Topshop Nostalgia

New to Tattle Life? Click "Order Thread by Most Liked Posts" button below to get an idea of what the site is about:
Ugh it’s like a bloody desert 🏜 🐫
Horrible. This isn't Topshop for me. I went on the website there for a quick look and it's ruddy awful.

What clothes brand now most closely approximates what Topshop was from about 2001-2008?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3
Horrible. This isn't Topshop for me. I went on the website there for a quick look and it's ruddy awful.

What clothes brand now most closely approximates what Topshop was from about 2001-2008?
i guess maybe a mix of zara and h&m? there's nothing really like it anymore, especially quality wise. topshop used to be my go to if i wanted something specific and needed it to be good quality, but literally nowhere is like that anymore for that price point. you'd never catch me shopping on PLT or ASOS because absolutely nothing looks like it does online
 
  • Like
Reactions: 6
I'm so glad i found this thread! it's articulated so much of what i've been thinking over the last few years.
The high street is the most bland i've ever seen in years, clothes are expensive and awful quality, it's so hard to find anything good quality for a decent price. I loved Warehouse up until pre-pandemic then since boohoo took over the quality has been shocking but the price remains the same, £59 for a 100% acrylic jumper? BOG OFF!! H&M is the only place i find relatively decent with good quality, Zara is shocking these days and i've noticed more of their clothes stop at size L, is that just me??

after watching the topshop documentary on iPlayer i've felt a little sad of how the high street has become, we're being ripped off every day, sizing is awful. I'm a size 14-16 and how is it acceptable that places like Other stories and Arket go up to a Large which is quite clearly for size 12 woman, it's so disheartening! I'm so sick of spending £65 on a new coat and after a couple of months it's bobbly. I love vintage stuff but it's becoming harder and harder to find good stuff. I just want interesting styles and cuts which don't cost the earth, is that so much to ask!

I'm currently bidding on a pair of Topshop arson boots, fingers crossed i get them as have wanted a pair for years, anyone remember the iconic western boot too?? x
 
  • Like
  • Heart
Reactions: 9
My two daughters 14 and 18 asked me for matching hoodies last week. I was in every shop and struggled to get a nice quality hoodie in a non-drab colour…I went bloody everywhere!

You’d think a good hoodie, not a sports label, would be easy enough to find.
 
  • Like
  • Heart
Reactions: 4
I'm so glad i found this thread! it's articulated so much of what i've been thinking over the last few years.
The high street is the most bland i've ever seen in years, clothes are expensive and awful quality, it's so hard to find anything good quality for a decent price. I loved Warehouse up until pre-pandemic then since boohoo took over the quality has been shocking but the price remains the same, £59 for a 100% acrylic jumper? BOG OFF!! H&M is the only place i find relatively decent with good quality, Zara is shocking these days and i've noticed more of their clothes stop at size L, is that just me??

after watching the topshop documentary on iPlayer i've felt a little sad of how the high street has become, we're being ripped off every day, sizing is awful. I'm a size 14-16 and how is it acceptable that places like Other stories and Arket go up to a Large which is quite clearly for size 12 woman, it's so disheartening! I'm so sick of spending £65 on a new coat and after a couple of months it's bobbly. I love vintage stuff but it's becoming harder and harder to find good stuff. I just want interesting styles and cuts which don't cost the earth, is that so much to ask!

I'm currently bidding on a pair of Topshop arson boots, fingers crossed i get them as have wanted a pair for years, anyone remember the iconic western boot too?? x
Zara do a decent amount of XL stuff but it is NEVER in store. In Manchester anyway they mostly only have small/xs in everything (im guessing becase they put out less of the bigger sizes and they sell out??) not to mention most of the white clothes have foundation stains on them lol. When I was a size 12 I had to squeeze myself into a large which is ridiculous because I definitely was not large at the time. I'm a size 10 now and I feel like I don't fit a small medium or large, everything is just so ill fitting. I like the actual style of the clothes but when you put them on they're always weirdly cut or see through.

rant over haha
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5
Zara do a decent amount of XL stuff but it is NEVER in store. In Manchester anyway they mostly only have small/xs in everything (im guessing becase they put out less of the bigger sizes and they sell out??) not to mention most of the white clothes have foundation stains on them lol. When I was a size 12 I had to squeeze myself into a large which is ridiculous because I definitely was not large at the time. I'm a size 10 now and I feel like I don't fit a small medium or large, everything is just so ill fitting. I like the actual style of the clothes but when you put them on they're always weirdly cut or see through.

