Celia Birtwell for John Lewis: Calvacade hem detail dress £125

Fashion sales were up 17% at the department store in August. This is likely to be thanks to its recent £10 million investment fashion revamp. But one question lingers: John Lewis, dowdy or classic?

The image of Britain's Favourite Retailer (2009) has been really put under the spotlight. Do consumers constantly want fresh, trendy looks at its 28 well-established stores or rather, know what they're getting and simply pick up a time-less notebook or a scarf as a present for a mother?

Oxford Street's flagship store has undergone transformations with a new cosmetics space, florist and food hall. And as far as its fashion offering, the firm has hired designers Osman Yousefzada and Philip Treacy to reincarnate the clothes.



By Rosie Hart