Friar Street in Worcester UK is centuries old and is a long medieval
street now full of cafes, restaurants, appealing clothing, jewellery and objet d'art shops.
If you walk the length of this interesting street you are sure to chance upon
one of my favourite fashion clothing shops in
Worcester UK - the fashion boutique called Lynne Craig.
Location below.
The new owner of Lynne Craig is Becky Sutcliffe a former fashion buyer.
Becky has continued by expanding into new lines whilst retaining many existing brands. Rachel, Sally, Jo and Annabel are the assistants now
working at the shop. Lynne Craig the founder of this local independent
fashion shop retired in April 2007.
The new collections Becky has added include Stills, Sarah Arnett,
Marina Avraam, La Bottega di Brunella, Sonja Marolin, Nanette Lepore and
Lauren Vidal. There are also coloured leather gloves by Dents,
coloured tights by Jonathan Aston and Crumpet cashmere. Other
designers often stocked are listed further down this page.
»
Lynne Craig Ambience
Becky's stock at Lynne Craig is likely to best suit 'the snappy, but
relaxed dresser,' with clothes 'for any occasion to
jeans.'
I
think the clothes at Lynne Craig have a continental feel and are
without doubt for the discerning, well travelled woman who is seeking
something different, fashionable and which makes her feel special.
That woman will find versatile items that always
get compliments whether the items selected are for everyday wear, a summer
barbecue, an important social function such as a wedding, a Christmas or New
Year party, or for Ascot.
The typical customer may like, for example, designs with a Mediterranean
touch.
The shop rack shown left is typical of the above average carefully
selected stock. You will find colour, but good expensive looking neutral
tones in line with the latest colours are always on offer.
Whenever I visit the shop for a quick browse I have sleepless
nights immediately after thinking how I must get back for another 'proper shopping'
visit very soon!Believe me each shop in Friar Street will tempt you
to stop. When you are there, you can also check out Emporio Armani,
with a large range of designer brands,
Mark A Linley Jeweller and Anja Potze - Jeweller, all great shops within 50
metres of each other.
A visit to Lynne Craig is always something of a surprise, because not only do
the clothes selected always have a quirky, but fashionable edge, but the
stock moves rapidly. The fashion choices always have an
unpredictability that instantly captures your attention and wows you at the
same time.
The
slip dress shown right has a fascinating shaped bulbous hemline and the
spaghetti straps make it an outfit that would work on several levels for
evening, or it could easily be dressed down for daytime with this natural
looking knit.
I think it's fair to say that the shop Lynne Craig specialises in
unusual, individual fashion pieces for relaxed dressing. Outfits can
easily be dressed up or down by adding or subtracting the other fashion
pieces or accessories on offer or by wearing your own very special pieces of
jewellery. The handbags are from Marc Cain and
Orla Kiely. Hats are by Sarah Crozier,
Quill & Capeline. But Becky is adding and updating stock ranges
constantly so a visit is always a fresh experience.
In
the shop you will find that materials ooze quality and
have a beautiful handle so this in itself makes what at first glance might
seem a relaxed piece feel
and look extra special to those who know their materials. I especially
like the trans seasonal materials used by La Bottega di Brunella as some of
their fabrics are 50/50 mixtures of wool and linen, or 90 % wool and 10%
Lycra adding warmth with comfort.
Without doubt the quality of a wool knit, silk jacket or linen item will
speak for itself. I know from personal experience that the linen items
will wash
easily and be suitable for many occasions.
The labels at Lynne Craig engender instant respect and
these clothes quite simply feel good when you wear them. Choose from
fashion collection lines by Marc Cain, Oska,
Backstage, Sarah Pacini, Krines, Sylvia Heise, Crea, Gabi Lauton, Annette Gortz, She's So, NYDJ
Tummy Tuck jeans, Ghost, Fenn Wright Manson, Lezley George, Jovani,
Privatesachen and Paddy Campbell. Specialist knits such as merino tops are by She's So and
other knitwear is by Karen Cole. Tummy Tuck or Trussardi Jeans offer a
great fit with a fine gradation of 1 inch difference between sizes.
