Young but not so Peppy

Readers opening up the United Daily News this morning found a long and colorful public notice - say an ad with only words and no pictures - on behalf of the clothing chain A&D. Apparently there have been rumors of financial troubles at the owner of the chain, Aerodrome Co., and the company wanted to reassure creditors and personnel at its dozens of stores that there was no problem in its future.
A&D is one of what the British would call high street chains, names you've seen somewhere before, even if you don't exactly remember where. The trouble is that more and more of these chains appear, but that you find it hard to discern them and their products.
The craze right now is for glittering shoes and handbags covered in metallics, necklaces with lots of heavy wooden-looking round pieces, and short tops - worn with compulsory T-shirts underneath or you would get yourself arrested for indecent exposure - preferably in loud and different colors. Bright red, grass green and lemon yellow come to mind.
The problem is that those clothes are now available at about a dozen chain stores and lots of imitators. Names like A&D, Moma, Iroo Moderato, Viper, YAP (Young And Peppy), Bread and Butter, sell the same type of clothing on every main street. Even a larger chain like Net - which at least discerns itself by selling clothes for men and children as well - is coming up with the same ... dare I use the word 'uniform?'
Maybe it's time for a more individualistic fashion esthetic to take hold. Taiwanese women are beautiful, and they will be beautiful whatever type of clothing they wear, but I wish there were a more creative, independent streak taking hold, away from the above dress uniform with the obligatory Louis Vuitton or Gucci logo bag and the umbrella for sun and rain.