Chanel, London

I do find that I struggle with this brand's presentation. I wouldn't of course wish to be uncharitable but I just feel that their schemes just don't work at all. I know that this scheme is placed around the world and they clearly do very well, although that is probably the brand name and its association rather than the presentation of the product. There always seems to be something missing and I cant quite put my finger on what it is. Out sized props can look incredible and I certainly am a fan. They are also fun. However, perhaps this scheme would have worked better without the use of the Mannequins? I feel this is perhaps the problem here. If you look at the images here and imagine them without the figures it does work much better, put in a few strategically placed products and it almost becomes an abstract installation. The mannequins are just not dynamic enough and always look like they have had an argument and fallen out with each other. As this is such a significant brand, surely someone would have picked this up? Anyway, as always it remains to be seen if someone does, eventually. Perhaps in the mean time we can send out visual thoughts to the brand to buy a new collection of mannequins, get some suggested movement going on in here and bring it screaming into 2010?

Liberty, London

While swinging past Liberty here in London tonight, I came across what are singularly the most incredibly fun windows I have seen in years. I don't say that lightly and tucked away in these tiny windows is just a glimpse of what this team can do, if they had more opportunity. (the large windows along their site on Regent had not been taken away a few years ago in favour of a more open front). I have always felt that it truly was a crime to take away this teams' main windows. Anyway, these are a huge statement based on London Fashion week, which of course is looming later this month and I just could not look at these windows without an enormous smile on my face. This truly is a wonderful two fingers up to the establishment (or whichever fingers you use depending on where you are in the world - but you know what I mean) It is bold, its fun, fun and more fun. This is what this industry is about and these windows will live on in the history of this industry - we will be talking about it for years. Thank you Maxine and your team for being daring, bringing the fun back and making London rocking again..!

Dolce and Gabbana, London

This is an wonderful juxtaposition presented at D&G this week along Bond st. here in London. I would have expected this kind of scheme to be implemented possibly May time as it suggested the holiday season to me. However, this is not to say it is inappropriate, on the contrary, this was a welcome visual and scenario, as while it has been so cold here and Winter seems to be lasting longer and longer each year there is nothing more that we could possibly wish for. What we have here is beautiful merchandise perfectly placed on a sand background with plasma screens. OK, well this is hardly revolutionary stuff but this does, I feel work very well, particularly within the context of this uber contemporary environment. I adore glass walls, particularly in commercial interiors and this is a very large space for such little merchandise. This kind of layout is particularly confident just providing us with snippets of the new collection and drawing us in to view the rest.

Gucci, London

Gucci this week have presented their scheme using a fractured vinyl applied to the fenestration with painted Black background and Gold and Silver sprayed 'bamboo' in a repetition format for their backdrop. Their use of the vinyl really does focus our attention on the product, by blocking out any unnecessary distractions and making our eyes zoom into the centre of the presentation which is all very cleverly done. I always enjoy these schemes where we are just able to see between the fractures, but not quite. It is almost like a strip tease and as we are curious animals we are drawn in to try see what has not been quite revealed. Of course 'things' which are revealed gradually are far more exciting than if we are merely presented with the visual and therefore this works incredibly well. The use of the Gold sprayed headless mannequins and accessories placed on silver mirrored plinths completes the whole visual presentation and the job is done.

Versace, London

While I flaneured along Sloane St. here in London this evening I came across the latest scheme from Versace. This is a very simple installation which therefore really limits what one can really say about it. The abstract figures have been sprayed in a Black high gloss finish and placed in front of what looks like plastic strips that wouldn't be out of place in a supermarket chiller cabinet - although in sherbet tones. The strips as a background do however, work very well and the merchandise itself is in wonderful sorbet tones although overall perhaps this scheme needs a little 'something' more? To me, at least, this scheme seems to lack the kind of 'meatiness' that it deserves. Perhaps, this is because the accessories are a little too spaced apart from the mannequins? This is quite a small space and the grill at the back of the window doesn't really help the concept. When I group mannequins I do try and think about them as if they were real people and consider how they would interact with each other. These don't interact at all. Such simple schemes are very hard to do as you can't hide any errors or distract the eyes of on lookers, so a little tweaking and pulling this together would have perhaps made this look simple scheme look far more powerful as a visual statement?

Tiffany, London

During a frenzied exchange of images between myself and my colleague across the pond, Ronald Knoth from the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising (LIM) in NYC this week, I found that Ronald had kindly shared with me the image below from his collection of Tiffany store windows. I regularly view the windows of this Brand wherever I travel as the quality of the installation is Visual Merchandising at its very best. However, what this does highlight is, that as the world gets smaller and smaller and as we all know we can share information faster and faster that perhaps this notion of global branding is so very dated. It was understandable (although for me at least, quite unforgivable) from around the 1980-90's as a way of rationalising visual presentation across large corporations globally, i.e it was cheap. This made me wonder. Is this still really necessary a few decades on? I feel it is going to be an uphill struggle to lever big brands out of this mode of working, even if the pleasure of shopping, exploring, or being excited about what one store may look like in another country (and part of the reason for travelling at least for me, as this is a cultural element too) has been systematically destroyed. What I am finding, although it is still relatively a seed of a notion in the greater scheme of things, that there are some forward thinking global brands such as Diesal, Anthropologie et al taking the bull by the horns and leading the way in utilising localised visual expertise to implement the 'vision'. This, inevitably will bring us back to enabling us as the customer to enjoy a much more exciting visual experience on the high street (and dare I say shopping mall). Maybe there is hope after all. But, don't hold your breath, this all happens so incredibly and very, very painfully slowly. So, come on retailers.......we know how pioneers are celebrated and your bravery will give you the kudos that no amount of marketing can ever buy. (even better, ditch the marketeers and put the visual team back in the saddle)

