Our beloved Topshop is finally back – with five autumn trends to know about now

Relaunching with a cool catwalk show in Trafalgar Square this past weekend, Olivia Petter, who was there, reflects on what the brand meant in the past and whether it can really recreate its original buzz for a new generation

Topshop means so much to so many women. Long before “fast fashion” became a buzzword, Topshop in the late Nineties and early Noughties was making a name for itself for getting ahead of trends and making cutting-edge looks accessible. For Gen-Xers, it was the go-to place for picking up affordable versions of styles they’d see on MTV or in magazines.

For millennials like me, it became our favourite place to shop with friends, taking selfies in changing rooms and swapping items. It was where we bought our first proper party dress, something tulle and timeless from its Boutique collection.

And if you ever frequented Big Topshop – the brand’s famous 90,000 sq ft flagship in Oxford Circus – it could’ve been the place you were “scouted” by one of the many faux model agents that always seemed to linger outside.

Few will be able to forget 30 April 2007, when Kate Moss appeared as a “living mannequin” as she briefly appeared in the store window to kick off her collaboration with the store. As Topshop’s OG hype lady, she cemented the brand’s “It” status among the generation that came after her, including Alexa Chung, Pixie Geldof, and Jourdan Dunn.

A sartorial behemoth for most of my teenage and young adult life, Topshop was everything to me and my friends, defining not just what we wore but who we wanted to be: someone cool and understated who always stood out in a crowd. Whether it was a mini bodycon dress, a great slogan T-shirt, or collab with designers like JW Anderson and Christopher Kane, Topshop meant everyone was represented but could stay firmly within “It-girl” parameters.

“Topshop became a hallmark of the British high street and youth culture in the late 2000s and early 2010s, with its affordable trend-driven fashion, frequently updating its collections in alignment with the latest runway trends,” says Lynne Hugill, principal lecturer for fashion at Teesside University.

Even walking into its stores became an immersive experience. “The Oxford Circus flagship served as a place to hang out with friends and experience new trends,” Hugill adds. “The store’s atmosphere, with its DJ and cool environment, made it a cultural landmark and go-to destination for generations of young shoppers, an experience which has been lost in today’s online shopping experience.”

But slowly, as the world of online shopping became more convenient, the brand started to lose its edge, fading into obscurity alongside many other high street shops. Nostalgia became part of its appeal, with cult items (think Joni jeans and tea dresses from Moss’s collections) supplanting anything new, often being sold for large sums on the likes of Depop, Vinted, and eBay.

A new era for Topshop was ushered in with a catwalk show in Trafalgar Square on Saturday (PA)

By the time Topshop’s owner, Arcadia, had collapsed in 2020, prompting all of Topshop’s physical stores to close, many fans like me didn’t even realise it was still selling clothes via Asos, which later bought the brand. Last September, however, Asos sold 75 per cent of its stake in Topshop, handing the reins over to the Danish firm Heartland, the holding company belonging to Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen that also owns the retailer Bestseller.

And now Topshop is back. This weekend, the brand relaunched its website with a campaign fronted by runway stalwart Cara Delevingne, who regularly walked in Topshop’s London Fashion Week shows that it held biannually in its heyday to highlight its more upmarket Unique collection. Echoing Mossy before her, Delevingne has also created a 40-piece edit as part of its first collection, which has been designed for autumn/winter.

Taking place in London’s Trafalgar Square, Topshop’s runway saw models descend the steps in front of The National Gallery to an audience made up of the general public, passersby, and fashion insiders. Delevingne herself sat front row alongside fellow models, Adwoa Aboah and Alva Claire, as well as London mayor Sadiq Khan and, somewhat confusingly, Love Island’s Olivia Attwood.

Alva Claire, Cara Delevingne and Adwoa Aboah at the show in Trafalgar Square (Dave Benett)

While some remarked the crowd was confused and the brand too steeped in nostalgia for its good old days, rather than launching something different for a new and younger audience, the collection itself was a selection of autumnal classics with Topshop twists: striped trousers, faux fur coats, and slinky dresses.

Time will tell whether the brand will be able to recreate the same buzz as it did in its prime, but as someone who loved the brand the first time round, I think it’s off to a good start.

The five standout trends to shop now:

Out of the box: the brand’s 1980s-inspired tailored grey suit (Topshop)

Boxy tailoring

The standout piece in Topshop’s latest collection? A 1980s-inspired boxy tailored grey suit featuring oversized shoulders akin to a classic Saint Laurent look. With a double-breasted jacket and matching loose-fitting trousers, this is the ultimate working-girl look to see you through the winter and beyond.

Leather jackets have been a fashion staple for decades (Topshop)

Oversized leather jackets

Another prominent feature of the new collection was the faux leather jackets. There’s a vinyl one in deep burgundy that resembles merlot, a bubble boxy bomber style, and a belted black style with a high collar that feels like a nostalgic nod to a John Hughes film. In the show, leather jackets were styled over floral, floaty dresses, bringing a rebellious edge to an otherwise girlish aesthetic.

And just like that... it’s time to channel your inner Carrie Bradshaw (Topshop)

Faux fur maximalism

Does anything say chic winter better than faux fur Carrie Bradshaw-esque outerwear? This season, Topshop has the perfect offering with a long, fluffy green coat bound to upscale even the simplest of ensembles. There’s also a striped camel-coloured coat, worn on the runway over a candy coloured pink collared shirt and sheer tights. The ideal after-work drinks look.

You can fit all sorts of things in this season’s must-have accessory (Topshop)

Giant clutch bags

Clutch bags have a reputation for being delicate, flimsy accessories purpose-built for weddings and other formal occasions. Not this season: Topshop’s clutch bags are giant, punchy things bound to turn heads. There’s the Gideon studded bag that’s big enough to fit an iPad as well as your gym kit. Then there’s the Georgia folded clutch bag in gold that will make any autumnal outfit sing.

Denim isn’t just for your legs – it’s for everywhere (Topshop)

New denim

Wave goodbye to Joni jeans – although they do feature in the collection for the diehard fans – and say hello to Topshop’s latest denim frontier: barrell-leg jeans, flippy mini dresses, and even a leopard print pinafore. There’s a whole range of new denim items to choose from. Our personal favourite? A brown denim peplum mini dress – it’s unique, unusual, and will make a subtle statement. Just like a Topshop piece should.