CATCH UP WITH THE GIRLS AT TOPSHOP HQ

Here at Topshop, we're really lucky that we get to work with so many amazing girls! We’re always super interested to find out how everyone in head office got started in the industry, as well as what they do from day to day so we decided to catch up with a different member of the Topshop team every month. In December, we chatted to our lovely Press Officer Cressida Jamieson and this month, we bring you Melinda Kennedy who is Topshop’s International Marketing Manager and bakes the scrummiest cakes we’ve ever eaten! We hope you enjoy catching up with Melinda as much as we did.

My job title is… International Marketing Manager which means that  I look after all the marketing for all of our international stores all over the world (from Kazakhstan to Australia!)

I studied… a BA in Drama & English and an MA in Public Relations.

I got my job by…  applying for a more junior role to get my foot in the door and through a contact who used to work at Topshop.

In a typical working day I… create a marketing plan for a new store opening, brief in our creative team on an international project, approve models/styling/production for a catwalk show, and brainstorm new ideas for different markets.

The best thing about my job is… working with so many different departments (from buying to merchandising) and working with such a huge spectrum of markets, each of which are very different.

When I was growing up I wanted to be… an actress.

I couldn’t do my job without… having an international background (I was born in Auckland and grew up in Singapore), as well as all the amazing people around me who get me through the day.

My advice to students hoping to crack the fashion industry would be… don’t ever give up on getting a role in a company you love (I interviewed at Topshop for nearly 8 years!) and get to know as many people in the industry as you can. Also stay true to your beliefs, don’t be a victim to the latest fashion ‘fad'.

My signature style is… skinny black jeans, black vest, flats and a Starbucks!

And my hero piece for this season is… my raspberry skinny Leigh jeans.

When I’m in London, my hottest hang-outs are… I’m not cool enough to answer this question!

And when I’m in my hometown I love hanging out at… The Department Store in Auckland.

I can’t live without… STARBUCKS!!!

My favourite magazine is… Vogue!

I love grabbing my lunch from… Abokado - a little sushi place near our office.

On my iPod right now is… Two Door Cinema Club.

As a special treat, I love to… eat cottage cheese on toast with LOADS of butter

In five years I’d like to... have 2 kids & working 4 days a week.

We'll be back next month with another catch up but in the meantime, why not check out our Tumblr, and see what the girls in our office are wearing right now.

WE LOVE OUR FACEBOOK FANS

There's a celebratory vibe in the air at Topshop HQ, because today we reached two million fans on Facebook! To celebrate, we're giving away a special gift with orders, while stock lasts. Check out our page for details, and while you're there, why not browse our features, style tips and new season picks? You're sure to fall in love!

TINY, OR TALL? WE LOVE YOU ALL!

A lot of girls in our HQ don't know where they'd be without Topshop tall, or petite! Whether you're on the tall side (5'7" and over) or on the tiny side (5'3" and under) make sure you keep a look-out for the perfect SS12 pieces that are starting to land.

For tonnes of new season styling inspiration, be sure to take a look at our Tumblr! It's packed with snaps of girls looks that make our heads turn.

LITTLE HOLES OF HAPPINESS

As we we’re lamenting about how miserable the cold is making us right now, we came across these miniature gardens by The Pothole Gardener and couldn’t help but smile. Planted in potholes and weed-filled patches in and around East London, these guerilla-style gardens by Steve Wheen really have brightened up our day! We love the idea of adding a bit of green to the city’s sidewalks and adore how they’re filled with everything from telephone boxes to mini tennis courts! We hope we come across one on our travels some day soon - they really are holes of little happiness.

LET'S KICK-START THE CELEBRATIONS!

2012 marks a decade of Topshop supporting design talent at London Fashion Week and there’s plenty of cause to celebrate!

Over the last ten years, we’ve been the biggest single supporter of emerging London talent. Through sponsoring both the NEWGEN and Fashion East schemes, and setting up the Topshop showspace, we have helped London’s rising talent to showcase their seasonal collections to the world’s most prestigious press and buyers.

This has been an incredible journey and we are so privileged to have worked with those who help shape the shows, collections and industry that inspires us. Some of the most celebrated talents in London are helping us to celebrate! 20 limited edition charity t-shirts have been designed by past and present NEWGEN recipients, Mary Katrantzou has created an exclusive capsule collection, and the legendary photographer Nick Knight has created a fashion film starring Karlie Kloss especially for us.

