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"Special relationship or no special relationship, there are some things we will always need the Americans for. I'm talking about really well-cut chinos that are flattering enough to wear with plimsolls or heels. Linen blazers with sufficient structure to make the grade at work but just enough scrunch to take them into weekend wear. Kids' clothes that have exactly the right mix of nostalgia and sass. These are the days when the pick'n'mix charm of the British fast-fashion high-street stores, brilliant though they are, doesn't cut it, and we are drawn toward Gap and Banana Republic for their easy-on-the-eye, easy-to-wear vanilla appeal." [Guardian]