It is a sartorial truism to say that when one is tired of Topshop, one is tired of fashion. For those of us beyond the age of 40, it might be equally accurate to posit that when one is tired of Topshop, one is just very, very tired.
Shopping in Topshop takes energy, verve, enthusiasm and, oftentimes, dogged determination,designer handbags buy such is the width and breadth of its offering. As such, it is mostly the hunting ground of the youthful, with their limitless time and limited resources.Canada Goose Solaris Parka For the rest of us, Topshop presents a knotty dilemma: the rewards can be great (a leather biker jacket I bought seven years ago is still regularly mistaken for Balenciaga) but the sacrifices are akin to a root canal (confusing layouts, too much clothing and herds of teenagers roaming with hyena-like intensity). At least that's what I remember of Topshop from five years ago, the last time I paid a visit. Recently, though, I have been bumping into stunning-looking women of a similar age to my own who proffer the same response to my question about their outfit's origin: Topshop.
And so, in the interests of journalistic inquiry, I sent myself on a mission to Topshop to determine whether the aforementioned females had just gotten lucky or whether these days one can really expect to find clothes that one might truly want to wear.
Topshop has long been a game changer, allowing anyone and everyone to mix high-street and high-end fashion. And collaborations with the likes of Kate Moss and Christopher Kane ensured that the store stayed fashion-forward. To say that the brand had been in the doldrums the past few years would be disingenuous; Topshop has become a destination for fashionistas, teens and tourists alike, opening stores in New York,Canada Goose Womens Tremblant Las Vegas and, soon,Canada Goose Baffin Anorak Los Angeles. So let's just say it might have lost a little sparkle. I'm using the past tense because Topshop—or rather Philip Green, the owner of parent company Arcadia—pulled off a masterstroke when it was announced 18 months ago that British Vogue fashion director Kate Phelan would become the store's creative director.
Phelan's skill, so evident in her years of styling for Vogue, is her ability to edit with decisive precision and to recognize not only what looks fashionable, but also what is missing from the mix. "I was obsessed with getting the trousers right," she says when we meet in the London flagship store, where she finds me halfway through my marathon. After some idle chatter (we have known each other for longer than we might care to admit), she zeroes in on what I'm wearing, identifying it within seconds as somewhat ancient designer clobber. "The fun in this is all about mixing it up," she says of her role as both curator and innovator of the brand. "I never think of Topshop being for a certain age, I think of it being a mind-set. You should wear what you are comfortable in, though a tiny bit of me always thinks, 'If you've got it, flaunt it.' "
Flaunting it was not what I had in mind when Sarah, the Topshop personal shopper, phoned me ahead of our meeting. I don't normally do personal shoppers, but where Topshop is concerned, the service, which is free, is imperative if you are serious about finding some key pieces and your time and patience are limited.
There's no category, though, on Topshop's personal-shopping menu for me; the descriptions range from "The Honeymooner," to "The Miracle Worker" (which has some bearing, perhaps) to "The Big Wow." I'm in a paring-down mode. I no longer need the extensive designer wardrobe that I once did, but I'm not quite ready for the permanent tracksuit or jeans options (as attractive as they might be). Despite having seen other women looking good in Topshop, I'm dubious that they can offer what I require—cool, good-looking separates, plus a coat and a cocktail dress—but I'm banking on the fact that Phelan, a fellow, ahem, middle-ager, knows what she's doing.
The personal-shopping area at Topshop has been spruced up since I last visited. There's now a mission-control-meets-André-Balazs vibe, complete with neutral-colored sofas, lacquer-effect walls and lush carpeting. Sarah has already pulled a number of pieces for me and a well-edited rail of grays, navys, browns, blacks and neutrals, with a few wild-card paisleys and patterns, awaits. Before I try on anything, we decide to do a circuit of the store. All human life (well, female human life) is here. Teens in mini skirts, with impossibly long legs and even longer hair, wind their way toward the changing rooms, trailing glitter, chiffon and the scent of patchouli. In the shoe department, a tween in a tutu-looking confection is being helped by her mother, who is standing with one foot in a bright pink wellie,Canada Goose Skreslet Parka the other in a tatty Converse. In the coat department, a 20-something couple (he in black mohair, she in denim shorts and red tights) argue loudly about the merits of a fake-fur jacket, while a couple of German tourists trundle by with flapper-style dresses slung over the top of their suitcases.
"It's a bit noisy," says Sarah. "We have DJs guesting because it's half term." I am suddenly seized by the horror that I might bump into my son's 16-year-old girlfriend at any moment; which should tell you more about my views on the appropriateness of Topshop for someone like me than about my attitude toward my son's rather lovely girlfriend.
At this thought, I am galvanized into action, thrusting clothes at Sarah with alarming ferocity. Once I get in, there appear to be endless possibilities—a chic mac; a long, slimming, military-style coat; a gray marl skirt and sweatshirt combo; some stretchy black leather jeggings (strictly to be worn under baggy sweaters); and a sweet '60s-shaped dress that would look perfect worn with thick tights, and a rather daring pair of brogues with gold-stud detailing.
Time spent from start to finish: two hours. (I reckon you could do it in one if you were more disciplined.) Number of wardrobe boxes ticked: four.
Maybe I underestimated Topshop, or perhaps Phelan has really gotten her head around the "older issue"—not that she would ever call it that. Either way, it can't be a coincidence that the brand itself turns a chic 50 in two years' time.
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