Will Topshop Live Up to the Hype?

For months Topshop has been teasing us senseless. First, Sir Philip Green promised the Soho store would open in October. Then it was March. Then April.

Finally, after almost a year-and-a-half since rumors about Sir Philip signing a lease for the first New York outpost surfaced, the fast-fashion mecca will open its doors on Broadway and Spring one week from today. But after all these torturous weeks, will the store deliver? Can anything live up to that level of anticipation?

Yes, Topshop is amazing and the London flagship has nearly brought us to our knees on more than one occasion. But Topshop has legitimate competitors in this city now, with the offerings at Zara and H&M improving rapidly. Also, we'll lose the cache of wearing Topshop pieces in New York that our friends couldn't buy. You know: "I love your dress! Where is it from?" "Topshop! In London. Where you can't buy it. Tra la la la la!"

But maybe we're just overthinking this. Maybe Topshop can be all we've ever wanted it to be and more! Maybe it will be so amazing the throngs of tweens won't even deter us from going to shop on, like, the second day it's open. After all, the new store is supposed to have everything the London flagship has. Possibly more. The New York Observer reports:

[T]he new store will feature a Kate Moss boutique for the model's line, which is produced four times yearly and will soon include lingerie. There will also be new collections by insidery British designers like Jonathan Saunders and Preen and areas for costume jewelry, shoes, maternity, petites, talls, men, hats and bags -- a veritable department store of cheap, aggressively cool stuff! "We know that in New York there are a lot of brands offering great basics," [a spokesman] said. "So ours will be a little more fashion-heavy, more fashion specialties per square meter in a way. We don't buy huge bulk of any one style, we don't buy millions or even hundreds of thousands; we might buy 5,000 or we might buy 50."


Jonathan Saunders? Preen? We take it all back. We're pumped. Why would we shop at Zara when we could shop at Topshop? Next week is the beginning of the Rest of Our Lives.

Will You Drop for Topshop? [NYO]

Previously on NYmag.com's The Cut...
 

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