Dear New Look,
I’ve been thinking about you a lot recently. I heard the news that you’re in trouble (and that you’re probably closing 60 stores and making 980 redundancies). But, I remember the better times. You were there for me when I needed you when I was making my first formative purchases.
Here’s to you, New Look.
The first time I set foot in one of your stores you had that old logo, the turquoise one with the abstract face - remember that? You were the first label to introduce me to trends, notably ‘boho’ - the less said about that the better - and the concept of impulse purchasing unnecessary glittery clothes hanger and pumpkin scented candles by the till.
I discovered skinny jeans in your Generation 915 range and made more dubious shoe purchases than I care to remember. Platform peep-toe stilettos? Guilty. Knee-high gladiator sandals? Guilty. But, it was the pink leopard print ballet flats (!) that I wore with skin-tight leggings, which made me feel like Amy Winehouse, that I trekked to multiple branches to find. No shame.
Before he bagged the morning slot on Radio 1, Nick Grimshaw presented your Channel 4 show New Look Style Nation. And, of course, I binged it. Even at the time, I knew the concept was hokey and the ‘fashionistas’ competing for a styling job were making dodgy sartorial choices (denim shorts and tights with a pair of wedges pretty much sums up the series’ aesthetic).
Topshop and H&M may think that they introduced the world to the concept of designer and celebrity collaborations, but I know the truth. I vividly remember New Look’s Giles Deacon range, which was modelled by Alexa Chung, Lilly Allen’s prom dress collection and Kelly Brook’s underwear collab. On the latter, I’m convinced this is the first instance the high street catered to someone with a bigger than average cup size.
While my beloved Toppers still struggles to produce plus-size collections, New Look, you’ve always been ahead of the game in this arena. In 2000 you increased your offering to cater up to a size 26. That in itself was groundbreaking.
Picasso once said, ‘good artists borrow, great artists steal’, so let me leave it to Keats who put it best: ‘I love you ever and ever and without reserve.’
Love,
The Debrief
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.