LFW AW13: WATCH TOPSHOP'S GOOGLE PLUS HANGOUT

Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large

Did you see Fashion Editor at Large extraordinaire Melanie Rickey hosting a global hangout from Topshop HQ this afternoon? Take note, this is the future of fashion...

ALL ABOUT TOPSHOP AND GOOGLE'S "THE FUTURE OF THE FASHION SHOW"

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large

From this Friday through next Tuesday it is London Fashion Week.  Yes, again. Only this is a fashion week that would have been unimaginable ten years ago when proceedings were trade-only. For the duration of this one, should you be so inclined, you can settle down at home or office with laptop and a cup of tea (or Champagne to really get in the mood) and watch 70% of the shows live on You Tube  and follow the goings on in real time via Instagram and Twitter with the #LFW tag. But what if there was an even more instant, fun, integrated and most-importantly shoppable way to consume real time fashion shows online?

Step forward Topshop. These vexing thoughts have been occupying the creative thinkers over there for some time, not least because theirs are the most digitally engaged and enthusiastic customers in the omni-channel marketplace of 2013.

Last September the brand, which holds a London Fashion Week show for its influential Unique range and funds a number of young designers through the New Gen scheme, hit paydirt with a Facebook collaboration. The link up enabled two million of Topshop’s digital users in 100 countries to view the Unique show and to share it instantly via their Facebook pages, download the music, buy the lipstick and pre-order and recolour items of the collection. Oh, and one more thing, when the data was crunched it turned out two million was the magic number that made it the most watched catwalk show ever.

Gaining such global traction was like a drug to the two relatively new brooms heading up the artistic output of the brand, namely Creative Director Kate Phelan who joined from Vogue and the former Burberry executive Justin Cooke, now Topshop’s Chief Marketing Officer.  Having mined the possibilities of Facebook, Cooke and Phelan approached Google +, the social networking arm of Google and now, with Sunday’s 3pm show streaming from the vaults of the Tate Modern, aim to reimagine the future of the fashion show experience by putting it out on Topshop’s own website, its You Tube Channel, with curation of all content on its Google + page. Or as Justin Cooke puts it “we will give you whatever you want, however you want it. We want to connect with the emotional side of the show.” 

The look of the Topshop website for Google hook-up

If all goes well, that emotional connection will reap dividends as the digital activity is measurable, from stats and locations of users, to their likes, dislikes and preferences. Not to mention a heads up of what their customers wants to buy from Topshop, and tracts of new users for Google +.

This morning I was at London's Google towers for breakfast with the team behind the project at the precise moment restrictions were lifted from the embargoed press release, and the atmosphere was crackling with excitement. This is groundbreaking for both Google and Topshop and the logistics are verging on terrifying. I will be hosting the Google Hangouts, a multi-person digital chat on Friday at 4pm with Kate Phelan and Unique's designers, and again from 2.30 live from the red carpet at Tate Modern, the show venue. 

As previously, there is music, nail polish and clothes to buy plus a show to watch, 

but what I adore about this is the opportunity for total immersion in the catwalk experience. I predict a meltdown of the ‘Model Cam’ option, which sees supermodels and best friends Cara Delevingne and Jourdan Dunn given outfits embedded with mini HD micro-cameras which will allow us all to see a models-eye view of backstage, those scary flashbulb popping steps out onto the runway and whatever it is models get up to backstage. The Model Cam will also be worn by Topshop's newest model discoveries the British 17 year old Rosie Tapner and New Zealander Ashleigh Good, who are writing digital diaries of their fashion show experience for Topshop.com.

Rosie Tapner (model.com)

Ashleigh Good (rapax.com)

For those wanting a more fashion professional slant on the action, I recommend the Be The Buyer App, enabling users to curate the collection and get tips from the buyers on how to put looks together. I’m pretty darn excited to be working on the project with Topshop and Google and will get to see the whole thing in action and will report back. “This has the potential to be digitalwildfire,” says Cooke. I don’t doubt it for a minute. 

