On April 30, copy-Kates will get the chance to see the British supermodel’s latest Topshop line, as it launches seven years after she first opened her legendary wardrobe to the high-street giant for some serious style plundering – her own personal pieces providing the inspiration for the designs.
Will her fifteenth collection stand up to its predecessors? Can a 40-year-old still design for 14-year-olds? Can you face getting up at 6am to join the queues for this stuff? One thing we do know is that the range will sell out instantly; such is the lure of the Croydon enigma. So we’re here to help you secure a piece of London’s most enduring It girl.
Topshop’s Oxford Circus store will be the first to launch the collection, a day early, on the evening of April 29. Forget what you’ve read about the launch on April 30 – this is where it all starts. Other stockists and sites launch the next day.
The Oxford Circus store will get the complete collection and attract the biggest queues. Look to less obvious branches for a more laidback shopping experience – High Street Kensington, Strand and both Westfield Topshops are set to receive nearly the entire lot. All shops expect queues, but these four don’t open until 10am, so a 9am start should guarantee a haul. That’s a lie-in, in Topshop queuing terms.
Like other shops, Topshop at
Selfridges is expecting the collection to arrive on April 30, but like the flagship it will also be stocking every piece from the collection, save a beaded dress exclusive to
Net-A-Porter. It opens at 9.30am, so arriving shortly before then might do it.
Try avoiding stores altogether – the Topshop website will house the entire collection. It pays to be prepared: work out what you want the day before, get the product name right, and search for it as soon as the collection launches. Sign up to the Topshop mailing list: members are likely to get first notice when it drops.
For the first time, luxury e-tailer Net-A-Porter will be stocking Topshop – and has picked out an edit of the best bits for its customers. Register on the site before Wednesday April 23 to be the first to get your hands on the Kate collection. US retail giant Nordstrom also ships to the UK, and will be getting a sizeable delivery. Thanks to the time difference, you’ll be shopping before our American cousins wake up, so it’s worth checking
www.nordstrom.com.
The collection will land in stockrooms before it hits the shop floor, so if you know what you want, head to your local Toppers on April 29, and staff should be able to tell you what they have out back for the next day. Even smallish stores like Canary Wharf are set to receive around 60 different styles, and you just need to know which store has what.
Unlike most Topshop designs, the Mossy line will not be getting multiple drops; even the flagship is expecting to receive just one big delivery, and then only some pieces will be restocked. Ultimately, only an early start will do it – if the hellraiser herself has taught us anything, it’s that sleep is for losers.
Take a look at the Kate Moss Topshop collection
