Topshop and Arcadia

[Affiliatedlink]

Boohoo brand is all the same, they own Nasty Gal, Missguided, Prettylittlething and many more etc that’s why it all looks the same cheap tat because it is! It’s really crap clothing usually shown on awful so called ‘models’ or influencers.
It’s such a shame that we are heading this way to such fast fashion, it’s always getting criticised but people still buy it. As soon as the shops re open the queues will be a mile long outside Primark..why?
Call me old fashioned but I still like to see clothing modelled on attractive fashion models not some over made up, overweight influencer because it’s the thing to do. You like to imagine you will look as good as the model, I also know from experience that items advertised and shown on everyday people do not sell as well as a beautiful model.

 

[WilmaHun]

Topshop was always achingly cool when I was a teenager. They used to be everywhere- we even had one in Great Yarmouth but my favourite one was in Sheffield where you had to get the escalator to it. Happiness was finishing Uni and popping into Toppers and getting an outfit for that night and stopping at Sainsbury’s on the way home for whatever booze was on sale!

Small world, you must be local to me! I remember the one at Great Yarmouth!

I have never really been a fan of Topshop, always found it to be quite expensive tbh. I've only ever bought things out of there if they were in the sale. I also found the sizing to be a bit weird, sometimes I'd be a 12 in there where in other shops I was an 8. It always knocked my confidence a bit having to buy bigger sizes there

 

[Lulu Goss]

I think it's a real shame for the high street.
I never really loved it, but got plenty of clothes there when I was younger. I do think it was too expensive for the quality though. For those prices I want to item to last longer than a season.

Others here must remember 'Tammy Girl'?!

Loved Tammy Girl!

 

[Gym&Tonic]

Yes! Models always had a really other worldly look. They were tall and had long limbs, high cheekbones, glossy hair etc. They were different to the pretty girls you saw everyday, that’s why they were models and the rest of us mere mortals weren’t! And more importantly they were born like that! No plastic surgery, all natural!Those kind of models do still exist and the high fashion industry still uses them in fairness, but sometimes I wonder where BooHoo etc find the ‘models’ they use?

 

[mochibean]

Boohoo brand is all the same, they own Nasty Gal, Missguided, Prettylittlething and many more etc that’s why it all looks the same cheap tat because it is! It’s really crap clothing usually shown on awful so called ‘models’ or influencers.
It’s such a shame that we are heading this way to such fast fashion, it’s always getting criticised but people still buy it. As soon as the shops re open the queues will be a mile long outside Primark..why?
Call me old fashioned but I still like to see clothing modelled on attractive fashion models not some over made up, overweight influencer because it’s the thing to do. You like to imagine you will look as good as the model, I also know from experience that items advertised and shown on everyday people do not sell as well as a beautiful model.

No I agree actually. It honestly puts me off buying from places that don't bother to get real models and just use influencers instead. It's a sign that the clothes are cheap market quality clothing that isn't worth bothering with. Anything I've bought from those sites has been awful! Looks nothing like it does on the influencer.

It's getting harder these days to shop online. All the clothes are cheap crap. Anyone know any good online shops?
I buy a lot from different brands on ASOS, including TopShop despite the quality seeming to have decreased with certain items.

Everything is just cheap tat these days.

 

[ChloChlo]

Yes and I believe Victoria’s Secret got unfairly slated for their models. I find their women gorgeous. Ann Summers must have picked up on this as all their models now are different sizes. Larger girls felt VS didn’t include them but as a skinny minnie with a 32a cup size, I have never found my bra size in VS neither. Even major retailers like River Island, Oasis before its demise etc seem to use normal girls pics obviously to save on paying models. IG girls want to raise their following and the brands want to save costs, capitalism at its finest

I was once a very slender girl and have in the past struggled to put weight on, I had severe issues around it too, most of my clothes at that time came from Matalan kids. I literally had no boobs at all when I was suffering a breakdown. I found if anything when it came to lingerie modeling, it wasn't very inclusive of flat chested women.

 

[Peachy9]

Aww this thread has made me feel really nostalgic I'm in my thirties now and haven't shopped there for a good 4 years or so, but used to genuinely love some of their clothes- they always seemed to do quite cool dresses for a night out, nice ankle boots and decent jeans.

