STEP BACK IN TIME: Topshop may be known for turning around runway trends at lightning speed, but now the retailer is looking to the past for inspiration. The store's Web site, topshop.com, will launch Archive today as an area devoted to one-of-a-kind vintage finds. The Web site will carry Lanvin, Chloé and Dior's pieces from the Sixties and Seventies, and also introduce customers to London labels from the era, such as Lee Bender for Bus Stop, Biba, Mary Quant, Jean Veron, Ossie Clarke and Strawberry Studio. Alongside detailed pictures of the garments, which buyers have sourced everywhere from vintage fairs to eBay, Topshop will print biographies of the designers to give customers an idea of their significance in the fashion time line.
"We wanted to look at the history of these designers, and become an authority on vintage fashion," said Clare Daws, a buyer for topshop.com. Daws said Topshop would not be working on new lines based on the vintage looks on its Web site. "We want people to understand and respect that these garments are one-offs," she said.
Prices for the pieces aren't typically Topshop's, either, starting at about $131 for a minidress and running up to $1,000 for an Ossie Clarke gown. The Archive pieces will also be available to topshop.com's international customers.
"We wanted to look at the history of these designers, and become an authority on vintage fashion," said Clare Daws, a buyer for topshop.com. Daws said Topshop would not be working on new lines based on the vintage looks on its Web site. "We want people to understand and respect that these garments are one-offs," she said.
Prices for the pieces aren't typically Topshop's, either, starting at about $131 for a minidress and running up to $1,000 for an Ossie Clarke gown. The Archive pieces will also be available to topshop.com's international customers.
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