Calvin Klein, New York

While meandering the city, I dropped by to check out the Hedi Ferjani scheme at Calvin Klein on Madison and 60th St. I really do like this scheme as I find global branding to be such a huge nail in the coffin of creativity and I actually really do wish the store in London had adopted the same or similar approach, very much like Diesal is doing at the moment in localising the creativity rather than applying the usual out of the manual kind of stuff. Anyway, if you're not familiar with Hedi Ferjani, (and I'm not) apparently he's the husband of Erin Featherston (who doesn't mean anything to me either but you can google them easily to find out more). The main concept / installation is called Glitter Falls (I hate the name of it but I do love the outcome) where product has been placed on pieces of charcoal against a White background dripping with Black paint. In conjunction with this scheme, but I am not sure why, is also Ferjani's installation Cosmic Dust (dreadful name too) using a real looking space suit placed in one window which has been punctuated with 'star' like lights. It worries me when two installations are used in this way as it hints at a lack of depth of the first concept and perhaps there just wasn't enough of an idea to stretch to a few more windows? Anyway, the simplicity of this scheme really does focus the viewers attention on the product. Beautifully and stunningly produced schemes but please change its awful name.

Henri Bendel, New York

Although the jet lag is kicking quite nicely and therefore I am awake incredibly early, its cold outside and the uncontrollable heating in my hotel room is on full whack, even with the window open wide I cant seem to get the temperature right. So I'm waking up with a mouth as dry as the Sahara and very hot feet - my room is as long as I am tall and half as wide. Still you get what you pay for and I cant complain, particularly when I don't spend too much time there as there are so many delicious schemes to look at such as this one here at Henri Bendel on 5th Avenue. I have always found this a rather odd store as it is a bit of a one of a kind, but as always, even with the tiny space they have they do present the most incredible schemes. The figures here are completely covered in tiny beads in Brown and White stripes (the Bendel Brand signature) and within the store which is laid out a bit like a Moroccan riad is an enormous tree wrapped in tiny lights from which a bed with another figure has been suspended. I particularly love the colour of the fixtures in an Orange/Red tone which works beautifully with the Bendel Brown.

Bergdorf Goodman, New York

After a very long and tiring journey I finally touched down in the Big Apple - and its cold. Now I don't mind a bit of cold weather but this is freezing. Anyway, I am pleased to be here as I always look forward to my annual visits and as I predicted yesterday, the windows at Bergdorf Goodman are spectacular. I do find these windows that this team produce absolutely incredible. I only wish I could be here the rest of the year just to be able to follow what they do. Anyway, the windows here are crammed to the rafters with goodies that its hard to know where to look. Polar bears, horses, ostriches in tartan (or plaid since I am in the US of A) carrying birdcages and bagpipes and a tonne of sparkling Venetian mirrors fill another. The windows here are just incredible, and unfortunately I am only able to show just two of the windows here from the forty or so shots that I took. If you are here in NYC before Christmas....get yourself down there and be blown away.

Alexander McQueen, London

The past few schemes here at McQueen's have been very, very exciting. As I think I have mentioned before, these windows have illuminated glass floors which makes this space quite a difficult one to work with. Well the team here seem to manage it perfectly well. Artists easels and paint splattered walls and mannequins create this scheme. The male figure, a Gold skeleton works so superbly in this scheme too. After seeing all of the recent bling, bling, of Christmas schemes I feel quite refreshed on viewing this concept. If you have just come out of Fortnum's to buy your groceries, or spent all of your money at Prada, you must swing by here and take a look - and at least that's free. Tomorrow, I will be viewing and recording the latest schemes in New York. It will be a rush to get the blog out on time due to the time difference and travelling, but first stop will be Bergdorf Goodman to check out their latest spectacle, which I anticipate will be incredible.

Prada, London

I recorded this scheme at Prada a few weeks ago, and I had wondered if this installation was complete? Anyway, while swinging by on my way to Harvey Niks today I made a bee line to see if my concerns were justified. I seem to remember moaning and gasping at the fabric the team had used which was not ironed, it was ruched and appeared quite cheap. Anyway, it seems that someone got the steamer out and now everything is perfectly in place. I am not sure whether I like it still, however, I can sleep better.

Dolce and Gabbana, London

While meandering around town today, I came across one of the D&G stores here in London. With so many of these designer stores the interior spaces are beautifully luxurious. I am however a little bored of seeing the seemingly obligatory video screens that so many of these brands seem to think it is so necessary to install, but nonetheless the D&G store is quite superb. I normally scoot pass here to pop by Alexander McQueens but I did find myself abruptly halting to record this spectacle. Normally, the schemes here simply contain a few mannequins, although occasionally a piece of furniture is placed to support their concept. I do really enjoy the opulence of the furniture that the creative team use. This is the kind of stuff one would expect to see in Palaces, Chateaux, Castles etc., which I guess is the idea. The fruit, flowers, candles etc. in abundance here in the image below perhaps symbolise a bygone historical period too. These kind of displays are quite difficult to execute and I must say this has been superbly produced. It makes me just want to reach in and help myself to the feast while gulping wine from a Gold Goblet and sat in front of a huge fireplace - beautiful.

