- The Observer, Sunday November 4 2007
Barely a year after its launch, COS has bedded into the UK high street very nicely indeed, thank you. Maybe we shouldn't be surprised - anything founded on the mighty H&M empire - as COS, or, ahem, Collection of Style is - was presumably always going to deliver. But still - COS is a departure for what the more mature factions of the Observer Woman team still insist on calling 'Hennes'; a higher end, pricier, less-fashiony departure, friends.
What's so good about COS? Its subtlety, mainly. In a fashion scene dominated by instantly recognisable designer looks, or instantly recognisable celebrity designer looks, or lairy and press-generating statement pieces - COS is anonymously, whisperingly cool. It's muted and chic, a bit Jil Sander, a bit Helmut Lang. Every element of every collection could have been designed specially to slip into the run of your existing wardrobe; updating it, without overwhelming it. COS specialises in the stuff you've always wished you had -because they'd be you know, 'useful' and 'classic' and other good things - but never got around to buying because you kept being distracted by sequinned catsuits and high-top trainers. You know the kind of piece: the sharp trench coats, the super-soft brogues, the excellent LBDs, the light woollen cigarette pants ...
And, oh! It feels good to wear clothes that people can't identify at 50 paces, for once. Clothes, that people will ask you about, precisely because they don't recognise them immediately - and also because they'd rather like to get something similar themselves.
COS is also significant, because it serves blokes well. Broadly speaking, men don't get much love from the high street. Yes, they've got Gap - but apart from that, classic high street institutions seem rather more interested in luring in the impulse-shoppy, fast-fashion-enthralled ladies, than the men. But COS' aesthetic - sharp, well-executed and straightforward - straddles the gender divide elegantly. So. Allow us to introduce COS's incoming key pieces. Buy some. You won't regret it.
