Has Topshop Lived up to its Pre-opening Hype

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The former Borders shop opposite the Myer Centre on the corner of Elizabeth and Albert Streets was one of my favourite haunts. I could spend hours browsing the well laid out books and CDs and it was a perfect lunchtime escape from the Brisbane summer rains. You would probably have to live on another planet not to know that the store has recently reopened as British fashion giant Topshop's first foray into Queensland, and the largest of its Australian stores. Whether you think that's an improvement on Border's probably depends on your age, sex, level of literacy and fashion consciousness.


Topshop's Brisbane 5th December opening made the headlines when hordes of Brisbane teens camped out overnight to be amongst the first into the new store. There was also an exclusive VIP pre-opening event that attracted the usual assortment of fashionistas, fashion bloggers, actors and performers. But what's the reality of the new store almost two months into its tenure? Has it lived up to all the hype and fanfare?

I'll state up front that Topshop is not the kind of store I would usually venture into but I was in the city with my daughters, aged twenty and fourteen, and we needed somewhere to kill time during the lunchtime downpour (some things haven't changed). It was a good opportunity to see what all the fuss has been about.

Were we impressed? Not particularly.


Despite Topshop Australia Chairman, Hilton Seskin's assertion that "there is no age demographic" for Topshop it seemed obvious that they are targetting a teen audience. And there's nothing wrong with that: young people with plenty of disposable income, fast communication channels and an eye on the fashion bibles are a retail force to be cultivated. On the day we visited the clientele seemed to be mostly teenagers, with a few young adults thrown in. There were people browsing but no great throngs of lunchtime shoppers. The staff were bright young things projecting an image of casual hipster chic, with a fair smattering of funky headwear in evidence.

I was expecting something special in the interior design department but the fittings and decor seemed pretty stock standard for a shop of this kind, with bright lighting, polished floors, large images of pouting models and metal clothes racks the order of the day.


My daughters perused the racks with interest. While they found a number of things that appealed to them, they thought that in general the fashion on offer was nothing out of the fashion box. I had thought it was brave of Mr Heskin to suggest that Topshop was bringing a 'whole new style of fashion' to Brisbane, since the definition of fashion implies it is what everyone is wearing. Topshop fashion seems pretty similar to fashion fare to be found in other Brisbane stores, and at a similar pricepoint. We didn't find any fashion revelations here.


What you will find at Topshop that you probably won't find at other Brisbane stores are sections for maternity, talls and petites, an initiative I applaud and one which seems long overdue from mainstream fashion suppliers. They also offer a free personal shopping service by appointment and a 10% discount for students. We didn't venture further upstairs to the Topman section so I can't comment on the male side of this fashionable equation.


So, that was our Topshop experience; no fashion epiphany, just more of the same. Are we missing something? Please let us know if you think Brisbane's Topshop has lived up to all the hype.

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