You might remember from a previous post that I had spotted a fabulous party dress for New Year's Eve at a shop called Nancy Pop, but not acted on my impulse - the shop was closed and, mostly, the quiet toasting of the New Year at home did not quite justify the red silk jersey and sequins! I have always been intrigued by Nancy Pop, a shop one can miss easily despite its huge shop-window on Kensington Park road.
I have "popped" in (sorry, but it is hard to resist a bad pun) several times and been intrigued by the range of clothes, from casual skinny jeans in bright colours (definitely too skinny for me) to Eley Kishimoto tops or wildly printed dresses. I could not quite figure out the style and focus of boutique. After talking with Sofia Johnsson, designer and stylist who runs the shop with manager, buyer and fellow Swede Helen Roysdotter, I am a bit clearer and definitely still intrigued.
Opened in 2006, the boutique mostly stores "occasion wear". Run by a small team "that does everything" and is refreshingly friendly, the boutique aims to provide original, individual clothes with both good fit and quality. What I saw as rather unfocused, they describe as "directional" and I can see a fun and playful element in the selection. The name of the boutique comes from Nancy Sinatra ("sophisticated elegance") with "Pop" bringing in fun and eclecticism. The wild and beautiful prints I had noticed are from Sarah Arnett.
From what I understand, Sarah Arnett, based in Brighton, is now focusing her business on bridal wear. Her company sadly went bankrupt but you still have a chance of picking up one of her scarfs pictured above (£45) or a dress from her last collections, reduced to half-price at Nancy Pop. The dresse below is now £140.
Sofia, ever the stylist, suggested that I try on a chiffon Sarah Arnett dress that I had not spotted - floaty and beautiful - I loved it.
The new designers currently displayed in Nancy Pop's window strike me as rather young in focus. Sofia, who looks about 18 but tells me she is 40, assured me that some of the dresses work well on a 40+ woman. Olesia Makhonko's silk dresses below are not for me (£360 for the blue dress and £280 for the pink) but could work as party dresses, with or without a cardigan depending on how toned your arms are! Olesia Makhonko apparently has a loyal following (of older women in particular) and had to extend her production of the Dita Dress, shown below, due to high demand.
Another designer that they stock is Cami Cuckoo with a summery tie-dye cotton wrap dress (£154) that I could imagine wearing. Again, the cardigan might come in handy.
Eley Kishimoto will continue to be stocked by Nancy Pop whist Zandra Rhodes will make her debut there as well as well as a new designer called Valone Valone that I am curious to discover.
Nancy Pop is located at 19 Kensington Park road, London W11 2EU. Their website:
http://www.nancypop.com/
To learn more about Sarah Arnett:
http://www.saraharnett.co.uk/
