If a new designer or celeb diffusion collection launches on the UK high street, you can bet the CQ team will be there to check out the mayhem. This morning Kim and I headed to Marble Arch to join die-hard fashionistas eager to get their hands on Giles Deacon's 'Gold' collection for New Look...
The scrum wasn't quite on a par with what we saw when Viktor & Rolf's collection launched at H&M, but there was still a serious scuffle as fans of the British Designer Of The Year ran up the stairs to nab the best stuff first. Since pictures of the collection were kept secret until the very last minute, a lot of the stuff was brand new to us and probably to you, so I made sure to take lots of pictures (and a few purchases, of course)...
Left: New Look girls show off the eyecatching polka dot pieces. The item on the right is actually a tie-neck coat (£50). I loved the way she'd adapted it to look like a shirt dress by rolling up the sleeves and belting it.
Right: Shoes, shoes, shoes! All the Giles shoes are £30 a pair.
Polka dot coats and matching shoes, tiger tees and black shorts.
The grey and tiger print range, which included shirt dresses, pleated mini skirts and wedges.
The grey version of the super-short diagonal pleat mini dress (£40), and a fab high-waisted skirt with pockets (£25). All the tags look like gold credit cards, a very cute touch!
What I bought: The black dress on the left looks like nothing on the hanger, but when worn it's one of the more unusual, catwalk style items from the collection, with a slight 'egg' shape, a really interesting draped shape at the back and funky pockets. Definitely one for fashion events more than days at the office, though! The shift dress on the right is a classic, flattering shape in a great print. I found it to be cut quite narrow on the hips and generous on the waist, so make sure to try before buying! Both dresses were £30.
The good news for those of you wishing to get in on the action is that New Look seemed better prepared to keep up with the demand than their rivals. New deliveries are arriving in London stores later today (and no doubt across the country) and when we left there was still plenty to go around in most styles. If anyone sees the black studded shoes in a 6, let me know...
See Drew Barrymore modelling more and find out which stores are stocking the collection here.
Related Posts: Beth Ditto for Topshop - the latest | Lily Allen to design for New Look | CQ girls at H&M's Viktor & Rolf launch