rant over haha
Perhaps you’re right that the larger sizes tend to sell out, the cuts and fits are so off, and the quality just looks rubbish in store!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2
Zara do a decent amount of XL stuff but it is NEVER in store. In Manchester anyway they mostly only have small/xs in everything (im guessing becase they put out less of the bigger sizes and they sell out??) not to mention most of the white clothes have foundation stains on them lol. When I was a size 12 I had to squeeze myself into a large which is ridiculous because I definitely was not large at the time. I'm a size 10 now and I feel like I don't fit a small medium or large, everything is just so ill fitting. I like the actual style of the clothes but when you put them on they're always weirdly cut or see through.

rant over haha
Zara sizing is vile and borderline insulting. Not because there’s anything being wrong with a large or extra large, but there’s something wrong when a below average size 10 or 12 is being labelled as a large. I believe a size 16 is the U.K. average so surely a size medium should be around those dimensions?

It’s like they are catering only to very slim women and telling us anyone who is average sized is x-large.

Zara isn’t the only brand that does it.

for reference, here’s Zara’s sizing for a dress in a size L. And note, a lot of their dresses are referred to on the website as being “small fitting”.
217C33A8-A08F-493F-B59E-E799AFBCBC2C.jpeg

For comparison, here is ASOS sizing. I figured since ASOS provide a wide selection of brands, their sizing chart would be a good indicator of the general consensus;
A138B3D5-F889-4F88-A16C-5AF2969DD5C4.jpeg


so a Zara size L roughly equates to an ASOS size 12-14

a dress size of 12-14 is not a large by any stretch. A 76cm waist size is not large on most women. So why are Zara telling us it is? It doesn’t sit right with me at all.

theres a grazia article that articulates the issue slightly better. If you google “i have a 30-inch waist, so why do so many shops think I’m a size 16”. I’m not sure I agree with the writers stance but it’s an interesting take.

The writer has similar measurements to me in terms of height, weight and bust/waist size, and rings true to my experience. I don’t especially care what size dress I’m in so long as I feel good in it, but I do feel it’s completely unnecessary and a little insidious to send the message to perfectly normal sized women that they are XL and XXL when they really aren’t.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2
I find a lot of these clothes are cut for a very boyish shape too? So either super slim or a wide waist. Often I find to get something to fit in the hips the waist is far too big
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3
I find a lot of these clothes are cut for a very boyish shape too? So either super slim or a wide waist. Often I find to get something to fit in the hips the waist is far too big
yep that too. I also find Zara mini skirts/trousers/jumpsuits are just way too small for me, length wise (im 5 ft 8)

A mini skirt will barely cover my butt cheeks but if I size up, they don’t fit my wait. Gave up on mini skirt shopping in the high street ages ago unless it was part of a tall section (topshop had great tall selections RIP😢).

So basically I think the customer they are sizing their clothes for is a petite woman, with a boyish shape and very slim. Aka, hardly any of us
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4
yep that too. I also find Zara mini skirts/trousers/jumpsuits are just way too small for me, length wise (im 5 ft 8)

A mini skirt will barely cover my butt cheeks but if I size up, they don’t fit my wait. Gave up on mini skirt shopping in the high street ages ago unless it was part of a tall section (topshop had great tall selections RIP😢).

So basically I think the customer they are sizing their clothes for is a petite woman, with a boyish shape and very slim. Aka, hardly any of us
5’8 here too! :) The other snag is with the tall ranges, they normally start at 5’9 and petite ends at 5’3, but something for a 5’4 woman is going to be too short for me. Even if the talll ranges start at 5’8 something for a 6 foot woman won’t fit me either. It’s a good height tbh as it’s tall, but not so tall a 5’11 guy is a no go and you can’t wear heels 👠 just not for clothing!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2
1668512416978.png
Even Sweaty Betty are at it- do Gen Z like this horrid digital look or something? I just want something cool and prettyyy :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1
Does anyone remember River Island before it had a 'cool' transformation (maybe around 2006 it changed)?
I actually liked it beforehand - I shopped there from about 2002 to 2005 and got good quality jeans and tops there that looked well - kind of classic and sexy at times but not mumsy. Then it got a 'makeover' to appeal to a younger shopper and I thought a lot of the clothes looked a bit weird (I did get a few things there after the makeover, admittedly - but not as much as before).

I had a gorgeous parka there that I got in about 2003, I wore it for many years and i think it may still be in a wardrobe in my dad's house.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 6
Does anyone remember River Island before it had a 'cool' transformation (maybe around 2006 it changed)?
I actually liked it beforehand - I shopped there from about 2002 to 2005 and got good quality jeans and tops there that looked well - kind of classic and sexy at times but not mumsy. Then it got a 'makeover' to appeal to a younger shopper and I thought a lot of the clothes looked a bit weird (I did get a few things there after the makeover, admittedly - but not as much as before).

