I was excited to go to Topshop. I went there a few times when I was in the UK in 2001 while studying abroad, and was excited when they opened one in New York and when Toronto's Jonathan+Olivia started carrying Topshop. However, the prices in these stores are a bit higher than in London (and knowing London's prices for their non-British brands...Topshop was definitely worth checking out). I had looked at the website before, and had a rough idea of what I was planning to buy.
On my first full day in London, I checked out the flagship on Oxford Street. I knew the store had a petite section and was excited to see what it had to offer. Sadly, the selection was very small for the size of the store (it was not much bigger than the petite corner at Next, and this Topshop was probably twice its size. It was a FLAGSHIP for goodness sakes! And the one jacket which caught my eye was only available in one size. Seriously....every single jacket (and there were at least 15 of them) was in a UK size 12 (US 8). The standard size was fine, though.
I don't know if it's just me or not, but I didn't find TopShop as appealing this time around. Though there are pieces which I'd purchase and some of the things do look good online, I think I'm getting a little too old for the place. I know that there are plenty of girls my age (31) who are still into funkier looking clothes, but that's just not me. I'm for things that are just a little more lady-like and sophisticated (which sadly, many women don't seem to care that much about anymore). I don't want to look like I'm about to hit a club that plays nothing but music that would give me a headache.
Of course, this isn't to say that the Topshop flagship was BAD. It's an affordable brand in a place where almost everything else is very expensive, compared with even New York. And if you're interested in funkier clothes, then this is definitely the place to go. If you're more conservative, like me, then you'll need to look very carefully for pieces that spice up the classics just ENOUGH. :)
