Esprit, London

I'm a bit disappointed with Esprit using very scratched mannequins at the moment.  Unfortunately too, these are right at the front of their window scheme facing the customer flow along Regent st.  If the brand is trying to entice their customers into their space, and of course they are, this is not good practice.  Come on guys swap your mannequins over, put some decent ones in your windows and have the scratched ones renovated.  Having mannequins renovated is relatively cheap compared to buying new ones.  After all, this industry is all about presentation.

Nicole Farhi, London

Nicole Farhi have consistently produced the most incredible schemes throughout 2010 and we will leave this year on an even higher note with their collaboration with the Artist and Art Director Su Blackwell.  Su Blackwell "works within the realms of fairytale and folklore.......making a series of book-sculpture, cutting out images from old books to create three-dimensional diorama's and displaying them inside wooden boxes."  [She] "leans towards young-girl characters, placing them in haunting, fragile settings, expressing the vulnerability of childhood while also conveying a sense of childhood, while also conveying a sense of childhood anxiety and wonder".

I am so pleased to see the consistent collaborations of Artists and Designers at this brand throughout the year which has really enriched the whole commercial experience and entertained us along the way.  If you haven't seen these windows in the flesh, do go and have a look along Bond st. and marvel at their installation.  Beautifully executed with a sense of depth informed through an educated process and clear understanding of the business while providing a quality scheme worthy of commendation.  Thank you to the creative team at Nicole Farhi for your contribution to the Visual Merchandising Industry throughout 2010.  

Asprey and Garrard, London

It was a pleasant and refreshing experience to see the final installation of 2010 from Asprey and Garrard recently.  I havent always liked what they do but I must say I am rather surprised and pleased to see such a sumptuous and beautifully produced nod to the season without being too obvious.  I think the fact that we can now see a little inside the space really adds to the appeal here too and gives a wonderful sense of space around their installations which perhaps have looked in retrospect a little claustrophobic over the year.  With this gorgeous purple 'leafed' background and repetition of radiating forms on which product has been placed on and around, we are ending the year on a high note with this brand for which I am really pleased.  Go and have a look at their Christmas tree too - magical stuff.

Boutique, One New Change, London

I haven't been to One New Change yet - London's newest shopping Mall near St. Paul's Cathedral.  One of our regular readers however sent this incredible image of some bust forms wearing lingerie.  OK, well, whats so odd about that I hear you ask?  Well, if you look closely, these are very hairy hessian covered bust forms wearing lingerie.  Bizarre hey?  I don't know who has produced these bust forms as I don't recognise them from any UK based quality manufacturer's collections, but with their dreadful cut out heads too I just don't know what these guys here were thinking?  Why on earth would you put gorgeous delicate lingerie on a hairy old bust form?  Of course I appreciate that the hairier female is attractive in some cultures (but we're not viewing Eastern European Olympic athletes from the 1970's if you get my drift?) so I cant imagine why this boutique have done this?  The seasonal and obligatory snow on the floor surrounding these forms can only make it look like the lingerie has badly chaffed these figures and left  piles of skin flakes making this even less desirable and with the merchandise hanging like an old rag why would you want to shop there?  I empathise with independent retailers like this to a point, although you get what you pay for and if you wont invest in quality Visual Merchandising kit, then I'll just have to swing by and tell everyone.  I am shuddering as I write.

Fortnum and Mason

If you haven't seen the Christmas scheme here at Fortnum and Mason, you are missing an extraordinary scheme.  Three dimensional paintings from the collections at the National Gallery have been exquisitely re-produced and placed within their windows.  Paintings originally produced by great masters such as Claesz, Pissaro and Hobbema have been re-produced with such incredible attention to detail that even from the images here its difficult to tell whether they are paintings or three dimensional images of the originals.  If you want to be wowed do go and check out the rest of this scheme.  Along the side windows is an incredible banqueting installation with so much product its hard to know where to look.  Amazing stuff.

Dolce and Gabbana, London

Whoever produced this at Dolce and Gabbana along Bond st., clearly knows how to handle this product incredibly well.  This  is so wonderfully sumptuous that I found myself drooling at the site of these exotic fruits, glace cherries, pomegranates, the list goes on.  This is just so beautifully produced, and I am completely seduced.