Recently though it's been shit-really poor quality and even if something did look remotely wearable, you'd view the back and it would have a massive hole cut out so your bra would be on show, or a random slogan like 'that's hot' or something equally cringe

Feel sorry for all the staff though - where are 13k people in retail going to get work at a time like this

 

[ChloChlo]

This is an example of it. She looks great, but it's more glamour modelling. For very, cheap clothing too often bought by teens more than anyone, being modelled by a lady who very likely has had plastic surgery. Very concerning.

This is an example of it. She looks great, but it

 

[GeorgeP123]

I will be so so so so sad not to see Topshop on the high street. Yes it got a little expensive but it was my go to. I personally could find any outfit I wanted from there. Their petite range is incredible. Their Jamie Jean's are the most flattering and confused jeans I own. I found the quality to be good. Service was excellent. I would do a personal shopping experience once a year and can honestly say it was incredible. I've been shopping there since I was 17 and I'm 33 now and I still found gorgeous items. Their shoe range is just so good, I can't see how it's not stood the test of time but that's just me. Back in their hey day when they had Kate Moss collection in etc it used to sell out in minutes. I still have a leather Topshop boutique jacket and it's just stunning. It must be 15 years old and it is still fashionable I'm just gutted it's gone but at least I can still buy Jamie jeans from Asos. I think I'm the only person in the world not to like primark or new look etc. I just never find anything nice for me in those shops but when I see friends wearing outfits they look fab.

 

[Affiliatedlink]

I feel really sad about this! I haven't lived in the UK for almost 4 years now so had no idea how Topshop was doing but I do wonder what the high street is going to look like next time I come home
Topshop was my go to place when I was a teenager and tbh I still bought things in there up until moving away. Where do people actually go shopping these days? (provided there isn't a lock down)

Online shopping seems to be encouraged these days. I find it it a pain, especially with clothing, order, pay, pay postage, eventually arrives, looks nothing like photo , doesn’t fit, repackage, schlep to post office, return and wait forever for my money back!
When things reopen sopping centres will be almost empty with so many stores now closed. I was never a fan of Debenhams it wasn’t a pleasant shopping experience and didn’t sell anything of quality or that you couldn’t get elsewhere but another large department store on the high street that will probably never be filled.

 

[GreenStar]

Small world, you must be local to me! I remember the one at Great Yarmouth!

I have never really been a fan of Topshop, always found it to be quite expensive tbh. I've only ever bought things out of there if they were in the sale. I also found the sizing to be a bit weird, sometimes I'd be a 12 in there where in other shops I was an 8. It always knocked my confidence a bit having to buy bigger sizes there

Another local here "Teeny tiny Topshop" I called it!

 

[GeorgeP123]

It is sad although I only really ever bought my jeans from there (love their jeans!), a few jumpers occasionally but a lot of the other stuff just wasn’t for me and seemed to be weird fitting or not my style. I feel like they needed to change it up a bit more or maybe be a tiny bit cheaper. Websites like ASOS, pretty little thing, misguided are taking away a lot of trade from the high street! Especially when a lot of their stuff is so cheap or they run such good deals, it appeals more to younger people as well. It’s so easy to shop on ASOS and have it delivered next day!

Yeah. Pretty Little Thing and Misguided are so cheaper and probably so appeal to the younger crowd a lot more. I just find PLT thing and misguided such bad quality though. I know Topshop wasn't the best but it was still better quality than those sites

 

[Trolleydollycoffeelover]

I have noticed what passes as a model these days have heavily declined. I remember models were hired for distinct, often unusual and always natural beauty and I miss that too. Now it seems like everyone modelling clothes have that uniform lip job and have badly done orange drag make up on. Taking real women too far by actually recreating personal bedroom selfies in some of their nightwear and lingerie poses in particular. Very trashy.