We're kick-starting the celebrations tomorrow with an exclusive competition for our Facebook fans and Twitter followers. Every day, for the next 20 days, we'll be giving away an exclusive NEWGEN designer t-shirt so make sure you're following us and be sure to check back each day for your chance to win! 

London Fashion Week AW12 is going to be super special for all of us at Topshop so get excited for all the celebratory fun that's to come...

OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW

Get excited for spring with our SS12 lookbook, which you can now shop from! Watch our brand new lookbook film below for inspiration and fall in love with the season's newest trends. From futuristic finishes to perfect pastels, it’s time to start shopping for the season ahead.

 

TOPSHOP FILM CLUB

You know when there are a few films on your must-see list that for one reason or another, you just never got around to watching? Well for the girls at Inside-Out, that’s the Yves Saint Laurent documentary L’amour Fou and Bill Cunningham; New York. As both had rave reviews and are a must-see for any girl who claims to love fashion, we decided to get together for what has now been named Topshop film club! Being a Topshop get-together, PJs, pizza and popcorn were not optional. Just looking at the posters has made us excited! If you've seen either films, let us know what you thought, and if you've not, pop them at the top of your films to see list.  

For those of you who don't live in the US, or haven't ordered a copy from over the pond, Bill Cunningham; New York is out in UK cinemas on March 16th. Take a look where it's showing and plan a girls night out.

MAKE MINE BOUTIQUE

Our SS12 Boutique collection has started to arrive and here at head office, we want to wear it from head-to-toe! Take a look at our new season shoot and get set to fall for metallic silk shifts, Prince of Wales separates, twill A-line skirts and neon knits. There's a reason why Boutique is the insiders' first stop for directional separates and this spring, it's looking more desirable than ever.

Let us know which looks you'll be making yours and don't worry, if there's something you have your eye on that's not available on Topshop.com, it should be arriving very soon.

WHO'S THAT GIRL?!

Right now, our number one style crush is Julia Sarr-Jamois. Over the last few seasons, snaps of her dressed in perfectly playful, yet effortlessly cool ensembles have cropped up on every style blog worth looking at, causing fashion-loving girls (including us) to declare her their newest style crush! 

Now the Fashion Editor of Wonderland magazine, we remember meeting Julia a few years back when she was assisting Fran Burns on the Christopher Kane for Topshop shoot. We can even recall what she was wearing – a sporty grey tee with slouchy turned-up jeans and the most perfect silver Chanel peep-toe boots – which says something about how well this girl throws a look together!

As you’ll know if you love browsing fashion blogs, Julia has an almost cult-like Internet following. Wherever there’s a snap of her, there are tonnes of adoring comments from fashion-loving fans that just can’t get enough of her style. Her trademark afro and huge smile certainly may have something to do with her charm, but as you can see from taking a look at her takeover of Edited, she has a unique eye for styling up pieces together.

We are crazy in love with how Julia’s teamed our sequin denim shorts with two different sweaters to add just a touch of neon, layered a cutesy floral dress over a stripe shirt and mixed one stripey knit with another to update the ultimate wardrobe staple, skinny jeans.

It's no wonder Julia loves clothes! She grew up around all kinds of treasures as her mum had a vintage stall at Brixton market back in the 80s. While she was at college, Julia left to pursue an internship at I-D magazine and after doing a bit of modelling, decided that she wanted to do something more creative which led to her trying her hand at styling. All we can say is, we’re so pleased she did!

A lover of bright colours and off-the-wall prints, we knew that Julia would be the perfect person to take over our Edited space and inspire your wardrobe for SS12. If you live in London be sure to head down to our Oxford Circus flagship to take a look at Julia’s edit, and if you don’t, check out our interview with her, and shop her Edit on Topshop.com. 

To stay in the loop with what Julia's up to, make sure you're following her on Twitter.

ON THE BALL

Prepare to be amazed, these stunning pieces of art were created with a ball point pen! Yes, you read it right, that was with a ball point pen. Created by Brooklyn-based artist Shane McAdams who draws his inspiration from the abstract-looking Southwest desert he grew up in, they resemble land formations and other natural phenomenon he loved as a child. Apart from thier perfect spring colours, our favourite thing about his work is that they need to be taken to the tanning salon before they're finished. It's the UV light that creates the beautifully a delicate, yet bold colours. We don't know about you but we're inspired to start wearing our trusty black staples with bright bursts of spring-like color.

