At 8:30PM on Tuesday the 16th of October 2012 the Oracle opened their doors to hoards of excited students. Wallets bulging with ready-to-spend-cash, feet freezing from the hour long wait in the cold, the floods of teenagers fought the urge to sprint to their favourite stores but instead maintained a “we are British, the British do not sprint, the British walk, very briskly” attitude.
The atmosphere was instantly overwhelming. Between the low lighting, blaring music and free drinks (courtesy of Lola Lo’s) it was as if the shopping centre had converted into a club for the night, but so much better. The evening only got better thanks to the deliciously free food that was thrust at us; thank you Tampopo, you’re next on the Riverside list to eat at!
Diving into Topshop first was the best idea of the night. The sale section was rampant with bargain hunters, tearing through the racks, picking up item after item; I’m sure I saw a fight break out over a cream chiffon top. It was like feeding time but these shopping animals were not tame.
Half an hour into the Takeover, Topshop and Topman were one in one out, crazy by any standards, as both till points were queued round the store. New Look received the same treatment not much later on into the evening.
Speaking of queues, hitting the kids section to purchase a super slick blazer from H&M cut a good portion of queuing time, making sure we didn’t miss out on Violet Class killing it in Republic. The live indie music was a sweet contrast to the club feel of the other stores, Republic nailed its unique selling point for the night and drew a more alternative crowd.
The nifty little purple discount cards given to shoppers added to the ‘exclusive’ feel of the night, while acting as a cute (not to mention free) memento, replacing the space in our purses where our money used to be.
Overall, a successful night at introducing the freshers to the Oracle, getting plenty of new clothes unbelievably cheap and for Reading’s economy. David Cameron will be so pleased.
First published by Spark* Newspaper: http://sparknewspaper.co.uk/fashion-beauty/a-night-out-at-the-oracle-reading/
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