>> IN PRODUCTION —Topshop is known for cultivating collaborations with edgy, up-and-coming designers, but come Nov. 20, they're taking it a step further — they've put into production the knit-tastic graduate collection of Simone Shailes, who just started at Celine under Phoebe Philo. Since graduate collections don't tend to influence the trickle-down or even get put into production in the first place, this concept could be golden — especially in this case, when loopy knits and metal plate belts are involved. [Style Bubble, Dazed Digital]
>> IN PRODUCTION —A turn at the Topshop press day reveals Louis Vuitton-like heels, fringed boleros, Rodarte-inspired loose knits, and Obedient Daughters-influenced floral blazers will all be in stock for Spring 2009. The store's main themes are set to be Hope and Glory, Memphis, Nouveau Sport, and Voodoo — for a peek at how those are interpreted into wares, click through. [Style Bubble]
McQueen Makes Topshop Jab, Mermaid Tattoo Dresses for Target
>> Ever the enfant terrible grown up, Alexander McQueen has already used his new McQ partnership with Target to thumb his nose at Topshop. Now that the collaboration has gone public, the invitation for the McQ pressday, which read, "Chopshop, Higher Street Fashion," makes for an obvious dig, since McQueen is taking his British business elsewhere.
Speaking of the McQ-Target deal, a few more details have come to light. The initiative that McQueen is kick-starting for Target, Designer Collaborations, involves established designers picking a muse to work from; Lee chose Leila Moss, lead singer of The Duke Spirit, to inspire his collection of studded sleeveless shirtdresses, zipper cardigans, tuxedo blazers, gray denim studded jackets, skinny jeans, and mermaid tattoo-printed strapless dresses.
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Kate Moss Still Sells Out at Topshop, Has the Stella McCartney Campaign
>> Last week, Philip Green credited Topshop's record profits to Kate Moss's "Kate effect" — "we have been good for her and she has been good for us" — and she proved him right. Her holiday Topshop collection, which launched today, is already selling out: The panther dress she wore to Vivienne Westwood sold out on Topshop.com within an hour, and the triangle dress she wore out last month is mostly gone, too.
Now that she's had eight successful lines, maybe Sir Philip will let Kate do a men's range for Topshop like she wants? He hasn't ruled out the possibility, but has neglected to grant her wish so far: "She's asked me to do a men's range. She said: 'Come on.' And I said: 'Let's stick to what we're doing.'"
Regardless of how Topshop goes, Kate's still got her modeling — she was apparently in Puerto Rico last week with three other models, including Angela Lindvall, shooting with Ryan McGinley for Stella McCartney's Spring 2009 campaign, making it her second stint in a row for the brand.
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Kate Moss's Catty Christmas Topshop Collection
>> That panther minidress Kate Moss wore to Vivienne Westwood's show last month? It wasn't Vivienne, but rather a piece from Kate's holiday Topshop collection. According to Kate, she "found a similar dress to the panther one in a New York flea market when I was 17, and I’ve kept it ever since. I chopped off the bottom and used it as inspiration for this version."
The new Topshop collection launches on Oct. 28, full of "vintage-inspired blouses, brocade trousers, and floorsweeping sequined gowns," so Kate obliged the Sunday Times Style Magazine with an interview and a preview of the collection. It looks like we'll have to wait for another collection before we see a dress inspired by the red sequin "shampoo" dress Johnny Depp had made for her 21st birthday — as they were walking out the door to go to dinner, he grabbed a pair of scissors and lopped the bottom off — but maybe one of these new little black dresses will outsell her best-selling dress ever, the red pansy-print number, which sold 6,500 copies?
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