Hermes, London

Having finally managed to uncurl my toes and unclench my buttocks after seeing the latest Chanel scheme, I came across the Knightsbridge store of Hermes. This is an interesting scheme in as much as it is so very different from its sister store just a mile or so away along Bond St. Here we have musical instruments wrapped in printed paper, cut and concertinaed music sheets form part of the backdrop. I am quite intrigued with this as usually the same concept is rolled out across the various sites, however Hermes, at least in this instance seems to be following Diesal's and to a point Zara's lead in producing site specific concepts. This is an exciting move and I will be watching closely to see if the next concepts are produced in the same way. Anyway, in the meantime pop along and have a look at this concept. Ok, well it is a little 'motif- ee', as my students would say, but it is a step in a very exciting direction and I can only support, encourage and applaud that.

Chanel, London

As my regular readers will know I raised some concerns regarding the presentation of this brand some months ago. From the many messages I received from you, every single one of you agreed. This is not a problem just here in London but globally. I cannot understand that such a precious and historical brand loaded with so many associations can be installing these kind of schemes. What is going on here? What are these structures placed over the mannequins head? The cheap fabric creating the backdrop does nothing but tarnish the Chanel name for quality. I don't wish to kill the concept but every time I see these stores my toes curl in my well heeled boots. I do feel, whether rightly or wrongly that this brand needs help in presenting itself. The product is in place, the name is in place but it seem to fall apart in the presentation - and this is crucial. As we know, anything presented well will sell. As we also know during a recession, the kind we are now experiencing its usually the display teams that are first to loose their jobs, which of course is absolutely the wrong thing to do. In a recession we need to increase the number of roles in product presentation as ultimately this will increase sales. Anyway, in the meantime I'm going to keep walking and hope to be cleansed by the interesting scheme at Hermes a few doors away.

Burberry, London

Just in case you thought there were no more combinations using this motif, you would have been wrong. So here we go. I don't understand why this brand seems to insist on using the same idea for every single scheme? We are aware of the motif and know it as Burberry, we see it, we recognise it, we understand it, but why do they insist on using it every single time? The workmanship is of course superb and it follows all of the 'rules' in handling and presenting product. But, while meandering through the streets this week on my daily flaneur-ing journey I did gasp a little when I saw this. Is this the work of marketing meddlers? I suspect so. I cant imagine the team here who are assuredly creative would be excited about installing this scheme. Come on Burberry........show us something new...! (please)

Gucci, London

Swinging by Bond st. and Knightsbridge this week, I happened upon the Gucci Christmas concept. Now, neon outlined out sized 'products' are nothing new as we can see from Geigers stiletto windows along Regent St. and previously at Moschino, although these do work very well. What I do particularly like here is that the Gucci team have brought the concept out of the window and applied it also to the above outside space of the store (above image is the Knightsbridge store). This is quite unusual for this brand. I don't recall them ever doing such things, but of course this is a most welcome move. However, as my students will tell you, one of my pet hates are motifs and this is motif overload. With the installation of such an expensive concept I would have thought that a brand like this would have been far more experimental? I guess not. I do love neon and there are tonnes of examples of artists using it in increasingly experimental ways which could have possibly been tapped in to. Still, this scheme does what it does and it is as always produced to perfection.

Mathew Williamson, London

After seeing all of the bling of Christmas lights here in London for what now seems like months, and recently it has been raining almost constantly for several days, it was such a pleasure to see this scheme at Mathew Williamson. I also find myself getting bored with Christmas more and more - a hazard of the industry I suppose. Anyway, a dozen or so exotic birds and butterfly kites have been suspended above these White gloss sprayed figures carrying the merchandise. The figures themselves stand above white clouds giving them the land-of-the giants proportions that I always enjoy. This is further enhanced with the figures being placed next to a tiny shocking Pink house. I did find the images pasted on the right elevation a little distracting and don't think that this is really necessary, however what a great fun scheme which is beautifully produced which gives the viewer a breathing space from all this twinkling lights stuff.

Tiffany, Bond Street, London

While meandering around the streets of London this week, I came across these exquisite Tiffany windows. Now, I must say, I am a fan of the windows that the team here create, however this really is rather exceptional. The tiniest cut paper work fills these tiny little spaces. Of course this didn't take someone all year to cut these individually, I would say, that the laser cutter somewhere has been working overtime. I adore laser cut paper as one achieve the most remarkable results. Jewellery is very difficult to work with, but here we zoom in on the product contained within these narratives. Exceptional stuff and such a real treat to see. I only wish someone would redesign the interior space of this store that supported these magnificent schemes.

Student work

Following a lecture and seminar on the theme of Commodification within their Visual Culture and Theory sessions, students were tasked with visiting different parts of the city. My students were asked to visit Soho in central London and to identify something there which was being commodified. The students were then asked to record examples of this commodification and create a map of the area using these examples as reference points/points of interest. My students chose sex as their commodity and created a conceptual 3D map of Soho marking their route using these on stickers on the objects, related to sex, found and bought there.

The students say [that], This installation is a representation of the commodity of sex in Soho London, commodity meaning its prime purpose is sale in a market place. It is a record of the journey taken in Soho and contains examples of sex being commodified. Yellow lighting was used to give the installation a softer feel but is contrasted by the shadow that has been cast in the background, which is almost beast like and expresses the negative affects that commodity has had on sex.