Juicy Couture, London

This is a much cleaner scheme at Juicy right now, well certainly compared to their usual installations.  OK, well it is just a panel with letter form and a vinyl on the fenestration so hardly revolutionary but certainly much better than the stuff we've seen before.  We just wish they would dust once in a while.  Dust bunnies galore in this store along Regent street.

Juicy Couture, London

Well clearly stripey backdrops are currently de rigueur right now as we've seen them all around town from LV, Fenwicks, and MCM to name a few.  This is a bit of a drab old scheme though, don't you think?  And what is it with that Flamingo?  (btw could someone actually dust the floor in here???)

Juicy Couture, London

There appears to be a nautical theme happening around town......again.  Clearly these are product led schemes; the one at Hilfiger isn't much more exciting.  Anyway, the fashion industry appears to have run out of new ideas as this theme seems to crop every single year and hey presto, dust of the life savers and the scheme is done.  Sigh.  Its all looking so tired right now out there.

Juicy Couture, London

Whats going on with Juicy these days?  They launched in London quite some time ago and looked so incredibly exciting, but now look like a suburban retailer that has no cash to spend and have moved into an old DIY retail space in a very dodgy part of town.  Of course this can be cool if you happen to stock luxury brands, but this market stall approach just undermines what they do well.  It seems obvious that no-one is looking after this brand in London; indicative by the lack of retail standards also.  How long does it really take to put the vacuum cleaner around such a tiny space?

Juicy Couture, London

We're not entirely sure what we think about the latest scheme at 'Juicy'.  For us at least there is no statement here and everything looks so confused.  No footwear is never a good sign or a quality retailer (for us at least).  We really, really want to love what these guys do but find ourselves just saying 'OK', maybe the NYC store is doing something exciting?

Juicy Couture, London

We were quite struck by this current scheme at Juicy Couture. We can see the possible references to New Years' keep fit resolutions but this looks more 'Wembley market' than representative of a brand in a 'lux' area of town.  However, beyond the chav-hoodie look that this brand seems to be promoting (its really not good is it), what is wonderful about it - and thank goodness that every cloud has a Silver lining - are the references to 'Memphis' from the 1980's.  If you were around at the time too then you'll know what we mean (otherwise maybe Google it or check in your local library.....if you still have one) and this is where, at least for us the brands' scheme redeems itself visually and we adore this element of what has been produced.  However, if you want to see this fashion 'look' then pop down to just about every deprived area anywhere. This is clearly a wealthy brand gone cheap-as-chips-at-a-price, but do we really need to see this in Lux-town too?  Just tellin' it like it is yeah-but-no-but-innit-tho'.

Juicy Couture, London

Is it us or have 'Juicy' run out of juice?  These guys seemed to really take London by storm a short while ago and goodness knows their NYC store looks incredible.  However, the brand here seems to have become a bit of a long forgotten memory, don't you think?  Whats going on guys?  You've done some great stuff in the past but it seems you've faded into the background.  With such a tiny store in 'Couture-land' being in between 'Stella' and 'DVF' and just a stones throw from Margiela maybe this is the wrong place for you?  Have a look at the queues outside Topshop and this will give you an indication of where you need to be? 

Juicy Couture, London

This is quite an odd scheme for this brand, don't you think?  From the rather-more-sophisticated schematic version of Topshop to one which one would liken to one of the luxury brands close by, we felt it was quite odd to carry references to Hartnell at this store.  Of course, there are the obvious references to the Royal Wedding, but from stacked suitcases to hammocks to Norman Hartnell is quite a leap.  Oh well, stranger things have happened..........or so we thought.  It seems that these guys are rather more clever than we had given them credit for.  Wasn't this the site (or at least close to) of the original boy-from-Streatham, Sir Norman Hartnell's original store?  We're not absolutely sure, although it was on Bruton street where his store was based.  Genius, and a wonderful reference to the designer who carried the Royal warrant for Queen Elizabeth (Queen Mother) and Queen Elizabeth II, 1957 and designer of Royal wedding stuff for decades.  Oh you clever Juicy lot...!  What a wonderfully clever Royal reference and one that took us a while to work out.  Brilliant and certainly the most thoughtful scheme we've seen so far.

