I can’t wait to go to shops. While lockdown news has focused on the e-commerce successes, the UK high street is doubling down on getting punters back through the doors. For me, shopping is not only about buying, but also about socialising and seeing what’s new. The best stores have always been more than transactional destinations; from Topshop, Oxford Circus (R.I.P) to Dover Street Market, they’re discovery zones and temples of worship to community and culture. (more…)
It’s a sad week for Barneys, which has just filed for bankruptcy. I still remember reading about this mythical store in the early 90s, and then visiting on my first trip to New York. It seemed impossibly chic and glamorous in a 90s minimalist way; I remember buying a Prada tie with my then boyfriend from the downtown NY store and feeling at the centre of the fashion universe! (more…)
Here’s ALISON FARRINGTON’S latest monthly retail round up celebrating newness and innovation on the high street. Benetton is getting a reboot with a 90s nostalgia branding fest; Topshop is also dialling up a reboot for its Boutique collection; H&M’s latest Conscious Exclusive collection drops with new closed-loop fabrications and Uniqlo celebrates its LifeWear design principle with a Paris exhibition and pop-up
TOPSHOP REJUVENATES BOUTIQUE Topshop wants to put its premium Boutique line back on the shopping agenda for a new generation of customers that are probably more grown-up and discerning than the retail brand has been talking to in recent years. Boutique is now about a point of difference, global design director Anthony Cuthbertson told the Evening Standard: ‘We are creating perfect wardrobe staples for the contemporary woman,’ he says, adding that the brand will offer investment pieces that are built to last. (more…)
What to buy the beauty-phile who has everything? Well there are a few always happily received items one can rely on. A Fornasetti candle, in its illustrated ceramic holder is a definite keeper, or maybe the trinket tray with the illustrated hand to hold her nail polishes and cotton pads. If she’s a lover of the double-Cs, then the Chanel Jasmine Facial Oil is a fabulous everyday treat. (I’ve been using mine daily and it’s still full to the top.) (more…)
