In a spot that's far enough removed from Angel proper, on the cusp of Kings Cross and close enough to Shoreditch sits My Sugarland, a new boutique that is the brainchild of stylist Zoe Lem. With ten years of varied styling experience, she always had the ambition of showcasing her taste through a shop.  Lem "doesn't believe in the wank in fashion" and with that in mind she has taken a unique approach to her beloved Sugarland where she has created a wondrous variety of nooks and crannies and a mix of wares that cannot be found elsewhere. Armand Basi gets prime display along with Mumbai-based acccesories designer Little Shilpa.

On the racks, prominence is given not to the provenance of the clothes but to the overall quality of the piece. So a careful and edited selection of vintage will sit alongside established labels like PPQ. 2008 fashion graduates such as Lindsay Connerton will mingle with a well established brand like Hoss Intropia. The range is all encompassing yet reflective of Lem's own eclectic style. "It's about taking pieces and putting them into different contexts." When buying, Lem isn't going to go for the pieces that were selling like hotcakes but she would rather go out on a limb on something else. Similarly, independent London fashion designers have a significant place in My Sugarland; Qasimi, Steve J & Yoni P, Jacob Kimmie with more to come for S/S 09.

The store is also fortunate to be big enough so that the piles of vintage suitcases, the plethora of antique furniture and indulgent set displays never makes the store look overcrowded or cluttered. Lem doesn't worry about the bleak future for retail that everybody is predicting, as she feels My Sugarland speaks to a particular kind of customer who can think out of the box a little with their purchases and isn't about to run off to Primark and buy twenty tops. With so much on offer and so much to take in visually, Lem has cleverly created a store that is sure to entice regular visits even if it is just to gingerly look at the rails and wonder when you will next be able that afford a £170 20s' beautiful crepe de chine dress.  


My Sugarland, 402-404 St. John Street, London EC1V 4NJ