Topshop’s Instantly Shoppable SS17 Show

Exit through the gift shop. After the models stormed the catwalk '80s super style for the finale of the Topshop Unique show, editors, buyers and A-listers shuffled towards the door (as per) with their Topshop water bottles and opinions, but instead of the exit there was a shop – one that looked a lot like Topshop. Complete with rails, changing rooms and a shiny 'Topshop' vinyl on the wall, the retail space was selling a selection of the clothes we'd just seen on the catwalk, in sizes 6 to 12, so you could walk out wearing the look you instagrammed on Lineisy Montero (pictured below) four minutes earlier. From Moschino to Burberry (and Chanel conceptually via their AW15 supermarket), various brands have been experimenting with the idea of 'see now, buy now' for the last few years. But it's never been so direct as it was today, where there was no app to download or pre-ordering faff, just the item, in your size, 10 metres from the catwalk. It was a well executed process and one that makes perfect sense for Topshop, reminding us that purchase and profit is what keeps the fashion industry in business.

So what did we want? PVC was a key material for SS17, appearing in tight, high-necked dresses and calf-length pencil skirts, both with large slits up the front, cut higher than you dare. The slit also appeared on both sides of zebra printed silk dresses and heavier grey woollen pencil skirts. High waisted trousers, tweedy blazers and slouchy '80s office trench coats created a workwear uniform that transitioned into night with the final three sheer black dresses that used well-positioned panels to cover up certain parts of the body. It was a sexy collection in the traditional sense of the word in that it played with concealing and revealing. This might have put some shoppers off given that generally, clothes including tight PVC dresses look considerably different on models than non-models, but there was plenty to desire and one particular cropped leather jacket in navy jumped straight to the top of our shopping list. After seasons of '70s silhouettes and retro colour palettes across catwalks from Milan to Paris, Topshop's fun foray into '80s fashion was a welcome relief. But hurry if you're hoping to snap up pieces from the collection today as certain pieces are rapidly selling out online.