Splash, Dubai



Images Courtesy and Copyright Steve Scorer & Jensen Galiza

It must be really tough to produce a scheme in a country where Christmas is not only not celebrated but actually is just another, well Wednesday or Thursday and so on.  I'm not a huge fan of Christmas schemes per se myself anyway but with my Western sensibility and, well, Western conditioning, it just forms part of my annual events calender which I suppose I use to guide me through the year and of course it is the most lucrative event on the retailers calender. Anyway, enjoy this spectacle and this nod to the festive season from this value brand who really work hard to keep their own personality and do it very well too.  (They are also incredibly nice as well)         



Images Courtesy and Copyright Steven Scorer and Jensen Galiza



New Look, London

Would you buy a 20% off shirt just because you have seen it on TV?   No, neither would I.  And which TV?  Which channel?  Why isnt this mentioned?    Big brother informs me (very reliably) that this brand checks out this site. which of course is absolutely fine, so New Look if you are trying to sell  from a prime retail space on Oxford St, does anyone really want to feel that they are buying from a market stall particularly when your store as it was originally looked so good and aspirational?  I really want this brand to look good and while of course it is a value retailer (i.e. cheap stuff to you and I, but with great fashion) there is no excuse for such, dare I say it, for want of a better word, "failing" presentation and sales staff indifference.  Spend the money on presentation and staff development guys and encourage us in to your space.  Am just telling it like it is from the outside looking in.



Busy, Busy, Busy......just rushed off my feet.

 

Harrods, London

Reminiscent of the Musee Grevin in Paris, the Harrods creative team have created this stunning installation at their Knightsbridge store.  Following on from my previous entry a few hours ago, this scheme is quite superb.  OK, I'm not a fan of the Disney-esque element of this scheme and Peter Pan wouldn't have been my first choice personally, although these tableaux / narratives are so superbly produced it is almost entirely forgivable (however not completely).  The level of detail that has gone into this scheme is mind blowing as every tiny piece of it has clearly been thought through and delivered with military precision.  This is the kind of scheme people (whoever people are) would travel across the country or from around the world to come and view and then be mesmerised by the work these guys produce.  If you haven't seen this scheme get yourself over to Knightsbridge and have a look.  This is the visual aspect of what we do at its very best.

Harrods, London

If you haven't had the opportunity to view the Christmas scheme at Harrods, then here's a little snapshot for you.  I must say that I am rather wowed by the scheme that the creative team  have produced here.  The amount of detail is quite superb and on such a large scale, quite amazing.  These guys have clearly been worked hard to achieve what they have and the outcome is quite delicious and Uber glamorous.  These are examples of images of the side windows that the team have installed but I will publish the main scheme later on at midday, so, just watch this space.

Oliver Bonas, London

Image Courtesy and Copyright Shell Thomas

If you want to view one of the current trends in store windows right now, then you must have a look at Oliver Bonas.  Shell Thomas and her amazing laser cut cardboard work have been wonderfully utilised to create the seasonal scheme here.  Laser cut cardboard is clearly becoming big in schemes along side the use of Copper with some of the 'inovators' as we can see it all around town particularly at brands such as Pull and Bear and a few months ago at River Island too.  Here, Shell Thomas has created these Deer families based on the work of Sanna  Annuka and her work as illustrator of "Contemporary folk" to create this nod to Christmas.  If you don't know the work of Shell Thomas then you must check out her site.  Simultaneously gentle and talented you really couldn't do wrong using this incredible designer for your future schemes.  Remember, its all about the laser cut cardboard right now, and I have a feeling that we will be seeing a lot more of it very soon and certainly more of the work of Shell Thomas too.  Check Shell out at  www.shellthomas.com   

Images Courtesy and Copyright Shell Thomas



MCM, London

I don't know much about this brand other than they have a site on Sloane st.  However, from a Visual Merchandising point of view, this kind of stuff just scares me.

Diesel, London

Image Courtesy and Copyright Diesel

The scheme currently at Diesel's Bond st. site must be absolutely the best I have ever seen from this company.  It was so incredibly interesting too, to see where these concepts have developed from, the various influences that were gleaned and  the process of idea generation gone through making this simply wonderful visually, yet maintaining a great sense of meaning.  With the gorgeous photography from Xevi Muntane and the ever talented Kyle Bean (you may remember him from his installation at Selfridges a few months ago) what a better way to end this year with this brand than on such an electric high?  The level of detail within this scheme is exceptional with its black vinyl cut out trees, mossy flooring, tiny cut out people dwarfed by the Inca-esque temple and comparatively giant cut out images from Muntane's photography hovering in the background, this really is Visual Merchandising porn at its very best - and not a bauble or piece of tinsel in site - relief.

Image Courtesy and Copyright Diesel



Image Courtesy and Copyright Diesel



Matches Fashion, London



Image Courtesy matchesfashion.com



If you haven't seen the latest and seasonal offering from Matches you really are in for a treat.  With 13 stores in total stretching from Wimbledon, Richmond, Notting Hill to Mayfair and Marylebone, these stores ooze everything a fabulous boutique should be.  Their current scheme uses these cut out White forms and high White gloss Mannequins creating a winter wonderland with a sense of depth around the product - no easy task in these small spaces.  There is no need for any detail in this scheme as our creative minds fill in the gaps and our eyes are focused on the product itself. We are teased just a little in our attempts to see the product beyond the immediate scheme and as we are naturally curious beings, we are simply drawn in to take a closer look - job well done I'd say. 



Image Courtesy matchesfashion.com



Aquascutum, London

It must be Christmas at Aquascutum.  After all, there is an advent calender display in their windows.  Its just so rocking this Christmas along this end of town, hey?  Would someone please wake me when the anaesthetic has worn off?

Levis, London

I've been following what this store have been doing for quite some time now and since their re-launch several months ago, Levi's have been showcasing the most incredible schemes and works of Art.  This year 'Levi's London is celebrating [this] Christmas through the eyes of one of London's most talented craft workers inviting Gary Card to create a unique installation in the original space'.  Levi's approached Gary Card 'with three words, Denim, Spots and Play [his] immediate reaction was to create somewhere to explore and discover.'  If you haven't seen this store, do go and check it out along Regent st. as they do produce some wonderful stuff.  Even if you don't like the brand or the product Levi's have very successfully drawn me in and I may just go and take a closer look inside any day soon.

Lladro, London

A lot of hope and just a little too many glasses of the joy.  Come on Lladro, straighten up your '&'s.

Anthropologie, London

I really do enjoy viewing what this brand does.  The amount of creativity oozing from this store in particular along Regent st. is phenomenal.  Here we have a kind of market feel to their current presentation with strategically placed products and in repetition of a variety of clocks.  Completely and wonderfully unseasonal apart from the antlers popping up in various guises - a breath a fresh air. 

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.