Primark or Topshop?

By BINARY-WEAPON BABY

01 June 2007

The two biggest high street names that seem to be the talk of the fashion world at the moment are Topshop, the age old favourite of  teenage girls and mums alike and Primark, otherwise known as the god of all pound shops.

Just to make it clear, I despise Topshop. It is the anti-fashion. Take the emerging trends seen on the catwalks of the big fashion houses and dilute with nine part water to one part fashion and you’ll end up with Topshop. It is bland, unimaginative and made so “accessible” that any Tom, Dick or Harry can wear it. Good for profits but it’s not good for your fashion health. In some moments of madness where I do decide to part with my money in Topshop, I am distraught at the number of people I spot wearing the exact same item in just one day (and who cannot carry it off as well, of course). Grrr. I go into Topshop and I see identical Topshop girls. You know the type. The staple item is the moto jeans, the basic tee in various colours and don’t forget the Topshop ballet pumps, which also come in various colours. Their prices I feel are too high for what you get, their quality is pretty poor and there is nothing that makes Topshop unique, well, I guess that’s why Topshop is unique. And all that fuss over the Kate Moss range? From what I’ve seen it’s a few waistcoats and hot pants. And oh gosh the originality, we haven’t seen those before. If you were one of those who queued up for a twenty minute slot on the launch night, you need your head checked.

Primark. Some shun it for being cheap, common and nasty, and some swear by it. I am an inbetweener. With Primark, it’s about having a keen eye and an open mind. Wearing an outfit head to toe in Primark just screams Primark. So don’t. it’s all about mixing and matching with your more expensive pieces and suddenly that 3 pound top is expensive by association. I am only brave enough to venture into a Primark once every month or so, but there’s always a good bargain to be had. Just this week, I found an amazing Matthew Williamson-esque floaty smock top for a mere six pounds. I also picked up a stripy cardigan for a pound. The stock turnaround is ultra speedy, so it’s worth the regular visit. Just beware of the chavs.

I say ditch the Topshop, stop being a clone and give Primark a go.