TOP SHOPPING

By Benjamen Judd

We have the honour of being close neighbours with the brand new Sydney Topshop and Topman. Frankly – it’s been a blessing and a curse. Blessing because on a daily basis all we have to do is duck downstairs and BLAMMO! new outfit. Curse, because everytime we duck downstairs BLAMMO! we seem to return with bags filled with new outfits. Looks like some of us will be doing some regular overtime to compensate.

But lets get down to the nitty gritty of the situation – does it live up to the hype?

We think it does. And not just because of great layout and interior with mirrors everywhere and the fact that there are change rooms on every floor.

Stock is current. What you see on the website is what you see in store and also what is current in European stores. There is some slight tweaking based upon seasonal difference but for the most part, all the clothing is in synch with our international neighbours.

The staff are super friendly without being too in your face with the service. Better yet – they know what they’re talking about and even more importantly, they know what you’re talking about when you make vague reference to an Aztec print chemise. Product training is something that a lot of other Australian retailers seem to be forgetting nowadays…

The pricing is relative, maybe a smidgen more expensive. This is the only thing that really lets the store down – whilst shipping often compensates, if you bulk buy it still works out cheaper online.

But in saying that, having the opportunity to try everything on prior does mean that you won’t need to worry with bothersome shipping back and forth if the fit is wrong. And then there is the need-it-right-now factor you obviously can’t get online.

Overall verdict? Well worth the wait. Have fun, fellow clothes-horses!

Topshop and Topman Sydney can be found at the corner of George and Market Street.