Juicy Couture, London

Juicy Couture is probably one of the more exciting 'multiples' here in London right now. I am struggling to find new schemes here in the city at the moment to share with you as Sale seems to be dragging on for weeks and weeks. Although this is not Juicy's best scheme, what they do seem to do well is to keep up with current trends even in their simplest schemes. Stacked suitcases in store windows are rife right now with just about every retailer following the trend. The Antiques markets around town must be making a small profit. Anyway, with their signature White glossy mannequins and their stack of suitcases Juicy present us with a quality presentation. Its not the most exciting, but its there. Lets look forward to the next installation.

Juicy Couture, London

I do really like this brand, if only for the sense of fun in their schemes. Fake grass forms the main concept here with out sized cut out spectacles and and a mannequin positioned if pouring water over her rival. For a company so incredibly large, it is refreshing to see that creative schemes can work and are supported in working creatively across multiple stores. This is actually a very simple scheme so proof too that you don't need lavish budgets to present something with impact - although of course that very much helps too.

Juicy Couture, London

A brightly printed tee pee forms the focal point of the Juicy Store window along Bruton St. here in London. I must say that I do prefer the New York windows of this brand at the moment, although of course they have so much more space than this comparatively micro store. Anyway, the layout is (almost) symmetrical. The fact that is isn't quite is far more interesting of course. Flowers are placed along the floor and an equally vibrant vinyl has been applied to the fenestration. The figures remain in the same high gloss White that we have seen for several months now with Butterfly transfers applied to their faces. As you may know motifs do ruffle me the wrong way, although somehow these do work quite well.

Juicy Couture, London

I guess it must be Valentines day soon. Around the city this week, heart motifs and a plethora of red schemes can be seen. As my students will tell you, the use of motifs is banned from my studio. When students do slip in the odd motif into a scheme they know I will pick it up and usually a friendly banter ensues, with giggles as they know how much I abhor them and there are usually gasps from the rest of the group when they realise someone has broken one of the 10 Commandments of Visual Merchandising 2010 - and its only February. Anyway, what was a pleasure to see this week is the new scheme from Juicy Couture in Mayfair who have used this out sized arrow and a figure shot right in the chest. OK, well I, if any thing it is proof that mannequins are just not meant to be in these kind of poses and I do cringe just a little when creative teams do effectively try and fit a square peg into a round hole. While, of course my toes are curling that the heart motif has been used, it is fun and I have really warmed to this 'multiple' who carry these schemes throughout the world - no easy task.

Juicy Couture, New York

I found the Juicy Christmas scheme in London rather confusing when I saw it a few weeks ago. I think I must have caught it in mid-installation as it simply didn't seem to make any sense to me. Anyway, even better than the London store is the Juicy Couture site on 5th Avenue here in New York. This enormous site really is a spectacle worth viewing. The Christmas 'Circus' scheme really works particularly well in such large windows here. Figures being shot from a cannon, acrobats and even a figure strapped to one of the boards as if a 'target girl' in the art of impalement. Anyway, do have a look at this scheme which I feel works incredibly well now that I have seen it in its entirety.

Juicy Couture, London

I don't quite understand this concept from Juicy here in London. The previous two schemes have been incredibly well produced and clearly communicating the concept (or at least allowed one to interpret it) This scheme has left me with a big question mark. A figure with a tiger mask, bags of popcorn and 'circus' type suspended lighting. Are we looking at a Circus scene perhaps? If this is the case I would have thought that the Juicy team would have made much more of a statement with this rather than a few lights and and a few masks. Anyway, after producing such great schemes previously maybe they should be forgiven for ones which don't quite communicate the intention - after all we all have bad days. I am however just a little confused why this has been installed and this time of year, ya know, being Christmas an' all that?

Juicy Couture, London

The use of triangles in presentation is one of the most important structures that adds dynamism and strength to the visual aspects of a window or in store display. The triangle suggests strength and dependability more than any other geometrical form apart from the pyramid and arch form. Of course, it is difficult to 'fit' my drawn triangles into a scheme that may not have originally been designed from this view, however we are able to see at least the idea. The scheme, (I am guessing - but there are strong clues here) is based on Alfred Hitchcock's, 1963 suspense The Birds. A large white wired cage exploding with feathers forms a focal point in this scheme. I think this is all that is needed as the rest of what we might expect as a 'visual' is filled in by our creative minds. What is quite unusual here however is the mixture of both Mannequins and bust forms in one scheme. One bust form is used to carry the merchandise, the other is used as a prop which is covered in Black feathers. This is quite an unusual combination but I think it works incredibly well, providing both entertainment and yet being able to sell to the target audience.