Hundreds of shoppers lined up on Monday for a sneak peek at supermodel Kate Moss' new collection for British fashion retailer, Topshop.
First in line outside the chain's Oxford Street store was Yasmin Kidd, 16, who queued up for a chance to snap up jeans, shirts and dresses designed by Moss.
The line was scheduled to be formally unveiled in Topshop's 225 US stores yesterday. During the next two weeks, the collection will launch in another 21 countries, including at upmarket US store Barney's.
"I want to get first pick," said Kidd, who was accompanied by her mother.
"I'm a fan of Kate Moss and I usually shop at Topshop," Kidd said.
Moss, the 33-year-old model who has inspired fashion trends from skinny jeans to sawed-off shorts, appeared briefly in the shop window in a flowing orange dress to promote the preview only moments before it began.
She was chaperoned around a small area of the store dedicated to her collection by Topshop owner and billionaire Philip Green, who is paying Moss ?3 million (US$6 million) to add celebrity panache to his business.
During the preview, Topshop will let in groups of shoppers to browse for 20 minutes at a time in order to avoid a mad scramble.
Green was cautious about prospects for the line.
"Let's see how it looks and get a couple of days under our belt," he said, as dozens of shoppers busily hunted for bargains behind him.
Customers will be able to try on a maximum of eight garments and will only be allowed to purchase five of them.
The company hopes limiting the number of items per person will discourage shoppers from selling items on eBay.
Shoppers will be able to choose from 50 designs that cost from ?12 for a vest top to ?150 for a cropped leather jacket. Other items on sale include skinny jeans, one-shoulder minidresses and T-shirts with the letter K woven into the designs.
The collection will include a summer line set to hit Topshop next month.
The initial reaction from the shoppers was mixed.
"I didn't think it was all that good," said Cindy Wirk, who was among the first to get to the tills.
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