Hermes, London

The latest scheme at Hermes literally stopped us in our tracks this week.  How amazing does this miniature 'world' look?  What you cant view here is that within their windows are long rectangular boxes with port holes punctuating the centre of them.  Within the spaces are these beautifully illuminated seascapes complete with rocks, yachts and ships.  Really beautifully produced work.

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Coast, London

Wow, isn't Coast looking hot?  These gorgeous humming birds in delicious colours are wrapped around the brands mannequins drawing the viewers eyes into and up around the space.  Naturally with the 'exotica' (or whatever one wishes to call it) trend happening across the luxury brands as we mentioned in our Parisian entries recently this scheme is right up to the moment.  Great to see this brand shining on the high street. Would someone sort of 'Juicy' next?

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Don't forget you still have time to win one of these gorgeous watches by www.woodwatches.com in Monday's competition.

The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945 - 2014, Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Images Courtesy and Copyright V&A, London

 If you haven't got your tickets yet to see The Glamour of Italian Exhibition 1945-2014 then you must do it soon.  Our wonderful friends at Proportion>London have produced a selection of mannequins for this fantastic exhibition of Italy's most influential designers from post World War II until the present day. On show is the work from some of the leading fashion houses such as Dolce and Gabbana, Armani, Versace, Prada; its a who's who of Italian fashion including designers we had never heard of and yet have been so remarkably and incredibly influential in the world of Fashion.  We've been and it really is an education.  So go on, get out of the office, replenish yourself and delve into the hottest exhibition right now. 

Aishti, Middle East

Images Courtesy and Copyright Arte Vetrina Project

We don't know this brand across the Middle East so it really was such a pleasure to view such amazing quality Visual Merchandising being implemented outside the main VM cities of the world.  The images here are a mixture taken from their stores in Beirut and Kuwait.  The stores themselves are luxury boutiques housing the worlds top brands; just check out their website http://www.aishti.com and have a look. The installation here is based on their current brand campaign; light boxes with images of models faces have been suspended in front of the mannequins heads with key words in vinyl on the fenestration.  A great mixture of symmetry, repetition and gravity dynamics by those clever guys at Arte Vetrina Project.  Check out their site too www.artevetrinaproject.it

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Topshop, London

We know that if we don't include this brands schemes when we see them then they will change them so fast that it will already be yesterdays scheme.  So here it is.  With their gravity defying mannequins, skate ramp-like catwalk highlighted with a hint of neon Topshop as always looks absolutely up to the moment.  We were particularly fascinated by the reflection that this scheme generated too.

Check out our fantastic sponsors below for incredible Visual Merchandising solutions or click on the banners on the side of the main page at www.retailstorewindows.com

FREE COMPETITION from www.woodwatches.com

We’re very excited to collaborate with the fantastic guys at www.woodwatches.com in bringing you the opportunity to win one of their fantastic Jord products.  We have ours already and they really are beautifully made pieces.  In order to win one of these little beauties all you have to do is answer a few simple questions from our Book Visual Merchandising for Fashion.  Copies are available via the link here on Amazon and you could also win one of these gorgeous watches worth $129..!

So get thinking and send your answers to us no later than Friday 11th April 12.00pm GMT.

Ok, the questions:

1.       Which two famous actresses appear in our book Visual Merchandising for Fashion?

2.       Name one of the 25 Visual themes mentioned in our book.

3.       Which main product do Proportion>London design and produce?

Please send your answers to london@hotmail.com with the headline Watch Competition.  The first entry randomly picked from all of the winning answers will receive their fabulous new watch.  

In the meantime, just check out their site..!

