This season, Topshop deconstructs the uniform as Unique celebrates English Heritage through the eyes of the quintessential schoolgirl rebel.
The look, according to Head of Design Emma Farrow, is fresh, easy and cool. However this was no exercise in punkish androgyny- these were soft, beautiful girls in tough-girl clothing.
Silhouettes were widely varied, with delicate slip dresses and bodices emerging from underneath A-line dresses, embroidered sweaters and 70s patchwork gilets. The outerwear offering was as impressive as ever, with a substantial anthology of outsized boyfriend coats, belted trenches and puffa jackets. With such a complete and cohesive collection, it is hard to extract a winning must-have. But a dusky pink, outsized car coat with coloured fur trim had us at hello, and we are enamoured.
If any association with the Topshop mainline still lingers, then it is quickly crushed under the quality of the fabrics: layers of embroidered mesh, butter-soft leather, collapsed chiffon, tonal shearling and gargantuan mohair instantly allow the collection to play with the big brands.
As is usually the case with Unique, this collection offers so much more to than the barely-there, skin-flashing carnival of Spring/Summer. Forget the key pieces: these are key outfits¸ and ones which we can vision ourselves wearing almost too easily. Furthermore, comfort comes in the knowledge that whilst this is an undeniably high-end collection, the price tags are not-so-high. A real excitement stems from the true shopability of the show – these are dream pieces with the added bonus of accessibility.
And such accessibility is an idea which Unique likes to run with. In the true spirit of Philip Green’s all-encompassing powerhouse, the balconies overlooking the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall were lined with eager onlookers, blessed with a fantastic view of the show below. Furthermore, the show was live-streamed to shoppers in the Topshop flagship.
Is this the future of the fashion show? We can’t be sure – but we are certain that our new season shopping list will be dominated by Unique.
by Roberta Lister