A shorter version of this piece appears over on The Guardian 

ALL THE SMALL THINGS

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

This time of year can start to make one feel really quite weighed down. First of all, there's the eating- even before Christmas day itself, there seem to be interminable cupcakes and tins of Quality Street and Miniature Heroes knocking about, not to mention the carb fest that is "party food". Then there's all the shopping, present upon present to buy, rolls of wrapping paper and festive cards. The loading up which began several weeks ago is now beginning to feel like an enormous weight which it would be rather nice to fly away from, cast off all the possessions and unnecessary stodge and just lighten up.

Mini Miu Miu heels worn by Elle China's Leaf Greener, photographed by Tommy Ton (jakandjil.com)

If we cannot grow wings then the next best thing might be downsizing which, rather luckily, is right in line with where fashion is going. Gone are the mega Towie heels of yesteryear, replaced with a stocky, ladylike block heel which the Queen would be proud of. As opposed to the giant, Mary Poppins bags of mere seasons ago, it now seems so much fresher to be carting around little more than a teeny cross-body bag just big enough for a phone, a card and a lipstick. After all, how often do you actually use the entire contents of your make-up bag which we usually insist on hauling around "just in case". I think it's a state of mind more than anything else, cutting the ties and losing the fear. Our backs will thank us.

A very small bag, photographed by Tommy Ton (jakandjil.com)

The ultimate lightweight inspiration comes courtesy of Louis Vuitton who have recruited three street style stars- Mira Duma, Hanneli Mustaparta and Elin Kling- to prance the streets of Paris, hands free with just their sweet and small cross-body bags to carry their worldly goods. The message is that life is just  trillion times more fun without baggage which is quite a statement for a brand whose core offer is enormous trunks and sizeable handbags. 2013 is set to be the year when fashion is kind to us- we can wear heels which aren't absurd and bags which don't break our backs. To celebrate, here are some late additions for your Christmas list... small but perfectly formed.

Jimmy Choo rebel bag £550 at My Theresa

Marc by Marc Jacobs spot bag £350 at My Theresa

ASOS chunky gold heels £40

J Crew Janey silver gold chunk pumps £243.75

Topshop snake bag £28

Zara jewelled ballerinas £59.99

Miu Miu crystal small heels £460

LFW SS13: FIVE OBSESSIONS AT J.W ANDERSON

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

J.W Anderson has been one of the most talked about designers in the run up to this London Fashion Week, judging by my Twitter feed and overhearings. That's because on the first morning of shows, his collaboration with Topshop hit stores and coaxed fashion editors away from LFW prep to a land of pinafore dresses, penny loafers, bat pattern jumpers and J-Dubz pencils. Consequently the Toppers collection was playing a starring role on last night's F-ROW as everyone waited to see what one of LFW's most intellectual, rigorous and unpredictable designers would do next.

Jonathan had created a "Treatment Room"; a place where he had played with fabric, texture, silhouette, in response to "a personal urgency to strip back fashion to garments with an edge". That quote tells me that this was all about taking the fundamentals and playing around with them, embellishing them with a J.W flourish. So, what got me ticking?

1. ADDED FRILLS

2. FINGERPRINT PRINTS

3. THE BAGS

4. THE BOOTS

5. LOOK 21

Reason- the colour of this jacket is just phenomenal, plus I love that the model is Zen formerly known as Kate.

Image from Vogue.com

RIVER ISLAND BECOMES RI-RI ISLAND AS RIHANNA JUMPS ONBOARD

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large

When it comes to shopping the British high street, TopShop has been pretty much my only destination for as long as I can remember; from girl to woman. Sure there was a brief flirtation with Gap back when their European design team was based in London. Then at the advent of each new fashion season I hit up Zara as well as making a few judicious designer purchases from Celine, Givenchy and Acne.

