great holiday basics: see the polka-dot-andchevronstriped bikini.

Even prices have edged a little closer to the rest of the high street: feminine floral print dresses at £45, jeans at £35 and rose print vest tops going for £19.50.

As always with M&S the product itself is hard to fault. The problem is that for fashion-hungry youth the M&S brand just doesn't have the all-important "cool" factor - mums might pick up a few items for their daughters but, left to their own devices, girls will no doubt head straight to Topshop.

Though this exclusive preview image, shot in Brighton, puts an optimistic spin on the range, all may not be so rosy back at Baker Street HQ. It is rumoured Per Una Due may become the first casualty under the new Stuart Rose regime - although the Due team are working on an autumn 2004 launch.

News that plans for a Per Una Due "stand-alone" store on the King's Road have now been put on hold indefinitely can only be seen as a blow for the fledgling range.