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It may have started as a quiet chat prompted by a mutual appreciation of Croydon – the South London neighbourhood where Kate Moss and Sir Philip Green, the Topshop owner, grew up – but last night their much-hyped collaboration created a clamour rarely heard in the fashion world.

People had begun gathering outside Topshop’s Oxford Street branch – which opened specially at 8pm for the launch event – before lunchtime, and by early evening a crowd of 1,000 had gathered to witness the arrival of Moss and her venture into clothes design.

Arriving for a champagne party for Moss and friends, Sir Philip said that his wife was on the lookout for a trouser suit from the Kate range. “I’m relieved at how it’s all going,” he said of the event. “But I wouldn’t want to have to orches-trate something like this again.”

Soon Moss herself appeared for a few seconds from behind a malfunctioning curtain in a £195 dress from her collection. While onlookers cheered, a nervous-looking Moss was heard to whisper: “He’s f***ing-well getting his money’s worth.”

After her appearance in the window, she said: “I really enjoyed doing the collection but I don’t like the publicity bit.” Earlier, as fans of the model waited in the street, Yazmin Kidd, 16, said that she had taken a day off school to ensure she was first in the queue. “I haven’t queued for any of the other celebrity collaborations,” she said. “I’m not put off by Kate Moss’s life-style; I just think she’s cool.”

Esther Simpson, 18, and her sister Susi, 22, had fallen for the lure of celebrity: “We are here for the hell of it and the vibe – hopefully we’ll see Kate. We want the floral dress, it’s iconic.”

Perhaps “fame by association-shopping” is the new engine that will keep the retail economy humming in the months to come. At any rate, Topshop’s press office was prepared for riots, issuing potential customers with coloured wristbands, goodie bags including bottles of water and, to preempt the scramble for eBay, limiting shoppers to five purchases and 20 minutes of browsing. Ensuring that full deliveries of the collection reached all other branches of Topshop in time for the doors to open at 7am amounted to a military operation.

Once the doors opened in Oxford Street at 8pm, the scene was remarkably civilised. The crowd surged forward but that was the only moment of chaos.

Laura Amure, 17, from Cambridge, who was one of the first ten people through the door, said: “The wristband system worked, the staff were helpful. There was no fighting over clothes and I bought the items I wanted.”

That was more than Sir Philip’s wife, Tina, and her daughter managed: they tried to buy seven items but were told by the person on the till that they were limited to five.

Such is the power of the Moss brand that there is world-wide demand for fruits of the Moss/Topshop marriage. Italian Vogue has photographed it (it is unknown for a high street range to make it into this most recherché of fashion publications); US Vogue devoted a feature to it; it is to be stocked in Barney’s, one of Manhat-tan’s most expensive and fashionable department stores.

The excitement has featured inventive speculation about the size of Moss’s advance (according to one insider, talk of £3 million is greatly exaggerated), complete with mandatory backlash. New York magazine dismissed the collection as “bland”. The New York Post summed up its lack of enthusiasm for the range’s resemblance to Moss’s own wardrobe in the headline “Duplikate”.

The risk for Moss is that she wants to be Garbo, by keeping aloof, a stance not entirely compatible with producing a high street range of clothes. (Later this year there is to be a perfume, with Coty). And Sir Philip could find that Moss’s repertoire (in essence she has raided her wardrobe of vintage clothes and “reinterpreted them”) may not prove to be a long-term creative resource.

Nevertheless, in the current collection of 50 items, there are many winners, including a feminine blue pleated chiffon dress.

What’s hot

Blue, pleated chiffon dress Well made and elegant

One-shouldered white dress Tailoring with a twist

Leather jacket Buttery soft leather, not too obviously ‘Kate Moss inc’

Chain mail dress Sexy without being tarty

Flower pattern dress Flirty and wearable, even if it is a near identical rip-off of one of Moss’s dresses

What’s not

Black stilettos Dated pointed toe. Think 1980s boardroom ballbreaker

Halterneck mini dress Wet-look looks cheap, as does the buttock-skimming length

Micro hotpants Apart from Moss, who can make these work?

Embroidered waistcoat Yes Kate, we know you enjoy wearing Woodstock-style waistcoats to Glastonbury

Vintage rock-style T-shirts Yes Kate, we know you are dating a musician

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