I'm not about to say I shop at River Island, I don't, but my 23 year old sister does. She says their jeans are for girls with "booty" whereas TopShop's are for "skinny girls". Anyway River Island's recent activity has given me pause to take them more seriously as a fashion player on the British high street at this recession hit moment. First there was the cleverness of the brilliantly eclectic "Blogger Trend" at their AW12 press day back in early May. When we covered it on this blog, the story went viral with what felt like everyone in the fashion blogosphere wanting to share their thoughts on the matter.

But yesterday River Island scored the biggest and best PR coup in its 64 year history, simultaneously knocking their local and global competition into a cocked hat and no doubt jolting their rivals TopShop into speechless surprise: they revealed they had signed up Rihanna to design a Spring/Summer 2013 collection for them, in collaboration of course. Actually, unbelievably, they revealed that Rihanna had asked River Island - or as it has been renamed RiRi Island - if she could design a collection for them. Presumably she set the no doubt gargantuan fee structure too while the executive were foaming at the mouth ££ signs in their eyes...

The breathless coverage meted out in the British national and digital press today has been nothing short of cringeworthy in its overblown excitement. It supposes that all we have been waiting for in our lives is the chance to buy a jewelled cap, some high tops and an animal print onesie with laddered thigh sections - as if we couldn't already!

Anyway, the fashion chameleon that is the awesome Rihanna also happens to be the world's biggest popstar with the most followed style amongst young women and bloody hell if a British high street chain didn't go and land the big fish! Girls under 25 with a Rihanna single or five on their playlist will be lapping this one up if only for the fairy dust of their icon to rub off on them.

Someone at River Island is doing something very right. Maybe it is Ben Lewis the Cambridge University educated CEO of River Island (and nephew of the chain's founder Bernard Lewis) who recently took over the reins of the 300-store strong fashion chain after working in every department of the business over the last 20 years? But when I asked, typically as with most high street fashion press offices, the girl on the desk knew very little and is not authorised to say anything other than "it is a group effort" and other obfuscating inanities. Well, it is a privately owned company so they don't have to say anything. So well done, Ri-Ri Island. Now onto guessing what River Island and Rihanna will do together..

All that remains is for me to wonder:

1. How Rihanna's friendship with Chloe Green (daughter of Sir Phillip Green, TopShop's owner) is faring after the news hit yesterday?

2. Why DID Rihanna choose River Island over TopShop? Or did TopShop say no to Rihanna because they only work with fashion designers? Hmmm.

3. Is Rihanna prepping for a career change? Not only is she creating this collection with River Island, she has executive produced a TV fashion talent show with Sky Living HD called "Styled to Rock" which airs later this summer...

4. What do you want to see in this collection? Will you be buying? I'm looking forward to it in a twisted kinda way. 

Hmm.. maybe I'll do this one in leopard print with gold studs.. Rihanna with her serious fashionista head on,
shopping River Island back in March (from mirror.co.uk)

THE MANY FASHION PERSONALITIES OF RIHANNA...

A nice red carpet dress... 

Bootylicious bikinis and summer wear

Basics with a Ri-Ri twist

Sportswear, denim, hoodies, micro shorts

Caps..River Island is already doing Ri-Ri style for Autumn 2012

High tops: River Island collection Autumn/Winter 2012

Fuck-off sexy boots: River Island collection Autumn/Winter 2012

Blingin dresses: River Island collection Autumn/Winter 2012

STYLING IT UP: WHITE SHIRTS

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Peter Lindberh's supermodels in white shirts (image from thefashionbloggers.blogspot.com)

Pretty much every "grown-up" lady I know has a perfect white shirt. It's a staple element of the wardrobe of most modern women. Until now, the white shirt has either been buttoned up with a suit for business meetings or worn loose and mannish as in Peter Lindbergh's supermodels portrait above. However of late, it's started to inch into actual fashion territory too.  By that I mean that it's been used as key styling tool on the catwalks and, most importantly, is Alexa Chung's new favourite thing to wear to big events.

