Why shopping on the high-street doesn't always mean you're buying into disposable fashion

It’s a common misconception that everyone who works in fashion wears Céline — and that their outfit has cost the equivalent of a small car. Neither is true. For most of us, dressing head-to-toe in designer labels is unrealistic (you can’t spend £1,400 on a dress you live in fear of spilling coffee down when you can’t afford a mortgage). The result? Plenty are routinely wearing M&S while extolling the virtues of Balenciaga’s £2,000 puffa jacket.

As deputy fashion editor at the Evening Standard I, for one, am a proud high-street junkie: checking what’s landed at Zara is as much a part of my lunch hour as deciding between Wasabi and Pret. During the recent round of fashion weeks, my shoe of choice — a pair of kitten-heel boots, bought for £29.99 at Zara — were routinely mistaken for the £1,400 Vetements version, while a pair of & Other Stories horse-bit loafers were as big a talking point on the LFW frow as the Burberry show.

The fact is, Britain’s high street is the best in the world. My love affair with it began circa 2001, when trying on diamanté jeans and halterneck tops with ‘sassy’ written across the front at my local Tammy Girl on Lowestoft High Street served as a regular after-school activity. Trips to Norwich, where the Topshop had two entire floors, soon followed. I can still remember making the pilgrimage to get my hands on a piece of Kate Moss’s first collection (the one with the pansy-print baby doll dress. God, I loved that dress).

But it was when I arrived in London 10 years ago to study at the London College of Fashion that my relationship with the high street hit boiling point. My student loan didn’t stand a chance. The lure of Topshop in Oxford Circus, with all its floors of student-friendly skater skirts and Baxter jeans, proved so strong that I soon found myself a Saturday job working there. Penetrating the inside of the world’s most famous shopping destination allowed me to refine my shopping skills as well as bag a bargain (or 10). It was during my time spent manning the fitting rooms that I learned important lessons such as avoiding the hot-pink ruffle dress placed strategically at the entrance of the store — there’s no joy to be gained from owning the same dress as everyone else.

Since then, I’ve continued to hone my craft with devoted practise. I’m more focused, making liberal use of the cleverly curated sections of Topshop’s premium Boutique section and Asos’s design-led White line. I’ve figured out which shops excel at what: & Other Stories shoes are created by former Acne designer Nicole Wilson; Uniqlo is blossoming in the charge of French fashion heavyweight Christophe Lemaire. And I’ve realised that if you like something you should buy it even if you’re not going to wear it immediately. A lilac Cos coat, purchased on a whim, hung in my wardrobe for 18 months before being debuted at a Scottish wedding held amid a hurricane, while a lace-trimmed slipdress, bought in H&M for £20, lay dormant for a year before escorting me to the Baftas.

As for the concept that ‘high street’ equals ‘disposable fashion’, I disagree. Five years on, I still get a sense of satisfaction when I slip on my beloved shearling biker jacket (£79.99 from River Island). Other brands such as Finery London and Warehouse combine quality with affordability to ensure your purchases will last. Key, too, is avoiding carbon catwalk copies — they have a short expiration date. If you really want Christopher Kane’s safety-buckle trainers, save up and buy them. They’ll serve you for life.

Be warned, though: if you’re going to pledge your heart to the high street you better be prepared for some difficult questions. What do you say when someone asks if your All Saints leather jacket is Saint Laurent? Or whether your Dorothy Perkins shirt is VB? You can lie, mutter something barely audible and pray the label is well hidden. Or take the honest approach and fess up, then wait to see how long it takes for your high-street hero to land on your admirer’s Instagram. After all, the magic of the high street is that it’s open to all.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter: @EsMagOfficial