TopShop, the English fast-fashion store best known for its collaboration with Kate Moss, will open its first American store in New York tomorrow. But apparently TopShop designers had an entirely different city in mind for one of the spring collections -- they're introducing their "Miami" collection. Yes, they mean Miami in all its clichéd fashion glory. They've included everything from a pastel parrot tank top and a printed sunset beach coverup to a Miami Vice-inspired pastel blazer and the kind of loudly patterned tunic you could imagine Magda from There's Something About Mary wearing.
We realize there's still a bit of fashion stereotyping that brings
Chanel suits to mind when thinking of Paris, Warhol wardrobe black
minimalism when imaginingg New York, or Twiggy-esque '60s mod when
picturing ladies in London. So we're far from the only city with a
hard-to-shake fashion identity caught up in the past. And really, it's
not like any of these things would look out of place on South Beach. As a New York-based fashion blogger in town for WMC pointed out,
if the pieces were a bit shorter and more bejeweled, they'd probably
look like they were straight out of a certain type of Miami girl's
wardrobe today.
No word on whether TopShop might want to
thank Miamians for our style inspiration with a location down here. Most
likely, not for a long time. Besides, we're still holding out for an
H&M or Uniqlo.