May 30, 2018

Forget Zara a Second—This Is the Store We're Suddenly Shopping at Again

by Hannah Almassi

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I had an inkling about it last season that Urban Outfitters would be on fire in terms of fashion. The retailer's A/W 17 collection was great, but S/S 18 is even better—and figures prove it. UO is one of few retailers that are moving in a positive fiscal direction, showing a 12% jump in net sales this quarter. The high-street mega brand has credited a portion of this success to its eight-million strong Instagram following (and a clear ability to tap into millennials), but when you look at the product offering, we're not surprised: Alongside the pieces some teens will be flocking to UO for, there's also a veritable banquet of grown-up goods on offer.

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Urban Outfitters; PICTURED: S/S 18 Lookbook

For some time, I had imagined Urban's rails to be too "young" for me. There was definitely a phase in the store's recent history where festival-ready clothes were becoming the norm, and that wasn't what I was in the market for. Today, however, alongside some of the pieces that the coolest young fashion fans will undoubtedly gravitate toward (see the plethora of Fila sweatshirts, for example), there's a sweet spot for sartorial tailoring, seasonless dresses, and the denim we've been searching for, not only from the brand's own in-house label but also from names to know such as Jamie Wei Huang and Peter Jensen.

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@lucywilliams02; PICTURED: Lucy Williams carrying a $14 net bag from Urban Outfitters.

We've also seen a fair few of our favorite influencers making their ode to Urban Outfitters. Lucy Williams has been spotted numerous time sporting the bright net bags that are also available in a cool backpack version, while many other girls are opting for either the floral dresses or the huge range of new denim cuts on offer.

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@shotfromthestreet

What's more is that UO is filling some niche fashion gaps as well. Everything linen I've been dreaming of? It's there in abundance, alongside a raft of co-ords for every occasion too. How about the mid-priced wedding guest dress you're not going to be twinning with someone else in? UO has it thanks to the retailer's unusual range of contemporary brands. And that under-the-radar edit from a label no one else has heard of yet? Yep, you guessed it. There are still lots of summer pieces to come, but you can shop my current edit of favorites below.

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