It's been a while since I've written anything on fashion and I thought it only appropriate to do so under very strict conditions. We live in recessive times, you see. And that means that we are now more frugal, more careful and much more conscienscious about what we're spending our money on than ever before. It's not even an effort any longer. We do it naturally, it's part of our generational DNA. We look at shopping as an investment, as a smart decision. We may impulse-buy a times, but even an irrational shopping spree has "economic recession" written all over it. We, as shoppers, have given places like Primark another amazing year and an anti-cyclical boost up the hill. H&M is booming, so is Zara, Topshop and so on. The recession also means that we have had to accentuate our creativity through our clothes even more so than before, just because the high street brands sometimes lead to another recessive shopper having purchased the same leopard coat as you.
Cos store, on 222 Regent Street (Whitefields and Soho), not a secret to any of my readers, I'm sure, is how you can prevent that exact case scenario. The sister store of H&M, born out of Swedish wedlock between H&M and London Fashion Week '07, is a perfect miracle solution to the recessive ordinariness we've been plagued with. You'll find all the cool pieces you've been missing from your closet, low prices and very little replication on the street. Cool items like camel cropped leather jackets, tye-dye dresses, Jill Sander-type boyfriend shirts, fun and original harem pants, cute clutches, accessories and cheap tees are all unique and sure to make heads turn.
You'll also find some fierce trans-seasonal outfits, from knee-high socks and winter bermudas (!!!) accompanied by a loose knitted sweater, to navy (it's all about the navy) and marine striped t-shirt dresses and tops.
So the trick is, shop the high street, definitely. But be creative. There is nothing more irritating than thinking you have found the dress of your dreams at a killer price and your next door neighbour has got the exact same one.
