A very special invitation

So you have probably realised I'm not exactly the King (Queen...) of the Great British Highstreet, as Gok likes to call it.  Case in point, I sleep in a House of Holland slogan tee-shirt (well, what else are they good for now?), my favourite accessory is a lurid green organza Issey Miyake bow-tie, and today I am wearing head-to-toe Castelbajac to work in a theoretical materials science office.  BUT I was very very excited when I opened up this invitation to the Arcadia Group press day next week, because I am in fact a secret lover of Topshop/Topman.  When I was a teenager, Topman was full of what looked (to me at least) like cheaply-made clothes for boys with very little style (hoodies in thin fabrics, straight-leg stone-washed jeans and t-shirts with almost offensively garish prints).  But in the past couple of years, the brand has grown up and collaborations with designers like Mjolk and Carolyn Massey have completely won me over.  And then there is the Topman Ltd brand offering special capsule collections of very affordable, and yet covetable items, as well as Topman Design which shows at LFW and is starting to create, rather than follow, fashion trends.  Just this month alone I have picked up some fabulous black wool wrist warmers and some grey marl oversized long-johns.  Their website is updated so regularly that I only allow myself to look at it once a fortnight. 

Turning to Topshop, the list of successful collaborations is seemingly endless: Ann-Sofie Back, Ashish, KTZ, Meadham Kirchoff...  All this means I'm more than happy to turn a blind eye to Kate Moss's overrated collection.  And of course there is the Topshop version of Topman's Design: Topshop Unique.  A fashion article about Topshop couldn't also fail to mention the whole Topshop/NewGen collaboration with the British Fashion Council and the Topshop show venue during LFW, allowing the brand to support many of the up-and-coming designers I hold dear to my heart. 

So let's just say I more than a little keen to see what these two great brands have in store for us next season.  And who knows - maybe they'll also be able to convert me to other highstreet shops...?           

xxx
Duck