The emphasis is on being able to choose from clothes lines that
flatter the female form and make the person feel good in a relaxed, but
cutting edge way of dressing. I particularly like the figure
flattering cut of the Marc Cain trousers with cashmere and the Krines jackets.
For autumn winter 2008/9 carefully selected trousers, skirts and tops
are all in top autumn fashion colours.
Limited numbers of each style are purchased so bumping into yourself is
much less likely than when you buy at a department store. Tell Becky
or her staff what you seek and if you need advice they will guide you to
items that will dress up, or dress down your selection, ensuring you find
that special outfit whatever your requirements.
The
added bonus of shopping in a smaller shop like this, is that when you are
half dressed an assistant who knows her stock, who is nearby not miles away,
and who is happy about serving you, will try to find a style or size that
might just be the item with which you walk out of the shop.
All the garments at Lynne Craig are contemporary, but often with an unusual kooky twist
that catches your attention. This knit top shown right is an example of
the unusual items stocked. Sizes range from size 8 to 18, but a few of the looser cut garments (which I have noticed sometimes
have a Japanese feel) are capacious and on occasion would fit a size 20.
Like Becky Sutcliff, the assistants at Lynne Craig are
experts in their field and easily able to instantly style one piece with another
and show you how versatile a few pieces can be. Teamwork ensures a balanced choice of designer collections,
all something different than the mainstay fashion ranges found in
many department stores.
One last piece of information that may interest you is that the shop
Lynne Craig is on the London Fashion Week & Evening Standard list of Where to
Buy British
Designers Outside of London.
Becky Sutcliffe is the owner now of the Lynne Craig clothes shop above.
It is still trading under the long established name of Lynne Craig and is very easy to find in Friar Street
Worcester UK. This is a Worcester city-centre location with a car park
very close by and a Vue multi screen cinema about 80 yards away. The
location is just around the corner from the Shambles back
entrance of Marks and Spencers and the lengthy Friar Street is parallel to
the Shambles area. The Lynne Craig shop is also about 300 yards from
Worcester Cathedral and the latter is close to the Royal Worcester Factory
and Glasshouse restaurant of Shaun
Hill fame.
The shop is also about 600 yards or so from Worcester Foregate Street Rail station.
Friar Street is the same street that hosts the annual
Worcester Christmas Fayre.
If you are visiting Worcester Cathedral, home to the tomb of King John of
Magna Carta fame, you may soon afterward find yourself very easily wandering
toward Friar Street so take this opportunity to browse the lovely stock and
make your day out even more special.
See Marks and Spencer New Spring Collections online
About Fashion-Era.com
Fashion-Era.com looks at women's costume and fashion history and analyses the mood of an era. Changes in technology, leisure, work, cultural and moral values. Homelife and politics also
contribute to lifestyle trends, which in turn influence the clothes we wear. These are the changes that make any era of society special in relation to the study of the costume of a period.
Fashion-Era.com can take no responsibility for any information on the site which may cause you error, loss or costs incurred from use of the information and links either directly or
indirectly. This site is owned, designed, written and developed by Pauline Weston Thomas and Guy Thomas. This site is designed to be viewed in 1024 X 768 or higher.
Before you write to me for costume/fashion help or information please, please consult the extensive sitemap which lists all our pages. If you still cannot find the answer after searching the site, then before you email me, please consider if you are prepared to make a donation to the website.
Donations Reader's donations help this site flourish, in particular donations encourage me to write more articles on fashion history as well as current trends. PayPal
allows anyone with a credit card to donate easily and securely. You may donate any sum you feel appropriate.
If you have any comments, or if you see any broken links, then please email with
details of the page url or problem
The typical customer may like, for example, designs with a Mediterranean
touch.