Terms and Conditions

• Closing Date for entries is 12.00 GMT 11th April 2014.
• Only one (1) entry per person.
• www.retailstorewindows.com  reserves the right, in its sole discretion and without prior notice, to withdraw, cancel, suspend or modify the terms of the offer.
• By entering this competition, personal information of registrants will not be sold to a third party.
• Anonymous registrants will not be eligible for the offer.
• The winner will be selected at random within fourteen (14) days of the competition closing date and contacted via the email address provided at the time of entry by a member of the retailstorewindows team to redeem their code.
• Prize must be claimed within ninety (90) days of issue or will become invalid.
• No purchase necessary.
• The prize is non-transferable and no cash alternative is available. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Ralph Lauren, London

We have a feeling that the guys at Ralph Lauren like a bit of drama in their schemes and just look at this little gem.  Huge panels of White flowers (repetition of radiating forms etc.) and mannequins with long White wigs set against a glossy Black background.  Whats not to love about the effortless simplicity of this dramatic scheme.

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Fenwick. London

Well thankfully the clocks have gone forward here in the UK so now the evenings are a lot lighter and Spring is well and truly here.  Fenwick, as we have seen over the last year have sky rocketed back onto the VM scene with their super cool schemes in their enormous windows and how thankful we are to them too.  Right now, giant flowers, butterflies and picket fences support their gorgeous products.

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Liberty, London

Word-up?  Someone here obviously remembers the 80's and a certain shiny Red jockstrap we reckon?  We cant help but smile to ourselves when we see these windows at Liberty with their puzzle games and luxury fashion.  You've got to love the humour that these guys put into their schemes which has sadly been missing from so many retailers windows for so long.  Brilliant bit of 'old skool' Liberty..!

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Hermes, London

We've been trying for some time to work out how we are going to describe this scene here at Hermes.  Its a kind of miniature fantasy land wouldn't you say?  We love what this brand do of course and the props here are so superbly manufactured but we are just not sure what the narrative is?  Can anyone help?

Check out our fantastic sponsors below for incredible Visual Merchandising solutions or click on the banners on the side of the main page at www.retailstorewindows.com.  Don't forget to register for the VM & Display show.

JD Sports, London

WTF, JD Sports on retailstorewindows.com we hear you scream?  Well, yes, and we wouldn't have believed it either not so long ago as there was never a reason to include them, well not a good reason at least and no time anyway in between book launches, trips to Paris, having our legs waxed by Asad at Bushwackers aka House of Pain and Torture, but that's another story.  Well, just look at them now (JD not our legs).  We did actually happen to see the clearly talented Sam Cox produce this installation although we were quite far away so it was difficult to capture them at the time and cheer him on.  However, the information on the window reads that Cox's Art is psychedelic and playful and that he has progressed from drawing on his parents furniture and walls and onto large scale commissions....such as this we guess.  Anyway, maybe if the guys from JD had 'bigged' this up a little more then we all could have ooohd and arred at  the work of this clearly talented young man a lot sooner.

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Esprit, London

We're loving the innovative use of graphics here at Esprit right now.  Graphics usually of course they are an easy way of producing anything or nothing innovative but these guys have gripped that little puppy by the throat and looks like shredding and mood boards are in (remember the fantastic ones at Hackett we showed you recently?)  And how cool does the above image look?  We adore it of course but maybe it could have been much bigger and screamed at us rather more as these windows are huge spaces but it is a pleasure to view nonetheless.  Naturally we captured this at night time when all is still and quiet but we must swing by when the store is open to see the movement that must be happening with this installation.  Does it move?

Check out our fantastic sponsors below for incredible Visual Merchandising solutions or click on the banners on the side of the main page at www.retailstorewindows.com

Lagerfeld, London

While we've been away the fantastic new Lagerfeld store has opened here in sunny and warm London.  Unfortunately we missed the grand opening (not that we were invited of course) but would have gone along to take a peak sooner if we had known.  Anyway, we do love this scheme created from hundreds of perfume bottles behind which is a video screen creating a wonderful sense of movement.  The outline of the man himself of course has been produced using Black versions of the bottles.  All beautifully produced as one would expect. 

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