Over the last few years I’ve been in a TOPSHOP store in three cities – London, Tokyo and Toronto – and my experiences in each of these locations were very different.

My first encounter with TOPSHOP was in London, England, in 2006. I entered a two storey building and immediately felt overwhelmed; clothes, shoes and accessories were everywhere. I didn’t stay in that store very long and left without purchasing a thing, feeling disappointed that the hype didn’t match my first experience.

That same year TOPSHOP came to Tokyo, Japan. At the time, the space was contemporary and minimalistic. The clothes were carefully selected, however, it was sparse in appearance and didn’t have enough items to choose from – very different from the shop in London.

Earlier this month I was invited by Jonathan+Olivia, the exclusive retailer of TOPSHOP in Canada, to view the “arrival of the last seasonal Kate Moss for TOPSHOP collection, TOPSHOP make-up and TOPMAN” lines in their store. It was my first time visiting the Toronto arm of TOPSHOP and there is a great mix of merchandise for men and women, alongside other brands such as Surface to Air, Rag&Bone and Alexander Wang.

TOPSHOP make-up

The TOPSHOP make-up in store contains basics, such as concealer, lipstick and then some. I was particularly drawn to the cream to powder blushes and various nail polish gift sets.

Of course, any visit to a clothing store would not be complete without being tempted to drop a wad of cash on a few items. Two  things I really wanted to buy was a wool buckle cape with fleece collar and faux leather trim, and a black feather cape – how I walked away without purchasing both beats the heck out of me.

Image gallery three: images #1-3 from TOPSHOP