Looks inspired by the swinging 60s, country house heritage and 1980s rock all featured and the clothing looked pretty good.
That's good news, given the reaction to Tuesday's news that sales in refurbished M&S stores are up 10 per cent on average. That figure, impressive though it may sound, did not please the City. Investors had hoped for a bigger uplift and were worried by the£500 million cost of the programme.
For the shops to work, the product has to be right. Shiny new stores will not deliver sales growth by themselves. But the message from Tuesday was that product is working. Although sales in the vital clothing category were flat across the year, there was a 4.4 per cent sales increase in the second half - a reflection, in the retailer's words, of 'better values, better buying and better styling'.
Those characteristics were evident at the autumn/winter preview, so there seems reason to be optimistic that the new ranges will hit the spot with shoppers.
Equally, good product can be let down by dowdy stores so it does make sense to invest in the portfolio. Chief executive Stuart Rose described much of his retail estate as 'decrepit', but by the end of the year some 35 per cent of floor space will have been modernised.
Rose will have to keep an eye on the cost of the initiative, especially since operating costs are likely to climb between 6 and 7 per cent this year.
But he hasn't put a foot wrong so far in his efforts to revive M&S. His reluctance to describe the improvements as a recovery shows that he's not about to start getting complacent. A combination of strong product and smart stores should help deliver the next stage of improvement.
However, while M&S reported final results this week, sofa specialist Land of Leather chairman Roger Matthews warned that the 'additional uncertainty' of the World Cup could be added to the problems of a generally tough trading environment - it was a classic case of getting your retaliation in first.
It's clear what Matthews was getting at. Footfall and trading patterns are likely to be disrupted as the nation plonks itself in front of the TV for the big tournament. But it was a risky comment. Retailers already have a reputation for blaming all sorts of external factors for their problems and it was premature to make what sounded like an excuse in advance.
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