Alexa in Christopher Kane at the Scottish Fashion Awards

In our day-to-day work, the FashEd and I are constantly hearing about how consumers are trying to save their pennies and are reluctant to invest in whole new looks. This makes the white shirt's new lease of life even more exciting for those of you out there who want to look of the moment with out breaking the bank. Step forward our new formula-

1. Take a blingy party dress from your wardrobe.
2. Wear with white shirt.

Ta da! Ok, so it's pretty simple but the basic principle is that you can revive old skirts and dresses just by wearing them a new and now way, namely by priming them up with a crisp shirt rather than baring flesh or using a cardigan  to cover up. Take it a step further by adding gems to the cuff or a ribbon round the collar. It is imperative that the shirt is taken far, far away from corporate connotations to achieve the right level of nowness- Kristen Stewart wore a Stella white shirt get-up recently which would have been rather fab had it not been for the overly staid jacket that got plonked on top.

Kristen Stewart in Stella (image from mydaily.co.uk)

Alexa in Marc Jacobs plus shirt at the Met Gala (image from mydaily.co.uk)

It wasn't actually Alexa who started this trend- though she's it earliest real life adopter. On the AW12 catwalks, there were white shirts sprinkled into many of the major shows. Giles' show notes even thanked Gap for the provision of white shirts throughout. Roksanda Ilincic kept the shirt within its menswear roots but added fur and sporty cuffs. Simone Rocha put huge knitted panels on hers while Stella's were embroidered in cobalt blue rococo patterns. 

Giles AW12 (image from catwalking.com)

Roksanda Ilincic AW12 (image from catwalking.com)

Here are our favourite white shirt picks, just keep it well away from a suit jacket, unless you work in a law firm...

ASOS £25

Reiss £79

Topshop £32

SHOW AND TELL: TOPSHOP AW12

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Every time I enter Topshop Oxford Circus, my heart flutters a little, well quite a lot actually. This is because Topshop was the first place I got properly excited about clothes, a place I could go and drown entirely in the possibilities and options calling out to me across those three huge floors. Autumn/Winter 2012, and this summer for that matter, are going to be seasons to get really excited about a trip to Topshop. In fact, those of us lucky enough to go to the Unique show during February's LFW have been in a thrall since we saw the luxe military, shearling and bomber coats parading past us as part of former Vogue Fashion Director Kate Phelan's first collection as Creative Director.

I went along to Topshop's press day this morning where I heard plenty of fashion press discussing which jumper/ coat/ trouser they'd be ordering.

The neckline on this red crosses jumper is going to look bang on for AW12.

Melanie is ordering one of these

That low polo neck again, this time sportier. I wanted to wrap myself up in this quilted, animal-y jumper.



One of the best things about the Unique collection is the heavy, layered up theme which runs through. It makes it look and feel properly high end.

Melanie's favourite bomber, she wants the coat version too (greedy girl)

My personal favourite- zippy shearling...

Double breasted bomber.... Genius. 

AND there were highly covetable accessories...

It wasn't just the Unique collection on show today. Richard Nicoll has worked with Topshop on a small collection of bridal wear which is going to launch in June. There are no pics allowed yet, but expect baby doll and nightie shapes in wedding white as well as sweet pastels. A very refreshing alternative to frou frou frothiness and really rather bargainous at around £300.

Next Friday sees the launch of Maarten Van Der Horst's collaboration. If you like the Fashion East designer's Hawaiian shirt spin offs and bright colours then you'll love the Topshop line. I've got my eye on the tailored Bermuda shorts. Alex Fury wrote all about the trend for Hawaiian prints in last Sunday's Indy.

Finally, if you're still searching for perfect pyjama then never fear, Boutique is coming to the rescue. I immediately made a mental shopping list for the red overblown paisley print tee and shorts which will hit stores in May.  Oh Topshop, you do spoil us. 

All images by Fashion Junior at Large