Yes, Kate Moss is a fashion icon. Her career has spanned decades, she’s synonymous with the 90s heroin-chic look and was immortalized via hologram thanks to Alexander McQueen. She barely ever speaks publically (which is a good thing, because she sounds pretty stupid when she does), giving her an aura of mystery that has always worked in her favor.
Everything she touches turns to gold. She’s done 14 successful collaborations with Topshop and all of them have pretty much sold out within hours of being released. Thanks to her role as the constant cash cow, Topshop is releasing a 15th collection, launching today at Topshop, online at netaporter.com and in select Nordstrom stores.
Despite the fact that Topshop is laying it on thick with the promotion of this collection— with a live-streamed, star-studded Oxford Circus launch, video interviews with Moss’ colleagues and even a style quiz (Which Kate Moss are you?)—we’re kind of, well, over it. We’re over the whole “dress like Kate Moss” thing, and based on what we’ve seen, the collection is pretty “meh.”
Here’s why we won’t be buying:
Been there, done that
The thing that makes this collection so covetable for some, but yet so blah in our eyes, is the fact that it’s all reissued designs. Every piece in the new collection was a “best seller” from a previous collection, but no updates have been made. While perhaps some younger Kate Moss worshippers might still want a beaded capelet or a navy star-print cami, those looks just don’t feel fresh anymore. Even the collection’s pièce de résistance, the famous lemon asymmetrical chiffon frock worn by Moss in 2003, feels like a costume, like what someone would wear on Halloween if they were going as Kate Moss.
2003 called, they want their boho back
When Kate Moss’s first collection for Topshop debuted back in 2007, it was at the height of the boho trend. The collection’s fringed vests, kimono jackets and denim hot pants were exactly what young fashionistas wanted. They just felt right.
This collection’s boho reissues, including embroidered tunics, antique lace dresses and Balearic details, feel like what the original cool girls wore to Coachella and Glastonbery when those festivals were still under-the-radar. Place them in a store today, at a time when festival dressing has become a caricature of what it once was, and they feel more-than-dated.
$1100…. for Topshop?!
One of the new collection’s most sought-after pieces is a hand-beaded dress priced at just under $1100. Is that a joke? Oh, most of the other items are upmarked as well. Dresses hover around $500, while the entire range starts at $250. Although I’m willing to bet the quality is better than most other Topshop pieces, the brand is still a fast fashion brand and should be priced as such.
There is competition
Recent collaborations, namely Isabel Marant x H&M and Peter Pilotto x Target, have a more accessible, wearable feel than this Kate Moss collection. Back in 2007, when the feeling was all about piled-on, more is more, bohemian glamour, this aesthetic worked. But today, with our lean towards paired-down, labeless and even norm-core dressing, customers are looking for more bang for their buck and a more timeless feel .
Kate, you're the ultimate chameleon—shouldn't your clothes be, too?
Image: c/o Topshop
