Top of the shops: Moss mania comes to Oxford Street store
Tuesday, 1 May 2007
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It was probably the briefest but most dramatic modelling assignment in Kate Moss's career.
Emerging from behind red velvet curtains in the display window of a West End store, she glared at an audience of thousands on the street outside, before tossing her hair and sauntering out of sight.
She came and went in less than a minute but her appearance last night at Topshop's flagship store was truly a traffic-stopping moment.
Buses and cars lurched to a halt and thousands of onlookers craned for a glimpse of the super-model, some climbing telephone boxes for a better view. This was "preview night" of her eagerly awaited 50-piece collection. And what better marketing strategy than to have one of the most iconic faces in British fashion to showcase her own wares, dressed in a sensational floor-length red chiffon dress.
The fleeting appearance of Moss, 33, was the evening's biggest "surprise ", although paparazzi had been waiting by the window for hours beforehand.
Thousands of excitable shoppers had turned out while police and security guards were braced for the biggest high street clothes scramble in recent history.
To prevent the much feared "shopping stampedes" of recent times, such as last month's riot at the budget clothes store Primark, organisers had implemented a host of "calming measures" which meant only a limited number of the 2,500 hopefuls could scour the rails until closing time at midnight last night. Crowds began queuing eight hours before the 8pm opening. The queue, ranging from 6-year-olds playing truant from school to 40-something fashionistas, were keen to see the much anticipated collection before its nationwide launch today.
They were offered free goodie bags and organised under a coloured wristband system to discourage queue jumping. Only 150 shoppers were admitted at one time, to prevent a repeat of the frenzy sparked by last November's Topshop sale of Celia Birtwell's designer range, during which a dress was ripped in half by two shoppers.
Yasmin Kidd, 16, from London, who arrived before lunchtime yesterday, was the first in line. "I want to get first pick. I'm a fan of Kate Moss and I usually shop at Topshop. I have seen previews and stuff in photos but I don't know what I want yet," she said.
Abbie Bates, 18, from Cambridge, had also come with her mother. Sharron Bates said Moss's edginess combined with her role as a mother in her 30s gave her a wide appeal. Abbie was just as excited at catching a glimpse of Moss as buying her clothes. "I'm excited by her clothes but I really wanted to get a glimpse of her because she is such a style icon," she said.
Most of those waiting to enter the shop were in their teens and 20s, but there were several older women who thought Moss's appeal was ageless. Anna Bang a 43-year-old stylist assistant said she had not planned to queue as early as 2pm but then got caught up in the excitement. "It's the whole Kate Moss enigma, her rock star lifestyle, the fact that she doesn't give interviews, that indefinable something about her."
For the privileged ones who made it into the store, time was of the essence. They were permitted to try on a maximum of eight garments and buy up to five, apparently to prevent clothes being quickly sold off on eBay. They were given 20 minutes to make their choices.
The same rules will apply today when the collection launches in the chain's 225 stores across the country. It will also be available in another 21 countries over the next fortnight.
The collection, for which Moss was reportedly paid £3m, is comprised of designs priced from £12 for a vest top to £150 for a cropped leather jacket. There are also skinny jeans, floral print tea dresses and T-shirts with the letter "K" woven into their designs.
Last night, an additional "surprise" of seven dress designs, including the red chiffon dress worn by Moss, were launched especially for the preview event.