I had a gorgeous parka there that I got in about 2003, I wore it for many years and i think it may still be in a wardrobe in my dad's house.
A lot of shops did this, I still liked toyshop jeans but the amount of midriff bearing tops that became normal wS bizarre to me, I would never have worn these even as teenager
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4
Does anyone remember River Island before it had a 'cool' transformation (maybe around 2006 it changed)?
I actually liked it beforehand - I shopped there from about 2002 to 2005 and got good quality jeans and tops there that looked well - kind of classic and sexy at times but not mumsy. Then it got a 'makeover' to appeal to a younger shopper and I thought a lot of the clothes looked a bit weird (I did get a few things there after the makeover, admittedly - but not as much as before).

I had a gorgeous parka there that I got in about 2003, I wore it for many years and i think it may still be in a wardrobe in my dad's house.
I seem to remember River Island, Topshop and Miss Selfridge having loads of lovely stuff when I was a teenager, and of course I could only afford to buy a few bits a year with pocket money/birthday money I'd saved up. The quality was alright and a lot of it had really nice embroidery and pretty detailing on.

It's probably my perception, but when I got my first full time job and had a little bit of money to spare it all seemed to go to tit overnight. Now it's been years and years of neon polyester backless crop tops that only fit about 1% of the population. I hardly buy any clothes anymore because it's all hideous quality and all made for the same body type.
 
  • Like
  • Heart
Reactions: 6
I seem to remember River Island, Topshop and Miss Selfridge having loads of lovely stuff when I was a teenager, and of course I could only afford to buy a few bits a year with pocket money/birthday money I'd saved up. The quality was alright and a lot of it had really nice embroidery and pretty detailing on.

It's probably my perception, but when I got my first full time job and had a little bit of money to spare it all seemed to go to tit overnight. Now it's been years and years of neon polyester backless crop tops that only fit about 1% of the population. I hardly buy any clothes anymore because it's all hideous quality and all made for the same body type.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 literally word for word how I feel about the demise of Topshop!! Even as late as uni it was still brilliant for going out dresses and fancy tights (lol that moment in time!), and Topshop makeup was v good, but then they decided to cater for the MTV go go dancer of the 80s and it became near on impossible to give them ur money??

I did used to still like the sales tho as it was possible to get some of the ridiculously premium lines they did for a manageable price or nice accessories or shoes from the shoe section not the hanger shoes! #goals 🥲
 
  • Like
Reactions: 7
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 literally word for word how I feel about the demise of Topshop!! Even as late as uni it was still brilliant for going out dresses and fancy tights (lol that moment in time!), and Topshop makeup was v good, but then they decided to cater for the MTV go go dancer of the 80s and it became near on impossible to give them ur money??

I did used to still like the sales tho as it was possible to get some of the ridiculously premium lines they did for a manageable price or nice accessories or shoes from the shoe section not the hanger shoes! #goals 🥲
I completely forgot about their makeup! I remember wanting their highlighter but always thinking it was too expensive so I'd just sample some in the shop. It makes me sad when I think of how much fun I had going into town with friends as a teenager and just going for a look around the shops. There's absolutely bugger all to do there now. Topshop has turned into a fruit and veg shop, H&M is a Home Bargains or something - everything else I used to love is empty or sells vapes!

MTV go go dancer of the 80s is exactly it! Maybe I'd be less bitter if I was a size 6 with gravity defying boobs and a BBL, but surely even people with the figure to pull this stuff off want a bit of variety?!
 
  • Like
  • Heart
  • Sad
Reactions: 5
I’ve mentioned this before in the thread I think but it’s literally impossible to get decent well priced and good quality clothes (which isn’t grey, beige or goes up to an L) on the high streeet these days.

I have honestly yet to find a better place than topshop from about 5-10 years ago, you could buy a top in their £29 range (even their £19 basics felt good!) and still feel amazing and you would wear it for years. H&M sometimes get it right, but there’s such a sea of beige and cheap divided crap it’s hard to wade through. I still like their trend edit sometimes tho, and their premium section is decent quality.

I know second hand is an option but that’s also a market which is becoming increasingly flooded with poor quality items, also not being able to try stuff on is so much of a gamble, even when you ask for measurements.

There are still (I hope) really well dressed regular sized girls out there who don’t have to spend tons to look good, where are they going??

I was in Zara the other day and they were selling coats which were unlined for £120!!!! with only 6% wool or something. The high street has gone to tit
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Heart
  • Wow
Reactions: 10