When Ashish sent Chloe Noorgard down the AW14 catwalk in light-up Buffalos and a pink prom dress, there was a collective intake of breath. Because not only did designer Ashish Gupta make everyone consider purchasing their first pair of light-up sneaks since those Cica ones aged eight (yes, we remember it well), but he also brought Buffalos into the mainstream for perhaps the only time since The Spice Girls*.*
Since then Lily Allen and Rita Ora have been seen wearing a pair, but us mere mortals have had to wait. Until now.
Because Ashish’s 10th collection with Topshop, fronted by the ultimate rock grunger Mary Charteris, lands in stores tomorrow. And not only does it have light-up Buffalos at its LED centre, but light-up, lace-up sliders which are going to set you right apart from all the other sliders.
In fact, his whole collection is the ultimate collection of kitsch guilty pleasures. Whether it’s through flesh – with his black mesh mini dresses complete with simulated black tape x’s over the boobs – or invite – with his hotel room invite tees – it’s the ultimate fun collab. And prices start pretty low for the mini dresses, although the backpacks and shoes that feature LED lights are between £300-350.
‘I think it’s a tongue-in-cheek look at modern celebrity culture and social media celebrities,’ says Ashish, who famously sent sequinned shoppers with ‘Disco’ and ‘S&M’ instead of ‘Tesco’ and ‘M&S’ last season. ‘The idea of how you could be on holiday and behave like a star but not actually be one. It’s the most fun collection I have ever done with Topshop!’
Crafting the witty into something pretty has always been Ashish’s schtick, with this beach-focused collection no different. Beach towels sport ‘Dirty Beach’ and ‘Son of a Beach’ slogans, while hoodies are made out of terry cloth, inadvertently referencing the Juicy Couture addictions of arguably, the pioneers of modern celebrity culture, reality TV stars Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton.
The most unexpected thing about the collection, however, is the discernible lack of sequins – always an Ashish favourite. That said, we aren’t sure the light-up Buffalos could quite take a sequin hit, too. So perhaps it’s a good thing.
Ashish’s collection hits Topshop tomorrow, 29 May.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.