Yes and I believe Victoria’s Secret got unfairly slated for their models. I find their women gorgeous. Ann Summers must have picked up on this as all their models now are different sizes. Larger girls felt VS didn’t include them but as a skinny minnie with a 32a cup size, I have never found my bra size in VS neither. Even major retailers like River Island, Oasis before its demise etc seem to use normal girls pics obviously to save on paying models. IG girls want to raise their following and the brands want to save costs, capitalism at its finest

 

[Milliehaha123]

I was obsessed with topshop as a teen / uni student. I loved the spotty nail varnish pots and the socks with the frills on them (literally carbon copy of 4 year olds socks haha). When it was the uni shopping 20% off night we'd go mad and end up spending a good chunk of our student loan on topshop crap haha. Literally hadn't stepped foot in there for years but felt nostalgic about the whole thing - shame the owner is such a cunt isn't it!

 

[Trolleydollycoffeelover]

I was obsessed with it from the ages of 12-20 then in about 2005 it seemed to shoot right up in price. Started going again the last 4-5 yrs and the whole shopping experience doesn’t feel as glam and exclusive as it did and the price label didn’t justify. The quality has defo hit rock bottom too- I still have a top from there I bought in the 90s and have only just thrown a nightie away I got for Xmas 1998 whereas the stuff I bought from there a couple of years ago is already shabby. Honestly I didn’t like it when Kate became a brand ambassador as it was just after the Cocaine Kate scandal and thought it was a bad move. I’m more upset at Miss Selfridge’s demise to be honest.
What UK retail needs to look at is where our high street went wrong and rectify it. Other countries don’t seem to have the issue. Look at Spain- their fashion chains are dominating the world at the mo with Zara, Mango. Bershka, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius. I think though the Spanish shops all look alike and are a bit samey whereas I can easily differentiate Brit brands from each other like Lipsy, RI, Miss S.

 

[ChloChlo]

I really dislike Boohoo but I'm partial to a large plain white Tshirt and Tshirt dresses and I don't like to spend a fortune on those. It was also great for maternity. But I do agree though, the likes of Boohoo, PLT, MissGuided, Nasty Gal, there are so many out there that are the same and it is as described in an earlier comment - tacky market tat. The leggings are always ridiculously opaque, I bought some bog standard cycling shorts from both PLT and Boohoo, the crotches on them were huge! Primark have some good thick leggings. I've learnt to avoid any fashion wear from the above as it all seems to be made of this cheap, swim wear like material. I do have a friend, who is a curvier lady and she raves about Boohoo, being able to find her sizes and so on. And tbh she honestly wears their clothes well.

From TopShop, the coats with faux fur hoods I find are extra special and I've been through a few. I have a high waisted pair of jeans that have been kicking around for over a decade while I de/fluctuate in weight. And I still have a grecian style dress and a club wear dress with a huge neon pink bow at the back that I bought from there over a decade and have never been able to part with them because of how hard I saved for them back in the day

 

[WilmaHun]

Despite not being a huge Topshop fan, I can't deny I do think it's such a shame all these massive high street chains closing. Just in my hometown, I think there's probably more empty shops in our town centre than there are occupied and I think it's only bound to get worse as the years go on. Obviously the pandemic hasn't helped, but there doesn't seem to be anything to encourage people to the high street anymore. Speaking solely in relation to my local area, it's quite expensive to park if you want to head into town, but we have 2 retail parks with free parking and plenty of shops. Why would anyone pay to visit a town centre with loads of empty units when you could head into a bustling retail park, with lots of choice for shops and not have to pay to park?

I'll be gutted if New Look closes as I really like that shop, amongst a few others such as Quiz, Select etc it's one of the last left. It's such a shame. I used to love being a teenager going into town to look round the clothes shops with my pocket money/saved birthday money. The experience of going into town just isn't the same anymore as it used to be and it's a damn shame.

 

[Shutterbug99]

They have the Jamie jeans on Asos @under the ivy

 

[MrsA1234]

I loved Topshop when I was a teenager, but it was always too expensive for me. I remember when I was 14, I had about £15, so I bought 2 vests in pink and red to wear on holiday. I used the carrier bag as my PE bag for school.

The only thing I've bought from there in recent years are earrings.

Saaaaame! Topshop was so popular with the girls in my year. If you came to school with a topshop bag you were cool

 

[coconochanel]

Topshop has been rubbish for a few years. I used to always shop in there but the last few years Ive hardly bought anything I much prefer Zara.