"You Must Create" (YMC) sounds like a good life goal, but in this instance, it is the name of a shop located in London's Soho.
The name of the shop refers to design hero Raymond Loewy's injuction: "You must create your own design". I could not agree more! It is especially true for women over 40 who have seen a lot of trends come and go, then come back again in a new guise. We tend to know what works and what doesn't work with our body shape, colouring and lifestyle. We are in a good position to pick and choose from what we see in magazines and shops and what we have in to our wardrobe to create our own style.
YMC (Fraser Moss and Jimmy Collins) design for both men and women in a functional and timeless style. The clothes are classics with a twist. The emphasis is on good quality fabric and interesting details rather than "in your face" pieces. They convey an understated cool that says jazz rather than X Factor, I.D.Magazine rather than Grazia. The shop itself is decorated with bizarre artifacts, from Victorian pictures of conjoined twins to blowfish lights. What could be creepy becomes intriguing in the shop's soft light and gentle atmosphere.
The collections are targeted at a younger segment of the population but I think that some of the pieces can work well on women 40+. If I am completely honest, I probably like the shop more than the actual clothes. However, here is a selection of what I liked (the pictures below, downloaded from their website, are not terribly inspiring - the clothes look better in real life):
The "Ski sweater with hood" is available in black and green and currently marked down from £95 to £58 in the shop.
The "Merino cardigan" at £125 looks good too.
The "Studded Pea Coat", is a good buy at £79 in the shop (from the original £265): well cut in soft felt wool.
The shoes, plimsoles and sand boots are pretty expensive for what they are (£70) but cute too.
Whilst the clothes are simple and informal, the accessories are quirky with necklaces costing £95.
The shop in Poland street is perfect for a visit with a boyfriend/husband/male friend/son as the men's collection is good and provides an inviting and peaceful mini-museum of curiosities minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street.
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