Tatler 300th Year Anniversary

Just about every Designer store in London is paying some kind of homage to the Bible of Fashion Tatler and its 300th year Anniversary. From Daks, to Prada, Louis Vuitton, Yves St. Laurent....the list goes on, and all have either copies of Tatler magazines in the windows, a congratulatory message in vinyl on the glass front or as here with Daks the whole scheme is based around this anniversary. It is quite incredible that the magazine has lasted for so long and I do think this is something worth celebrating (if only I was on the guest list for the inevitable parties) Anyway, so current are some of these messages, that I actually managed, late one evening to capture the 'guy' from the vinyl / decal company applying the congratulatory message from Miu Miu.

Vivienne Westwood

I have been looking at this scheme at Vivienne Westwood here in London, several times and I am not quite sure what to say about it apart from describing it. The backdrop and 'plinths' are made from cut polystyrene and sprayed in the tones seen here. The bust forms from Proportion London with their articulated arms always work so well. The lighting has been perfectly considered and as always the merchandise is superb. Not a pioneering scheme, more of a gap filler perhaps, although it is doing what it says on the tin and maybe that's OK too.

Oasis, London

In celebration of London Fashion week recently Oasis, created this fantasy dolls house for their new concept - The House of Oasis. This enormous creation fills a whole window space along the site in Regent St. here in London. This reminded me of the incredible structure that Viktor and Rolf produced for the dolls that they created wearing their collections and placed within several floors that filled their exhibition at the Barbican a couple of years ago. Of course, if I look at this scheme in my capacity as I commercial interior or spatial designer the space itself doesn't work, the scale is wrong and it contains an odd mixture of styles, however, this is fantasy, it does what it says on the tin. We are amused and interested in it as we traverse the city and in a moment, it is gone Although, I cant resist wondering where on earth that staircase is leading too?

Mulberry, London

I wrote about this scheme a few weeks ago as it was really worth recording as an innovative narrative. However, subsequently, the design team have exchanged the mannequins from the original scheme to ones which I find so odd and really rather uncomplimentary. I try to resist being too critical in case I have missed some important point and any personal critique here is not necessarily informed, but merely an emotional response so something visual. That said, in this case, I feel that these figures just don't work with this scheme. Am I being harsh and too critical? The figures have wooden articulated arms which is absolutely fine as it provides the user with a huge amount of flexibility, however the wigs that these figures are wearing and the shape of these figures I feel just do nothing but distract from the scheme and the merchandise that they are selling. Now, the idea may have originated from the catwalk of London Fashion week which in a way has (perhaps) become like an important publication which has the patina of authority. This doesn't mean of course that it is right and perhaps needs to be questioned not just accepted? I think I would have tested the merchandise on these figures before buying them as part of the design team as the original very strong and interesting concept seems to have been diluted? (If you click on the left under 'Muberry' this gives you a comparison between the same scheme but using different Mannequins)

Bershka, London

This scheme at Bershka reminds me in a way of the kind of scheme Barneys in New York would produce. The scheme, stacked full of speakers of all sizes and types I think works incredibly well probably because it is an example of repetition of the same type (of prop) and yet there are some interesting anomalies. The difference, however is that Barneys would have sourced actual speakers and these are photographs and prints of speakers in a three dimensional format (some are peeling away from the surface that they are stuck too if you look closely, which is a give away). I am guessing that this is the flagship store for this brand so I would have expected real speakers (and what great fun it would have been finding them all from a variety of sources). Still, I understand and like the concept and of course, the overall scheme is organised in a pyramidal format which is always pleasing to the eye.

Dior, London

While city walking along Sloane st. in Knightsbridge recently I came across this scheme by Dior. Mannequins have been positioned on these American style fire escapes as if posing for a magazine photo shoot. Of course, it is well documented this style of fire escape were often used for activities other than their intended purposes, particularly in poorer areas of 20th Century USA, and therefore, at least for me, this adds to my interest. We can also, perhaps see links here to West Side Story or its original equivalent Romeo and Juliet or even perhaps a Hitchcock thriller such as the 1950's Rear Window. The use of the diagonal shadows across the structure, so popular in film noir maybe could have been included within this scheme to avoid the sterility and enhance the urban chic, although I am not privy to the process that this scheme went through to get to this stage and therefore perhaps I am trying to add too many layers. Anyway, as usual, this is a perfectly executed scheme with attention to such microscopic detail which makes this scheme simple yet so superbly produced.

FCUK, London

I felt quite bemused by these windows at French Connection recently as I don't really understand what the thinking is behind this scheme. I quite like the idea of these stacked structures although I think the thing that worried my sensitive flaneur-ing eyes is that they are perhaps a little reminiscent of coffins, particularly as they contain these (seemingly) dwarfed headless figures. I saw a similar scheme in Germany several years ago which had mannequin babies crawling all over them which sends shivers down my spine. Perhaps it reminds me of the bodies of the Capuchin monks in the various crypts in Italy which have that eerie quality that just gives you nightmares? In particular, when one reads the inscriptions that usually accompany these corpses that announce 'As you are, we once were, As we are now you will become'. Perhaps I am being unfair and I don't want to kill the concept (no pun intended). Anyway, I do feel that the lighting also needs some attention as the nature of having this type of structure excludes the opportunity to use the inhereted lighting scheme and perhaps each structure needs its own individual lighting source as they have done in the image above?

