Topshop Unique
REVIEW
COMPLETE COLLECTION
LONDON, September 14, 2008
By Sarah Mower
In the early eighties, there was a short-lived British girl trio called Bananarama who were chiefly notable for their terrible spiky hairdos tied up in big old rags and for dancing around in high-waisted jeans, singing such ditties as "Really Saying Something." Well, they were back on the runway, in spirit at least, at Topshop Unique's Spring show—what with the giant bow-tied headwraps, the stonewashed denim, and all the kitschy fifties influences that fueled that particular point in the pop history of London music and fashion.No one of an age to consider wearing Topshop has any business knowing much about that reference, of course—since it was exactly what their mothers were getting up to, well before they were conceived. (But Peaches Geldof, daughter of Sir Bob and the late music TV presenter Paula Yates, might've clocked it—had she ever gotten off her BlackBerry. Her mom must've interviewed the Bananaramas endlessly. And Yates, too, was a great proponent of the bow-tied hair scarf at the time.)
Not that it matters too much that the Topshop team, now headed by Karen Bonser, might've turned to eighties videos and vintage copies of The Face to get them started. All that counts is the commercial outcome—which this time was kind of jolly and nonserious, in the way young Brit fast fashion ought to be. There was nothing profound about the love-heart prints, jumpsuits, parachute-silk batwing tops, and reruns of teddy boy and new wave tailoring, and it was a relief. Trying too hard isn't a good look for either Topshop's customers or a high-street brand, however on-it the brand might be. Result: For the first time since it debuted in 2005, this collection stopped pretending to be what it isn't, and came over as genuinely young.
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Spring 2009 Ready-to-Wear
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3.1 Phillip Lim -
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Eley Kishimoto Elie Saab Elie Tahari Elise Øverland Emanuel Ungaro Emilio Pucci Emporio Armani Erdem Erin Fetherston Etro -
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Fashion Fringe Fendi Francesco Scognamiglio -
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Gap Gareth Pugh Giambattista Valli Gianfranco Ferré Giles Giorgio Armani Givenchy Graeme Black G-Star Gucci -
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Haider Ackermann Halston Hanii Y Helmut Lang Hermès Hervé Léger by Max Azria House of Holland Hussein Chalayan -
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Iceberg Isaac Mizrahi Issa -
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Kai Kühne Karen Walker Karl Lagerfeld Koi Suwannagate Kris Van Assche -
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L'Wren Scott Lacoste Lanvin La Perla Lela Rose Limi Feu Loewe Louise Goldin Louis Vuitton Luca Luca Luella Luisa Beccaria Lutz & Patmos -
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Naeem Khan Nanette Lepore Narciso Rodriguez Nathan Jenden Nicole Miller Nina Ricci -
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Ohne Titel Organic by John Patrick Oscar de la Renta Ossie Clark -
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Paul Smith Women Peter Jensen Peter Pilotto Peter Som Phi Philosophy Pollini Ports 1961 Prada Preen Pringle of Scotland Proenza Schouler -
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Sabyasachi Salvatore Ferragamo Sari Gueron Shipley & Halmos Sinha-Stanic Sonia Rykiel Sophia Kokosalaki Sophie Theallet Stærk Stella McCartney Stephen Burrows Sue Stemp -
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Tao Temperley London Thakoon Threeasfour Tibi Todd Lynn Tommy Hilfiger Topshop Unique Tory Burch Tracy Reese Trovata TSE Tuleh -
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Undercover United Bamboo -
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Valentino Vena Cava Vera Wang Vera Wang Lavender Label Veronique Branquinho Versace Victoria Beckham Viktor & Rolf Vivienne Tam Vivienne Westwood Vivienne Westwood Red Label VPL -
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William Rast Wunderkind -
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Y-3 Yigal Azrouël Yohji Yamamoto Yves Saint Laurent -
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Zac Posen Zero + Maria Cornejo
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