Tiffany, London

I really do like this scheme at Tiffany along Bond St.  You may remember the amazing giant pop up book that I recorded early in October this year by Karolina Kling which was an incredibly magnificent installation and which I still find so wonderfully inspiring.  Anyway, with their usual wit and humour, Tiffany have created these tiny little pop up book installations as vehicles with which to communicate their latest product and of course the essence of the season.  Beautifully produced, beautifully executed, what more could we ask for?  OK, well I do wish retailers wouldn't use the dreadful snowflake motif but this is so superbly produced, which should be commended and I'll get over it.

Oasis, London

Oasis has launched their scheme this year.  I sort of quite like this one.  I must also admit however, I do prefer the Topshop version around the corner from this store, although I did prefer both versions of this scheme when I saw it in New York several years ago at Gucci.  Isn't it so incredibly dull seeing the same stuff cropping up perpetually?  Is there nothing original left to explore?  Yes, there is, so why don't these mid-range retailers produce something new?  Possibly because retailers are just not aware that the wheel has already been invented and covering it in either snow, leaves, hearts, flowers....list goes on, just isn't fooling anyone. I am so bored with viewing the same stuff dug up, dusted down, given a little polish and presented as if new, again and again.  Still, too late now.....bah humbug an' all that.

Christmas Lights, Bond St., London

Well, Bond street lights were switched on last night.  Bows, hey?  Sigh..... Maybe we'll see something rather more original next year?  Although probably not - looks like cookie cutter world is here to stay even around the most cutting edge brands in the world.

Tommy Hilfiger, London

Tommy Hilfiger seems to me to be one of those brands that have really lost their cache, you know, like Pierre Cardin and Paco Rabanne with their merchandise appearing in every discounted retailer around town.  In recent years however, it seems to have made quite a significant revival (not that I would shop there still) although it certainly has gained in presence with its stores in high profile sites.  Unfortunately of course the corporate production of their schemes is quite evident as I have seen this one in New York too although on first view it did look really interesting.  However, as with so many one-size-fits-all schemes sent around the world they just don't work unless every site is the same size (which of course is unrealistic to expect) or a strong team to implement this stuff is in place.  I'm not over excited at the use of the images of Iconic dead celebrities (dead apart from Debbie Harry that is) printed on cheap canvas in a repetition format as we have seen these appearing perpetually in every suburban retailer around the planet, for as long as I can remember.  The use of the large format graphic here in one of the main windows also hasn't been attached correctly leaving the canvas to fall away from the frame and as it is too small, it also reveals the merchandise behind it which makes the whole thing look so scruffy and lacks any real thought to detail.  I feel a ghastly celebrity endorsement coming on soon at this brand, but I just am left wondering who? - just watch this space I guess?

Ralph Lauren, London

OK, here you go, Ralph Lauren.  I know the guys here get anxious when I mention their schemes so I'll leave it up to you, the reader, to decide what you think.  For me, its homely, its Christmas (at least somewhere), love the product, love the way its been placed, what more could we ask?  Strangely, each scenario produced here contains just females or just males......quite a loaded narrative/concept although albeit possibly inadvertently and rather by default than by design?  But hey, what better way for a glamorous female to spend her special Christmas day at her special Scottish country lodge than with her....ahem....special glamorous female friend?  Getting my drift?  Just teasing guys.......love what you have done (but do you see what I see?.......there'll be a lotta lipstick going on of course.) 

Bike Cosy, New York

Image copyright Ronald Knoth

This image really made me smile this week.  Spotted on the streets of New York by my colleague Professor Knoth of http://www.bespokenfor.net this crocheted bike cosy (or cozy depending on which side of the Atlantic you are reading this) just says it all.  Besides being 'so New York' of course it also supports the notion of the handmade that we have seen here in London as the trend that began 2010.  While my day to day lack of routine schedule is not in the slightest bit terrible, I do adore finding these things myself as they make each day just that little bit better.  Don't they? 

Louis Vuitton, London

I have to admit it, I am a huge fan of what this brand does.  OK, well I don't have the finances to purchase any of this merchandise, but that doesn't really matter to me.  Just to view the spectacle that these guys produce is enough for me to enjoy and what a spectacle this is.  Their incredible installation currently here at their Maison along Bond st. is as superb as their previous one.  An Asian rickshaw carrying gorgeous articulated figures deliberately placed as if seeking directions and communicating their narrative is just delicious beyond words.  When you are aware of the work that these guys do and what goes on beyond the scenes to get here just makes me appreciate what they do even more.  The in store guys are just so incredibly helpful  and nice too with every greeting  said as if they really do mean it.  If this isn't the way forward for the mid range and laggards brands to aspire towards then I feel we will see an awful lot of empty commercial spaces around town in the near future.