LET'S TALK NEW SEASON DENIM

At the start of each season, we always go on the hunt for a perfect new pair of jeans! Our SS12 denim has just landed and this Thursday from 1-2pm GMT, we'll be holding a live Style Q&A, here on our blog, to give you the lowdown on styling it up in this season's amazing new denim shades.

If you have any queries about sporting coloured denim, this is your chance to get them answered! Two of the super stylish buyers from our denim team will be on hand to answer your questions. From the details, fit and fabric of our jeans to what to wear with yours, stop by and join in the style conversation. Come with your questions at the ready - we can't wait to talk about perfect new season jean colours.

EDITED BY JULIA SARR-JARMOIS

Thanks to Julia Sarr-Jamois – the super stylish Fashion Editor behind Wonderland magazine who has just taken over our Edited space - we literally cannot wait to start shopping for spring. After taking a look at how she's styled up her favourite pieces from our new season collections, it's clear why Julia is one of the industry’s most talked-about up-and-coming stylists.

We just love how Julia's combined our perfect new season shades and eye-popping prints and are feeling super inspired! Known in the industry for combining unexpected clashes of texture and idiom with unique, effortless chic, this is your chance to get some styling advice from one of the fashion industry's rising stars.

Celebrated for her own personal take on style as well as for her bold editorial work in publications from Vogue to Grazia, you'll probably recognise Julia. She's always being featured on one super chic blog or another - Jak & Jil love her style - doing her thing at all the most important shows on the Fashion Week calendar.

While Julia was in the office pulling for Edited, as well as having a catch up, we couldn't resist asking her to reveal her top styling tips for SS12, as well as what's on her bookshelf and on her playlist right now!

Catch Up With Julia...

My style signature is... mixing loads of different things together, textures, prints, colours. I like looks to be bold, but still fun. 

The SS12 show that blew me away was... Meadham Kirchhoff, the collection was beautiful and there were dancers that made the whole thing feel uplifting. I smiled the whole way through. 

The one piece I saw on the SS12 catwalks that I have to have... are the Prada flame sandals. They're amazing. You couldn't help but smile when you caught a glimpse of your feet in them.

For a piece to be chosen as part of my EDIT... it has to be fun! I like colours and prints to be bold and unusual, even exaggerated, matched with interesting or unexpected textures. 

My biggest influence right now is... Romy Schneider. I've been researching a lot of old films recently for an upcoming shoot, and I'm obsessed with Clouzot's L'Enfer, and more specifically Romy's character, Odette.

If I could go back to any era... I’d love to live in ancient Egypt. I could definitely hang out with Cleopatra, wear lots of gold and have lots of cats.

Growing up I wanted to... run a sweet shop

My earliest fashion memory is... attending a Chanel couture show aged 13. A family friend invited me, knowing how much I loved fashion. I've still got the invitation.

My all time favourite designers are... Azzedine Alaia, Miuccia Prada & Elsa Schiaparelli. Alaia's clothes are amazing. When you wear one of his pieces you instantly feel like a 90s super model. I was lucky enough to visit him in his studio in Paris and he's a real artist.

Julia's SS12 Styling Tips...

Clash your stripes!
Layer different shade of pastels.
Wear bold statement shoes.
Go for bright and printed socks.
Invest in accented accessories.

What's on Julia's Playlist...

Juicy - Notorious B.I.G
Bills, Bills, Bills – Destiny’s Child
Youth Dem Cold - Richie Spice
Sorry - Monsta boy
Flowers – Sweet Female Attitude (Sunship Edit)
Bonnie and Clyde - Serge Gainsbourg and Briggite Bardot
La Vie en Rose - Edith Piaf
4 Page Letter - Aaliyah
(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay - Otis Reading
Waterfalls - TLC
Buffalo Stance - Neneh Cherry
No Diggity - Blackstreet
Don't let go - En Vogue
You da One - Rihanna
Say my name – Destiny’s Child
Irreplaceable - Beyonce

What's on Julia's Bookshelf...

