Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know by now that London’s biggest “high street” store TOPSHOP is opening its second American location here in the Windy City. Construction has been underway at the Michigan Avenue location at the corner of Pearson in the old Borders space. TOPSHOP is known for its fashion forward designs, celebrity following, and designer collaborations.
I was invited to preview TOPSHOP’s newest collections at their private industry preview event this past Wednesday at theWit hotel’s rooftop lounge overlooking the city. TOPSHOP is planned to open this fall in early September 2011 at 830 North Michigan Avenue. The sales floor will be 35,000 sq. ft. with a DJ booth and open ceiling.
TOPSHOP executive Karen, who is based in London but flew in for the event, graciously showed me every single piece in each of their four collections; Psychobilly; Thrift; Glamrock; and Bavaria. In addition the Chicago location will carry Unique, an in-house designer line that shows each year at London Fashion Week. TOPSHOP Chicago will also include their entire men’s line TOPMAN. Lingerie, maternity, footwear, cosmetics, jewelry, and accessories will each have their own display area in the space.
I chose one to photograph one piece of clothing from Psychobilly, Glamrock and Bavaria, which you can see below:
Mongolian lamb fur vest
Due to imitation and copying concerns each media outlet was only allowed to photograph three products. That is also why I chose not to post any photos of attendees inside since all of the products are easily visible. I respect the company’s desire to keep its designs secret in an industry where blatant copying is unfortunately all too common.
Special thank you to TOPSHOP for dropping off a surprise gift for me at my apartment building. I love my new snakeskin print clutch!
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During a late night trawling the internet, I came across this magnificent cape from Rodarte x Opening Ceremony. My adoration for capes, shapeless shirts, and loose-fitting coats is well known. One of my favorite looks to wear year round is a pair of skinny pants balanced with a billowing top, preferably with dolman sleeves. This cape is perfect for transition dressing in Chicago – which sadly, is year round. Even in the summer it gets a bit chilly at night. I am getting amped up for music festival season in Chicago and am strategically buying up cover-ups that can double as a blanket for sitting in the grass. Clearly I would be wearing something underneath this before I whipped it off in a dancing frenzy! I could easily see myself stretching out on this cape in Grant Park or the forests of Michigan to look at the stars while listening to concert music.
Some of you might think that using an $850 designer cape as a lawn blanket is blasphemy, but I like to think Kate and Laura would think it’s awesome to use one of their garments for both utilitarian and decorative purposes. Isn’t fashion all about breaking boundaries and exploring concepts of dress? I often speak about living through fashion, and this is an excellent example. Designer clothing isn’t meant to be hung in a museum (unless it’s a hand-feathered gown by Alexander McQueen…), it’s meant to be lived in. It’s wearable art. This cape captures the essence of what fashion means to me. It’s about incorporating design and visual concepts into the experiences you live through. And what better to experience a mindblowing music festival in than to be dressed in an equally mesmerizing Rodarte x Opening Ceremony brocade cape?
This cape is one of those timeless pieces to treasure in your wardrobe for decades. Or, like me, you can treasure the idea of this cape on a wish list and admire it online!
Purchase it (or at least window-shop it like I did!) on ShopBop.com
