Topshop: possibly Britain’s best loved high street store? Its flagship, Topshop Oxford Circus is a mecca to every fashion loving woman; all ages, and all budgets. So what happens when Topshop heads to the big apple? Its first American store opened on April 2nd on Broadway, so I went to go and see how our New York neighbours were getting on.

All the way down Broadway and the surrounding area, fluoro posters advertise the long awaited, four storey Topshop/Topman building in SoHo. I walk in and am instantly greeted by possibly the chirpiest shop assistant imaginable. The lighting is dark and the décor bright and fresh, I especially liked the enormous Topshop lighting blocks and flowers that hang from the ceilings. So far, so good. The store hasn’t tried to veer away from its British roots, in fact it’s difficult to forget that Topshop is a UK export; everything from the sizing to the soundtrack is British; The Libertines, Kaiser Chiefs and Mystery Jets blare throughout, and there are size guides on every rack converting UK to US sizing.

For those unacquainted with Toppers on Oxford Circus, there are huge mirrors running along by the escalators. These have been replaced by massive London photo collages; phone boxes, buses and enormous tea sets emblazon the walls, never straying from the quirky-kitsch of the Topshop that we know and love. On face value, New York’s take on a British favourite does very well to a seasoned Topshop regular.

Never be too quick to judge, however, as despite all the lovely looking displays and what appears to be an in store mirror cleaner, I only needed to look at price tags to be slightly put off. Topshop has always been one of the pricier high street stores, and in NYC, its no exception. I notice some of the bags on sale are priced almost double than in the UK, and I quickly work out that if you were keen enough to save some money, having it shipped from the UK would probably work out cheaper. However not everyone is a penny pincher like me, and I move on to the upstairs Kate Moss and Boutique sections, which appear to be drawing in the most crowds. I notice people are far more into admiring the Kate Moss clothes than buying them, and the Boutique section is so sparsely stocked customers are limited to buying no more than five items. Perhaps I’m being cynical; as far as décor and items go, Topshop on Broadway fares well, I have never seen so many leggings and tights before in my life (although someone does point out they only have lace tights in grey not black, rookie error). It has only been open a week, so perhaps, after the hype and the posters to match have gone down, so will the prices.