Topshop survival

To anyone that will be braving the crowds in Soho tomorrow morning at Topshop's first US store, this is a must-read. As if you're not excited enough, this will make you pee your pants: Kate Moss' ninth collection launches the same freakin' day AND she will be there to cut the ribbon! Yes, apparently supermodels do get up that early. You can see a preview of some of the pieces from the collection here. I'm just crossing my fingers that some of the initial hype about the store will have worn off when I'm there in late April (although I seriously doubt it).

New York's Topshop opening - a survival guide

Emily Rotberg
The Guardian, Tuesday 31 March 2009

Topshop mania is reportedly sweeping New York as the chain prepares to launch its first US outlet this week. So how can first-timers make the most of the grand opening? Here's our survival guide to Britain's most hectic fashion store.

• Bring reinforcements, ideally two disinterested parties - one to wait in fitting-room queues while you riffle through the rails of itty-bitty Kate Moss frocks, and another to stand with arms ready to catch said frocks as you hurl them over the heads of your competitors. Fellow shoppers, that is.

• Pack earplugs. The carefully cultivated pop-hipster atmosphere tends to assert itself through an eardrum-bursting soundtrack.

• Wear layers, or leave your shame at home. Anyone lacking the aforementioned queue assistant will be in for a long, long wait for the fitting rooms. Far more efficient, then, to find a discreet corner, strip, and try on your super-skinnies in full view of the women who wish they'd thought of it first.

• Don't be afraid to push. They're not your friends, just a horde of Alexa Chung imitators. And if they are your friends ... why did you bring them?

• The sales assistants do not exist to "assist" you. Rather, they are present to demonstrate how to wear a £10 shoelace as a headband. Nothing betrays novice Topshop status like asking for help. Don't be that girl.

• Grab everything. Even if you're not sure you like it - because later, when you see someone else trying on that neon leopard-print playsuit and begin to think that it might be just the thing for an ironic day at Coney Island/Central Park picnic, there's no way you'll be able to find it.

• When in doubt, imitate the English - balance clashing prints with black opaques, and just when you think the outfit is perfect, throw a nubby cardigan on top.

• To beat the crowds, shop online. It'll leave more space for the rest of us.