Nothing Lasts Forever - Tyrone Lebon
Irreverent - Carine Riotfeld
Ghetto - Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin
Wonderlandi-D Magazine
The Multiples - Joseph Beuys
Polaroids - Helmut Newton
Photographs - J.D.'Okhai Ojeikere
Portraits - Rineke Dijkstra

Edited is a handpicked selection from our SS12 collections. Curated each week, it's available to shop online as well as in our 286 Regent Street space, in our Oxford Circus flagship.

A DAY WITH THE BOUTIQUE GIRLS

If you're anything like us, you'll look forward to the moment when the new Topshop Boutique collection lands each season! The style insiders’ one-stop shop for a perfect capsule wardrobe, it has the whole office buzzing every season. Believe us when we say, SS12 is no different! Last week, when we set up  shoot with the girls from the Boutique team at a secret Hackney haunt, we fell in love with too many pieces to even count. Enjoy our little behind-the-scenes preview below and get excited to see the full shoot on Topshop.com this weekend. We had so much fun working together and had one of those days which made us realise how much we we all love working for Topshop! We also now all want retro wallpaper in our flats - you?

FASHION WEEK IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER

It’s all go-go-go in Topshop HQ as we get closer to our 10^th anniversary of sponsoring NEWGEN! London Fashion Week is just around the corner and as well as getting excited about celebrating our very own birthday, we can’t wait to see what our super talented coterie of NEWGEN designers will send down the catwalk for AW12.

From left to right - shots from J.JS Lee and JW Anderson (women) SS12 shows.

With David Koma, Holly Fulton, Michael van der Ham, Simone Rocha, J.JS Lee and JW Anderson (women) all winners for the season ahead, we couldn’t be prouder to be NEWGEN’s sponsors. These are the names to look out for AW12 so scribble them down and keep them at hand for when February is here. Sure to be a favourite with all the editors, stylists, buyers and bloggers who’ll be doing the rounds at London Fashion Week, you’ll be hearing much more about these rising talents in the coming months.

Shot from Holly Fulton's SS12 show.

Our congratulations also go to Christopher Raeburn, Thomas Tait, Nasir Mazhar and SISTER by Sibling who will be staging presentations or installations for the style sets' viewing pleasure next season too. Designers Huishan Zhang, James Long, Lucas Nascimento, Palmer//Harding and Tim Soar (women) will all also receive funding to take part in the NEWGEN exhibition that takes place at Somerset House during Fashion Week each season.

From left to right - shots from David Koma and Simone Rocha SS12 shows.

Through the NEWGEN scheme, we've been supporting up-and-coming British design talent since 2001. Set up by the British Fashion Council in 1993 to showcase the UK's most prolific young design talents, previous winners include Alexander McQueen, Matthew Williamson, Giles Deacon, Jonathan Saunders, Christopher Kane, Marios Schwab, Richard Nicoll and Erdem.

Be sure to check back beween Friday 17th - Tuesday 21st February for all the best bits from London Fashion Week! We'll be blogging from the front row as well as backstage at the Topshop showspace to bring you an insider view of all the action. And if you want a refresh of the SS12 shows, take a look here!

FEELING FRUITY!

Now that spring is on its way, anything that's a bit zingy looking is appealing to our sartorial senses. Fruity shades are set to be everywhere come spring and these juicy paintings by Dennis Wojtkiewicz have got us longing to fill our wardrobes with beautifully bright, new season shades! We can't quite believe that these images are hand painted! When we first spotted them, we thought they were photographs. We're excited to mix grapefruit and lime - be sure to let us know which fruity combo you'll be trying for the season ahead.

WE'RE CELEBRATING SPRING EQUINOX

Lose yourself in a folk legend where nothing is quite as it seems with our latest collection Spring Equinox! Vintage-inspired frocks have neon accents, perfect skirts are tiered at the hem, while gossamer-thin pieces have futuristic silhouettes. Sequin cycling shorts will add up-to-the-minute sparkle to any look - master the art of layering them beneath iridescent tunics. It's all about pulling on high-impact pieces over one another and offsetting them with metallic accessories. Soft spring sky shades – bubblegum pink, pretty lilac and homely peach - look spring perfect against cool silvery tones and neon highlights. This season, the prettiest clothes were made for dancing under the stars!