H&M, London

What fantastic fun is this scheme at H&M?  These guys are thankfully not shy in injecting some fun onto the high street and this little gem is no exception.  Giant knitting needles, a giant tape measure and giant knitting.  We've see a few references to knitting recently, in fact we seem to remember reading (but do correct us otherwise) that John Lewis has had or have a section within their store dedicated to encourage men to get knitting.  It really is a pleasure to see that the 'old' craft skills are being encouraged again and the notion of the handmade and therefore some level of sustainability, whether directly or indirectly is supported by the high street.

Burberry, London

Burberry really is rocking London and beyond so brilliantly.  Thankfully the days of regurgitating their signature pattern into as many formats as possible seem a long way behind and every single scheme oozes the luxury that this brand is all about.  We love these articulated arms and hands projecting from the background and holding and presenting such a wide range of their product.  So much more interesting also than the usual shelves and plinths adopted by so many other brands on the high street.

Bershka, London

It is so interesting to see how some of the key trends are translated into stores, don't you think?  Last week we posted images from Fendi who used La Rosa mannequins with punk hairstyles, just yesterday images from London's subcultures of the 80's and here we have Bershka.  This is a particularly interesting example of how these key trends diffuse from exhibitions, luxury brands and all the way down to the mid-rangers.  What is the most remarkable of course is the fact that it is happening so quickly and therefore almost flattening the usual curve from Rogers Theory of Diffusion.

Subcultures of the 80's Exhibition, Old Selfridges Hotel, London

If you are anywhere near Selfridges here in the centre of it all then do go and pop around the corner to the old Selfridges hotel and check out this incredible exhibition in conjunction with the ICA.  Subcultures of the 80's, at least for us is a flashback to halcyon days.  The likes of the sadly missed Leigh Bowery who made the whole period so colourful and memorable are referenced as are Body Map and the House of Beauty and Culture to name but a few.  Wonderful times and we even have some (and more) of the flyers in our scrap books as below.

Hackett, London

Images Courtesy and Copyright Melvyn Vincent

If you happen to be along Regent street, then do check out this scheme at Hackett.  With just a short while to go, their new flagship will open in the old Ferrari store further along this iconic street; its so close that we can almost taste it.  Very exciting stuff.  In the meantime, we love this scheme at their existing store.  A bit of greenery, a bit of taxidermy and and whole lot of styling.  This brand is so exciting don't you think?  And, isnt it so damned refreshing to see a menswear brand ooze not just a bit but of fun, but barrels of it.  Men like to be entertained too.  Yes, we do, and these guys draw us in time and again to spend, spend, spend.  Oh those devils.

MCM, London

Oh Jeez.....what can we say really?  Comic strip-like exploding mannequins and handbags?  No, not quite.  We do really want to like this brand, but well, truth be known we were scrabbling around for something else innovative in Knightsbridge but no, we found MCM.  We've never known anyone here or actually know much about the brand, however, clearly luxe, but who knows what they are doing, do you? 

Versace, London

We haven't visited this brand for quite some time.  Is it us or have they lost their edge and look a little like this is the kind of merchandise one would expect to find on a market stall somewhere in a dodgy part of town, but with a high price tag?  Or, is it that this brand is so copied that the merchandise one can view in the dodgiest parts of town just appear to emulate it?  Oh anyway, who cares really?  They certainly aren't paying our salaries so we guess we can assume anything.  This probably is one of their better schemes, just for its simplicity really.  Illuminated floor, one mannequin, brand logo behind.  Bring on the VM revolution we say.

Alberta Ferretti, London

We haven't seen anything interesting coming from this store in a while, but wow, looks like they have got their act together and looking rather hot, don't you think?  OK, well, we have seen film strips before now but as the previous schemes here were, shall we say, lacking in any personality at all, yes, lets just say it, this really is a leap forward.  

Louis Vuitton, London

We only occasionally step beyond the LV Maison on Bond st. as they always produce such magical schemes.  The smaller stores of course always have not just smaller versions of the flagships stores, the format for which we would normally see from mid-rangers, but a whole different personality.  This store along Sloane street has a combination of these same sized cubes in a diagonal format on which the product has been placed in addition to a format similar to a hyper-matrix kinetic wall.

Tom Ford, London

We haven't seen this store since it opened a short while ago and have actually only seen one other from this brand during our visits to New York.  Anyway, while the visual merchandising is not the most exciting ever that we have seen, it is of course superb quality and naturally the focus here is on the product itself which knowing the Tom Ford brand is the best quality your hard earned cash can buy.

Harvey Nichols, London

If you remember the 80's in London then you will know exactly what we mean by references here to Leigh Bowery.  Bowery of course was nearly always on the front cover of ID magazine in particular in his black sunglasses, or rather several of them glued on top of each other with White tippexed eyes, crash helmets covered in large sequins or ink poured over his bald head and usually seen wearing high heeled boots inside high heeled shoes which gave him a gigantic stature.  Anyway, with possibly references to Bowery here we cant help but be catapulted back to halcyon days and of course as always in adoration at what these guys present. 

Fendi, London

We are growing more and more to love what this brand are doing and cant wait for their new store to open along Bond Street.  We've decided to change locations this week and refresh the stores we are looking at so its Knightsbridge all the way this week.  Here at Fendi with their furry interlocking signature 'F's and punk style Mohicans are great fun.  The colours as always perfectly selected.

Mathew Williamson, London

We have seen the use of these kinds of masks around town recently, particularly in the mid-range brands so it was a bit of a surprise to see the being used at a luxury brand simultaneously.  Clearly the time lapse of trickle down effect has become a lot smaller?  The only problem is of course is making sure that these silent sellers have them firmly stuck on.