If you live in the UK the chances are you will have heard of Victoria Secret, Pottery Barn, Bath & Body Works and Lucky Brand Jeans. Yet, despite this name recognition the casual shopper hasn’t been able to buy products from these companies on a British high street. That is all set to change in the case of Victoria Secret, as the lingerie and beauty company famed for its use of supermodels is rumoured to be scouting for a site in central London for a flagship store.
The question is, will it be any good and how will the products be priced. Abercrombie & Fitch travelled to our shores to open a store inhabited by semi naked models and prices that made many of us recoil in horror! It would be cheaper to fly to New York for the weekend and stock up than shop at their London outlet.
American TV staples such as Friends are stocked full of product placement, so the casual viewer soon becomes accustomed to hearing brand names that aren’t even available in the UK. The infamous Pottery Barn episode revolved completely around Rachel convincing Phoebe that the ‘fabulous’ furniture she was buying was from flea markets, rather than the afore mentioned store. From Taco Bell to Macys there are loads of stores and restaurants that we have seen on holidays to the states and are prominently featured in our favourite movies, but that have yet to grace the UK high street.
It will be interesting to see if Victoria Secret loses any of its glamour for UK shoppers once it is easily accessible. It’s always nice to have things in the wardrobe that you couldn’t just buy from the local high street. Savvy shoppers have often raided the websites of their favourite American brands with guys importing Monarchy, Ruehl and Silver Star Casting Company and women stocking up on the likes of Bath & Body Works and Express.
While I can’t wait to see a Victoria Secret store in the West End, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed that other women may buy my wardrobe. I love the feeling that I have discovered, or at least travelled abroad to find, clothes that none of my friends own. I have to say there are other disadvantages for brands coming over to the UK, I can’t count the times I have seen an over sized muffin topper squeezed in an A&F T-shirt!
Maya
Fatcheese.co.uk