Topshop 214 Magazine

Now, I'm gonna start by saying that I generally don't see myself as someone who is a slave to a particular brand. Despite having preferences, there isn't any one particular brand I would deem as a favourite and you'll never really see me in an outfit that's entirely from one highstreet shop.

Having said this (and I realise that I'm going back on myself a little here...) Topshop is the one brand/high street shop that if someone had a gun to my head, I would probably pick as my favourite.* It just fits my style aesthetic pretty damn well.

Alors... Needless to say when Topshop released their 214 magazine as a guide to the new season, I was pretty very excited, although slightly skeptical, as sometimes these freebie Magazines come across as exactly what they are: one big advertisement.

In my opinion, 214 Magazine cleverly avoids this, despite at it's heart being nothing more than a lookbook. The editorials are slick; the articles are insightful; the content is what people want (even though they may not realise: Hello Kaya Scodelario, I'd forgotten about you). They dig under the aesthetic and take a look at things that influence personal style. It's just generally well thought out and accessible to everyone.

So, without further adieu here are my favourite bits:

The perfect lip colour on the cover

 Taken from an article on vintage. Love.

The (somewhat) forgotten Kaya Scodelario (sorry!). 

Final page of print.

And just one more thing: I love it when magazines include pages such as the one above, because I think that it's easy to forget just how much work goes into a fashion show. I read these stats to a friend on the train (who isn't quite as interested in fashion) and she could hardly believe it. My reply was something along the lines of if this is what goes into a Topshop fashion show... imagine the stats for a Chanel show. Insane.

This also leads me a random conversation I had with a Maths student (bear with me) in Manchester last week. With the rise of blogging, street style and the high street, fashion is becoming so trend driven that it is at times, entirely disposable. With this being the case, at the rate this is happening it scares me that fashion could move away from being like pieces of art (I'm talking more at the designer end now), to being like a painted postcard an elderly aunt may send you from a random cruise destination. I.e. After a while you throw it away with minimal regret and consequently forget about it. This may seem extreme, but it's sad to think, right?*

Anyway, I've rambled enough for today. Happy Friday everyone!

Images, as ever, scanned by me. Taken from Topshops A/W '11 214 Magazine. Free in-store.

*I'm excluding designer from this, to nip another ramble in the bud before it starts!
*Yes I really did have this conversation with a Maths student. Doing a Masters nonetheless.