"She could be a farmer in those clothes...": Topshop A/W 2011

I am always keen to see the new season lookbooks for Topshop. Topshop somehow manages to be the only high street store that can embrace every key catwalk trend without looking tacky, cheap or contrived.
Topshop S/S 2011 appealed to me, showcasing dip dyed hair, denim dungarees, chunky shoes, and tie -dye galore...

To me, the stunning Meadham Kirchhoff collection for Topshop S/S 11 was the perfect expression of modern grunge. Haphazard styling at first glance, the models look like wannabee bag ladies. On closer inspection, the clothing is layered delicately with luxe fabrics and intricate detailing. It reminded me of the infamous Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis '93 grunge collection, in which cheap grunge apparel was given an expensive makeover with polyester flannel swapped for washed silk plaid layers.

The thing that makes Topshop so accessible is the abiltiy of the brand to appeal to many different people all with very different ideas of what constitutes great style. The grunge look has always been very close to my heart, so I was interested in seeing how Topshop could incorporate this trend into A/W. I was delighted to see that although the collection was far more polished, and by no means a grunge collection, it still retained a very distinctive grunge shape.

Every lookbook report I have read on this collection talks about the 40's and 70's influences, which are especially evident in the colours and print. As usual though, all I can see is how I could wear these pieces in a way that suits my personal (usually very 90's influenced) style.
The maroon fake fur coat would be perfect with a knee length kilt, scruffy hair and a fresh face. The long crushed velvet skirts remind me of something a more grown up Angela Chase would choose to wear, with logger boots and a baggy fine knit jumper. The standout piece from the collection so far for me has to be these chunky velvet boots. So perfect. Which colour to purchase is currently destroying me.

Another thing I am obsessing over is the bad taste fake fur that seems to be all over the place right now. I remember bad fake fur from my childhood, those huge shaggy white dalmatian print Cruella de Vil style coats, and those terrible knee high monster boots, and nostalgia is making me yearn for something ridiculous. The bad thing about Topshop, is that they have this uncanny ability to make these things actually look good. That pink coat is a dream, and that orange scarf monster calls out to me, I think because it reminds me of those huge fluffy animal puppets I used to collect as a kid <3