Nearly fifty years after international fashion giant
Topshop was launched, it has finally landed in Australia. With seemingly endless clothes and a wall full of shoes, it does not disappoint.
The breathtaking shoe display at Topshop.
Topshop's arrival has been compared to
Zara, the Spanish chainstore which had opened its doors in the Bourke Street Mall six months earlier. While both are imported from Europe, mammoth in size and very on-trend, the similarities stop there. Topshop's clothing is suited so a more youthful demographic, with sequins and sparkles aplenty in contrast to Zara's more mature, conservative look. The price points are also quite different, with Topshop being cheaper.
Topshop is more comparable to
Forever New, with plenty of their clothing looking like it would be right at home on the racks of the Melbourne-born store. The pricing is also similar to Forever New's moderately affordable fashion. Basic dresses are typically around $40 and going-out dresses are about $120 each. Denim is relatively cheap, with jeans costing about $70. Topshop becomes even cheaper for students, who are entitled to a ten percent discount upon presentation of their student ID card.
Colour, sequins and classic cuts characterise Topshop's youthful style.
Being such a huge store, there is room for clothing of all different styles. Whether you dress in lurex and leopard print, brightly coloured summer dresses, whimsical floaty numbers or basic denim; Topshop has something that you'll welcome to your wardrobe.
Topshop's current range embraces the colour-blocking trend.
Short women, don't despair that you'll be swamped by long cuts; and tall women, finding a maxi dress that doesn't stop short of your long legs is not a problem, as Topshop has both 'petite' and 'tall' sections. The petite items are mainly shrunk down versions of the main collection, while the tall items are just elongated, so if you spot a garment you like with the wrong proportions, you might be able to find it in the tall or petite sections.
Stocking more than just clothing, you could find a complete outfit at Topshop. They have specially dedicated areas for accessories, make-up and shoes.
Tucked near the changerooms at the back of the store is a section for Top Man, Topshop's menswear spin-off. Unfortunately, this section is very limited in size. The entire men's section could probably fit in the ladies' accessories and make-up section.
Topshop can be found in the Jam Factory building on Chapel Street, South Yarra, at the former site of Borders.
