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This flagship store's refurbishment and Summer of Love-style product is set off perfectly by an early burst of hot weather, wooing central London shoppers.
A recent unseasonably hot and sunny day on Oxford Street meant that almost everybody seemed to be in a cheerful mood. It was one of those rare central London moments when the stinking heat that can affect the capital in high summer was being experienced for more or less the first time this year - and shoppers were lapping it up.
It was near-perfect weather for those retailers with sun dresses in stock and one of the more eye-catching collections seemed to be in the recently revamped Monsoon store, which proved to be something of a magnet for those wandering past its threshold.
Monsoon still has a mild sense of the 1970s hippy about it and, allowing for the prevailing winds of fashion this year, this looks bang on. Equally, whoever was responsible for the range seems to have predicted with almost uncanny accuracy what would be in demand, and when. Couple this with a refreshed store (including a new logo) that has the feel of a bazaar - in the best sense - and you have a format that looks set to find favour as the days draw out and we all begin to swelter. This may be a relatively small store, but it is a flagship nonetheless. And with its younger sister, Accessorize, also unveiling a good-looking new store on Oxford Street recently (Drapers, February 25), the company's store design department must have been working overtime.Essentials
Location 264 Oxford Street, London W1CNumber of floors TwoAmbience Romantic hippyStandout feature The productReason for visiting One of the best combinations of interior and merchandise on Oxford StreetKey looks and merchandise mi
xThe printed Indian summer dress is more...