There’s an art to the way Yumi Shin, Bergdorf Goodman’s chief merchandising officer, dresses. She plays with form like a painter at the easel—each layer deliberate, each accent exacting, and always with a personal flourish. Her signature strokes? A swoop of fabric curled over her shoulder, wind-swept hair tucked into a collar, a jaunty brooch pinned to a jacket lapel, a bold cuff worn over a sleeve.
Yumi, who has close to three decades of experience to her name—prior to joining Bergdorf Goodman seven years ago, she worked at Barney’s, Prada, and Saks Fifth Avenue—credits this alchemical approach to a handful of formative experiences. Her imagination was initially stirred during college as an art history student. Then came her first Comme Des Garçons show, which awakened “a new way of thinking and seeing fashion, as a form of creative expression rather than just clothing.” During her Barney’s days, early access and exposure to designers in their prime (Dries Van Noten, Prada, CDG, to name a few) gave her the freedom to experiment with shape and proportion. “Barney’s was my most creative time,” Yumi says of her six years there, then, “when I joined Prada, I learned how to build a wardrobe and incorporate investment pieces.” A soft spot for outerwear bloomed, and she became hooked on collecting coats and jackets (a passion that’s yet to be sated). When she moved on to Saks, where the dress code skewed more corporate, she found self-assurance in pieces from Sacai, mixed downtown edge with uptown polish. Towards the end of her tenure, she discovered Phoebe Philo, whose collections helped solidify her sense of style. Her clothes are “the definition of timeless,” she says of the quiet confidence Philo’s designs instill in her.
New York City might be home base for Yumi, but the always-on-the-go nature of her job means that when she’s not in a boardroom meeting, she’s at market appointments, nurturing relationships with new designers, or attending events, mingling with old and new friends. During Fashion Month, long days previewing collections stretch into weeks of international travel. To ensure her wardrobe works as hard as she does, Yumi says she prioritizes “comfort just as much as style”—and her go-to pieces thread the delicate balance of being creative and office-appropriate. She relies on staples from Phoebe Philo, The Row, and Prada to dress for a schedule that is objectively more 9-to-9 than it is 9-to-5, injecting a burst of joy into her looks with playful, personality-driven accessories. Yumi shows us how she does it, below.
Wear and Repeat
Photo: Courtesy of Tommy Ton
Photo: Courtesy of Tommy Ton
A proud outfit repeater, Yumi tells me she’s worn this pale yellow skirt from The Row all summer. The lace trim adds a feminine touch, and when she’s not dressing it up with heels (pictured are her current favorites, a suede, caramel-hued pair from Phoebe Philo), she says she likes to style it with an oversized T-shirt and flats. To contrast the femininity, here, she opted for a lightweight chore coat that adds rugged cool. “The barn jacket is thin enough that you can wear it as a blazer in the office.” For a cheeky wink, encouraged by her friend and photographer of this shoot, Tommy Ton, she strung a bounty of Loewe berries to her new Phoebe belt.
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
Photo: Courtesy of Tommy Ton
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