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The NEW high street hotlist: Where you can buy this year's It dress, pick up a chic linen suit and find just-right jeans - plus which shops to steer clear of: Fashion editor DINAH VAN TULLEKEN
A teasing video was posted on Topshop’s Instagram account last month, sending its 12 million followers into meltdown. Two models stood on a rooftop under a ‘Topshop’ billboard, before a message appeared, reading: ‘We missed you too’.
It set off a wave of speculation. Was the High Street’s favourite brand about to relaunch? Topshop, which in recent years has been part of Asos, has certainly begun what it calls ‘the first phase of its eagerly awaited return’, but its reincarnation as a stand-alone brand five years after it went into administration may be far tougher than expected.
Today High Street fashion is not just alive and well, it’s booming – in store and online. The demise of some of the big names that once seemed unassailable, such as Topshop, Oasis and Warehouse, has cleared some space to allow new retailers to flourish. As a fashion editor who has spent decades searching out labels that care about quality, fit and price, here’s my list of the High Street brands you should make a beeline for...
1. Albaray
Best for: Trenches
Price point: £25-£399
Already a firm favourite with the fashion set, Albaray has done the near-impossible: capture a look that is age-indifferent, suiting grandparents just as well as twenty-something influencers.
And it all looks far more expensive than it is. Its Cape Trench (£199, albaray.co.uk) is top of my wish list. Stores are in Bath and Chichester; concessions in John Lewis, M&S and Fenwick.
2. Me+Em
Best for: Tailoring
Price point: £25-£1,500
Spotted on everyone from Kate Middleton to Nicole Kidman, this is a brand that provides those wardrobe foundation pieces. The price point is admittedly high, but it’s aimed at working women who want functional fashion.
I’d suggest the button-front maxi dress (£185, meandem.com) – it’s so versatile, you’ll hardly need anything else this season.
3. Baukjen
Best for: Sustainability
Price point: £39-£549
London-based Baukjen, stocked in John Lewis, is the go-to place for relaxed weekend wear: think denim, cotton day-dresses and simple T-shirts. It was the first fashion brand to receive a UN Global Climate Action Award – 90 per cent of its range is made in Europe to reduce air miles and leftover samples go to charities.
4. COS
Best for: Reimagined basics
Price point: £17-£350
COS (or ‘Collection of Style’ – who knew?) is the epitome of Scandinavian minimalism. Standout pieces include an oversized recycled linen shirt (£75, cos.com) and its chunky jewellery selection (from £17). Note: sizing can run large, so try before you buy.
5. Uniqlo
Best for: Cashmere
Price point: £12-£159
Uniqlo’s crossbody bag sold out in multiple colours. It’s cashmere is the best on the High Street (V-necks, £39.90, uniqlo.com) and, for those in the know, a Uniqlo vest or thermal is often the foundation of their daily outfit. With Clare Waight Keller, formerly at Givenchy, at the helm, the brand is somewhere you should be shopping.
Best for: Suede
Price point: £29-£999
Massimo Dutti is owned by Zara’s Spanish parent company, but is vastly different. While Zara is the queen of fast fashion, Massimo Dutti designs are built to last. Its embroidered peplum shirt (£99.95, massimo dutti.com) offers real style points, as does its luxurious woven bucket bag (£169).
7. Mango
Best for: Summer tops
Price point: £9-£399
The Barcelona-born brand marked turning 40 last year with a Victoria Beckham collab. It does everything well, from swimwear to suiting. Oh, and it redesigns its cutting patterns for every size above a 14, which means the fit is far better.
8. Hobbs
Best for: Crop jackets
Price point: £25-£439
Hobbs, which started as a small shoe label, still stocks the best leather accessories. This season’s hits include a stripe tie-waist shirt dress (£149, hobbs.com) and an olive cropped utility jacket (£149).
9. Reiss
Best for: Wide-leg trousers
Price point: £28-£1,298
AT the higher end of the High Street you have Reiss, a go-to for smart, sophisticated staples. Invest in its white linen three-piece suit (jacket, £280; waistcoat, £148; trousers, £168, reiss.com). It’s not known for it, but Reiss also has a brilliant denim offering. Fans include Claudia Winkleman and Gisele Bundchen.
10. Aligne
Best for: Waistcoats
Price point: £59-£189
Stocked in Liberty and Anthropologie, Aligne is classic but never boring, luxe but not inaccessible, and unique but not unwearable. Its partnership with Smart Works, a UK charity that dresses and coaches unemployed women for job interviews, makes it a brand that looks good and does good.
11. Mint Velvet
Best for: Jeans
Price point: £19-£399
Three friends, Liz Houghton, Lisa Agar-Rea and Jane Rawlings, felt there was a need for casual glamour on the High Street – and so Mint Velvet was born. If you’re panicking about your summer wedding invites, they’ll see you right. You can book a complimentary personal styling appointment at one of its UK stores.
12. Boden
Best for: Prints
Price point: £16-£350
Founded in 1991, the brand is still delivering pieces with fun flair. Standouts from its range, stocked in John Lewis, include a cherry and lemon printed shirt (£120, boden.com) and summer midi dress (£156, boden.com).
Best for: Leather
Price point: £15-£699
Karen Millen has always been known for its sophisticated, polished aesthetic, and that hasn’t changed since the brand went solely online in 2019 after Boohoo Group took it over. Of particular note right now are its real leather pieces.
14. Nobody’s Child
Best for: Midi dresses
Price point: £25-£220
If you’re not familiar with Nobody’s Child, available in M&S stores, you should be. It has found the holy grail – affordable clothing that isn’t throwaway. Its famous fans include Holly Willoughby, Sienna Miller and Sophie Turner. Look for embroidered blouses, print dresses and lightweight knits that last – the new cream floral embroidered midi dress (£180) feels really special.
15. Hush
Best for: Knitwear
Price point: £27-£400
Inspired by founder Mandy Watkins’ desire to meld the laidback feel of her native Australia with her sudden need for cosiness when she moved to the UK, Hush delivers comfort and coolness in equal measure. I crave the pleated satin skirt (£100, hush-uk.com) and fine knit polo top (£70).
AND THOSE TO AVOID...
1. Zara
Price point: £7.99-£549
Zara changed the fashion industry when it invented fast fashion – just not necessarily for the better. Expect limited, inconsistent sizing and a near guarantee that you’ll bump into someone else wearing the same thing.
2. AllSaints
Price point: £29-£799
Once upon a time, its biker jackets defined the youthful grunge movement; now the brand feels more like a divorced dad going through a midlife crisis.
3. Shein
Price point: 99p-£339
Where do I start? What Zara began, Shein continued. Its more or less disposable pieces may be cheap when you buy them, but the price per wear is pretty expensive – and the cost to the planet is unacceptably high.
4. PrettyLittleThing
Price point: £3-£80
Don’t be fooled by this brand’s attempt at a ‘quiet luxury’ rebrand. Merely taking a look at the fabrics – predominantly polyester and elastane – will tell you all you need to know.
5. French Connection
Price point: £19-£155
WhenI was a teenager in the 1990s everyone who was anyone had the FCUK logo on their T-shirt. It was the only brand to be seen in, but since then it has lost its identity, and its pieces feel like something you’d find in a charity shop.
Additional research by Kathryn Winter and Hannah Drayton