Diesel, London

Following on from my post yesterday of the Diesel site along Bond St., here we have the Diesel site on Carnaby St. also in London. You are able to see such a different personality to these sites that look completely unconnected to one another. On the one hand we have a slightly industrial feel to one store with perfect presentation and here we have an example of pure experimental creativity. And this is only one scheme of many where even the exterior of the site has been changed. The scraped paint finish creates a kind of a suburban unkempt unloved type of presentation or some 'unter' night club (of course it has all been perfectly orchestrated and works so incredibly well). This adds to the 'uber' cool feel to this brand. I do find myself a little torn between the notion of mass production and my dislike of globalisation which these kind of high street companies represent and yet I am drawn to come back for more and more if only to see what they will do next. Am I really this shallow?

Diesel, London

As regular readers will know this is one of my favourite stores and brands for visual communication. The new concept at Diesel (Bond St. site) here in London has implemented an interesting scheme albeit rather odd. I say odd as I am not quite sure what this is saying to me. What I do find so interesting is the difference between this site and one of Diesel's sister sites in London (I will publish the details and visuals in my next entry) What Diesel seem to be doing is creating almost sub-brands within the brand. Each store is creating its own personality according to the type of clientele who may shop in a particular area. This takes an enormous amount of work and is something that I welcome with open arms as long as there is consistency in the high level of presentation across the various sites. And there really is. I am not familiar with the structure of the visual team for Diesel, however there clearly are some very creative people working incredibly hard in forging a new and exciting way of working that I haven't seen in any other high street brand or indeed in any of the Designer brands.

Topshop, London

Following on from the London Fashion week theme that has been present in a number of London stores, Topshop and Topman in Oxford Circus here in London (which always claimed to be the worlds largest Fashion store from my days spent working there although I am not quite sure if it was or still is?) Anyway, the rear space windows have these great drawings in vinyl on the glass, behind which are cardboard cut out figures and lastly vinyl images attached to the back wall. This gives this very narrow, but very high space a huge amount of depth. The front windows advertise the arrival of Christopher Kane with female figures in a silver finish suspended from their heads, behind which are angled mirrored plates creating a backdrop or context. The men's window at Topman shows a group of male figures in a Black shiny finish placed in a landscape scenario. I recognise these silver spheres from the DZD showroom, however it is teetering on some kind of middle England Art installation which I do feel is an interesting direction in as much as providing the flaneur with something possibly informed to get our teeth stuck into. This store really is doing some amazing work so I am so glad to see such diverse schemes.

Zara, London

During London's Fashion week several stores implemented fashion week promotional windows. The windows at Zara along London's Oxford street I felt were particularly interesting amongst these schemes. Although part of the scheme was produced in the usual Zara style, the main window contains a catwalk / photo shoot narrative which is exquisitely presented. I particularly like the figures used (probably from Rootstein) and how they ooze their own individual personality. Additionally props such as chihuahuas, photographic equipment and a runner rail with a hand written message support this concept.

Selfridges, London

I couldn't end the week without showing these gems from the amazing Selfridges. What is so interesting for me here is the use of these structures. At the beginning of the courses on which I lecture, I often take students on a series of visits which include Kew Gardens, the Natural History Museum, The Imperial War Museum and of course the Science Museum here in London to begin to identify the links between Design and natural and mathematical forms. The forms here are used also applying repetition and radiation. I love the use of these geometric forms placed against a kind of, what I always think of as Vikktor and Rolf shade of Blue - of course Cerulean. It is not entirely clear if the whole scheme is based on Pandemonium (the theory by Oliver Selfridge - I am not aware of any familial relationship here) Or just one corner window and the World Wildlife Fund. Anyway, the scheme is entertaining and fun and perhaps I am just trying to find some intellectual connection.

Student work, City lawyer eating experience

My colleagues and I were approached by a commercial company to request if our students were interested in working with them to develop a new 'eating experience'. Always aspiring to great things we agreed to the project and negotiated with the company that we would set it based 100 years into the future. The submissions ranged from meals in tablet format and sustenance absorbed through the skin to liquid information and electrical impulse eating experiences. I think the company were a little bemused by the submissions and perhaps most were unworkable in their current format. However, sometimes perhaps we just need to get these ideas from in 'here' to 'out there', 'else where' or at least some where, and hope that the technology will catch up? As students enter the world of work with live clients buying their services, the environment that we provide is perhaps somewhere where they are able to exorcise these ideas and get it out of their system. Anyway, this is just one submission from one student in the group which also contains a short walk through video of her space.