Tiffany, New York (Courtesy and Copyright Ronald Knoth)



Tiffany London

Proportion London Fluid Collection Launch 2010

I have been absolutely itching to view the fabulous new collection from Proportion London and I have managed to get a sneak preview to share with you well in advance of its launch in early March - how cool is that hey? The collection, introduced as Fluid is brought to life by the amazing sculptor Rob Paterson and presented in the most delicious sorbet and sherbet tones. I have been drooling over the tiny snippets that they have been teasing me with for the past few weeks on Proportion London's facebook site, which I highly recommend you join if you have a facebook account, (not only because they go to the coolest places, but also because they have an amazing following too, with everyone who is anyone in this industry linked into their site). Anyway, as my regular readers will know, I do have have a particular interest in Mannequins and figures per se, and this really is a must have collection for any commercial environment out there whether you are an independent, multiple, department store or global retailer. These really are incredibly beautiful pieces that will work perfectly when showcasing the latest Fashion. In addition to this, you will never worry again about maintenance, seasons changing, new wigs and make-up, as they will take care of that for you too all under the scrutiny of the incredibly cutting edge Creative Director Tanya Reynolds and her team - and they are the nicest people too. So, either make yourself an appointment to see the new collection (from early March) at their Clerkenwell studios here in London or visit them on-line at http://www.proportionlondon.com/. What more could we possibly want?
Images Courtesy of Proportion>London

Moschino, London

Viewing the Moschino store windows from across the street this week I was intrigued and drawn across to find out how this had been produced. From a distance the figure used here and the props looked solid, but under closer inspection they are actually made from stiffened lace. OK, well, I'm not a very 'lacy' person, but I thought the technique is quite incredible and it did its job incredibly well, not just in drawing me in closer to take a look but entertaining me too. I have a real passion for Mannequins and the varieties that are available, although we do tend to see a lot of the same thing being reproduced in the same material over and over again. As you may know Mannequins or figures historically have been produced in Wax, Plaster, Wood and for the past 60 years in fibreglass. Therefore, seeing something which we see so often being produced in a different material is the real pleasure, I just wish more companies would experiment more with a variety of techniques in producing these figures more often.

Mulberry, London

I am not really sure what I feel about this brands schemes. While they are undoubtedly impressive, they just don't seem to quite grab me. I like the use here of the fairground horses that can also be seen throughout the store, although, maybe they are just a little too new and shiny. A few knocks and scratches would, perhaps have suggested that they had actually been taken from an original dismantled merry-go-round rather than from a factory mold and sprayed in China. I feel that this would have suggested that they had had some kind of history or secret life, much like a Chesterfield sofa that I saw for sale recently that had been used in a Casino. The sense of history and romanticism surrounding the piece would have made it worth buying, if only for that. No doubt to send this concept around the world was not cheap and although what has been omitted is as equally important to what has been included, perhaps, in this case more 'stuff' should have been included to make this concept work. Anyway, I love the figures that they use with the articulated arms and legs and of course the merchandise is superb, but this scheme, for me at least is not the best I have seen from this brand.

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.

Kurt Geiger, London

Shoes can be a very tricky product to handle well and I suppose that's why so many shoe stores follow the same format of, well, shoes in a window. It was such a pleasure, therefore to see this new concept from Kurt Geiger along Regent street, here in London this week, while I flaneured the streets. OK, well they have used the usual stacked crates in a pyramidal format (another one of the 10 Commandments broken for 2010) but I feel what redeems this scheme is the use of this beautiful figure. I am not sure who has produced this Mannequin, but of course the high gloss white we have seen in the most de rigeur stores for about 8 months now, but she is fairly abstract and it is quite unusually brave for a retailer to put what is essentially a nude figure in their windows. OK well, you and I know its just a piece of fibreglass but usually the fight with the marketeers of these kind of companies sadly have such a say in what happens visually and I am pleased that this silent seller is doing what it is doing - selling shoes. Men's shoes of course are another animal altogether and thankfully Geiger has given us these beautiful range of jewel tones, so throw out the Black and Brown shoes guys and get yourself a new pair of Geiger's.

The London College of Fashion

This week I took the students of the Fashion Retail branding and Visual Merchandising course at the London College of Fashion to view some of the delights of the Science Museum here in London. Now, one may not think of the Science Museum as the first place to visit while developing a concept for Visual Merchandising but the focus of this exercise was to view and record some of the mathematical models contained within the cabinets, to study shape, curvilinear, centripetal and centrifugal forms and how these can inform the development of a Visual Merchandising concept as seen below in Tiffany, London. The group sketched these pieces which in turn the group will translate into perspex models at the next stage which will then also be sketched. These will be published soon.

Harvey Nichols, London

Still one of my favourite department stores in London is the incredible Harvey Nichols. The new store windows launch the opening of the Christian Biecher designed fourth floor 'Luxury Supermarket' and the Balenciaga perfume. The abstract figures have been sprayed in beautiful tones and have been placed in front of these abstract 'fragments'. The Balenciaga promotion (not shown here) exclusive to Harvey Nichols fills one side of the building and hundreds and hundreds of bottles of the stuff. Each window either contains one of the letters of the brand name or huge cut out silhouettes of the bottle itself in which are contained the product in a repetition format.