Lladro, London

This kind of product is really quite difficult to present in such large windows, however, we have to admit these guys have done an incredible job just by simply focusing our attention on these pieces with the use of simulated spilling paint.  What a fun concept.  We will check back and keep an eye on these guys as they have been producing such great schemes recently and we cant wait to see what they do next. 

Belstaff, London

We are really growing to like what this brand does more and more.  Here we have the Union flag, within which we have a kind of collage of images that make up the whole.  Of course, it is a remnant from the Royal Wedding last week (we guess?) however its great to see a brand in London, that's not British getting into the mood of it all.  We keep meaning to swing by and take a closer look at the merchandise in this store but time just keeps running away with us.  Maybe this is an opportunity for retailers to consider people like ourselves that just don't have the time very often to spend browsing and purchasing around their sites and to consider what they can do about it? What do you think?

Moschino, London

Have you ever put anything into 'Wingdings' or 'Webdings' into microsoft word documents?  If you type anything into a document in these fonts, symbols appear as your text.  We're not quite sure why this font is even available or what the use of it is?  Well, anyway, the reason we mention this is because it was the first thing that sprang into our minds when we saw these land-of-the-giants tape measures in this scheme at Moschino.  In the mean time we were also chatting to a Bulgarian Graphic designer the other day with whom we discussed what he called 'the gypsy' influence currently in Sofia (his words not ours), however we can begin to see some connections and with a much wider perspective or broader view (or possibly a google earth view)  bring the strands together of what is happening in this scheme.  Whether we are hitting what these guys are trying to communicate is one thing and how their intention is being read is quite another however, this is an interesting scheme none-the-less and they do what they do very well.

Ralph Lauren, London

We love the new scheme at Ralph Lauren at the moment.  They seem to have had a bit of shake up and reassessment of where they were going and this is a completely refreshing change.  The additional (possibly new lighting - hopefully LED?) has made a massive difference to this presentation which of course is always so beautifully dressed and every detail thoroughly thought though to perfection.  If you happen to be on Bond street do go and have a look.  While this entry is genuinely meant, it will also hopefully prevent the Head of Visual Merchandising at this store punching me in the arm next time I see him.....;o)

Alexander McQueen, London

If you are lucky enough to be in New York today, then you can do no better than to go and see this exhibition.  "The [McQueen] exhibition will run from May 4 to July 31 and takes a look back over two decades of McQueen's work, beginning with his graduate collection from Central St Martins College of Art, right through to his final collection which was shown in the weeks after his death". "The museum has also borrowed a significant number of outfits from Isabella Blow's personal collection, which were all bought by Daphne Guinness earlier this year, as well as highlights from McQueen's tenure at Givenchy". 

To see this collection is an opportunity of a life time.  We cant be there, so please be our eyes and ears.  (Oh, and a copy of the book would be nice too if you have the chance)

Mango, London

If we hadn't included the company name above this entry, would you have recognised this brand?  The answer is invariably No.  How exciting, eh?  Finally we can walk along the high street and while most of the mid-range brands look identikit and without the brand name above the store, we quite honestly wouldn't know where we were, Mango is at least one of the brands thriving on the differentiation.  How refreshing.  This scheme (or rather just one window) reminds us very much of two things - Jessie J's Price Tag video "its not about the money, money, money, we dont need your money, money money, we just wanna make the world dance........"  or alternatively the work of Hans Bellmar, Death, Desire and the Doll (although without the death).  Of course this scheme is rather more tame than the work of Bellmar whose installations speared right to the core, the forbidden areas of the human psyche.  Bellmar once said, 'I want to reveal scandalously the interior that will always remain hidden and sensed behind the successive layers or the human structure and its last unknowns'.  He also felt that religion was his great enemy and that the UK and the USA were too puritanical for his work although the root of the problem was that it was difficult to distinguish his work between erotic art and pornography.  Naturally the scheme here is neither of them however it is yet another link to Surrealism that we have seen on the high street, particularly in light of the recent scheme at Tiffany.  Having been a professing surrealist from the 1930's, a keen activist, living in poverty Bellmar also collaborated with such greats as Ernst and Cocteau and his work is now seen as intellectual art as much as eroticism.  Still, whether we make these links or whether they in fact exist (or not), it is at least fascinating to see such an incredible leap forward from this brand. Lets just see who follows, eh?...... In the meantime " Ain't about the (ha) Cha-Ching Cha-Ching. Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling. Wanna make the world dance, Forget about the Price Tag".

Louis Vuitton, London

We love the creativity of Louis Vuitton at the moment and we are always ready to capture their latest installations as they always do everything not just so incredibly beautifully, but also with such wonderful humour.  Repetition of these waving Queens all in a line rightly take their place below their main scheme here at their Maison on Bond street.  I have a feeling that given the opportunity beyond their regular schemes and beyond the necessity to maintain the brand schedule, they would have produced something quite spectacular.  Still, we have the nod in reference to last Friday's event and it brought a smile to our faces and that's perfectly cool too.   

Benetton, London

We were rather surprised to see this scheme at Benetton this week.  Surprised, only because this is quite a departure from their normal-type schemes although actually quite refreshing to view.  Finally we have a scheme from this brand that is just a little more exciting, a bit of movement and a nudge forward.  We're not sure they are experienced enough at this stage to handle mannequins like this as they are rather placed independently of each other as if the figures have either won a Gold medal or taking part in a form of synchronised swimming.  Still, thankfully, it is a move forward, and while we wont be having a street party to celebrate it, it is a least something different to look at and finally we may actually visually have a mid-range brand that we can enter into and know which one we are in.

Royal Wedding, London 2011

Just in case you weren't able to be part of the photo call at Buckingham Palace yesterday, there are a few photo booths around town where you can be either William or Catherine.  Hmmmmm.....unconvincing cheap fun, but ah well who cares eh?

Royal Wedding Day, London

If you didnt receive your invitation to the big event of 2011 (like us) we can at least enjoy the spectacle from a distance - and this is possibly the best view too.  In the meantime we can of course enjoy the visual of the high street around town anyway for free.

Austin Reed

Butler and Wilson

John Lewis

Peter Jones



Asprey, London

We really loved the images here at Asprey (not Asprey and Garrard, as the PR and Marketing departments do tend to contact us to correct us).  However, a couple of years ago, just by chance we came across and met with Chelsea College of Art alumni Stephen Rosenthal.  The concept here is almost identikit to Rosenthal's work, albeit with different images, but the technique is the same.  Of course Rosenthal's work is far more sophisticated, in depth and hard hitting and includes amongst his work, images gathered over a period of time that "depict the subtext to the characters [that Roesnthal portrays] who have lived a repressed existence within the public glare - much as [he] suspect[s] many contemporary artists are living today in PR relationships which protect the idea of a projected male identity".

Of course, while the concept here does work very well,  it is not actually very original so we do feel a little wrong footed that this has been presented, ya' know, as if we wouldnt find out.  We say this as there is no reference in this concept to any original sources and thats just plain old unfair, right? Check out Stephen Rosenthal's interview from 2009 at http://www.google.co.uk/#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=steve+rosenthal+artists&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&fp=2c0cf59fcf66c34e to see what we mean.

Juicy Couture, London

This is quite an odd scheme for this brand, don't you think?  From the rather-more-sophisticated schematic version of Topshop to one which one would liken to one of the luxury brands close by, we felt it was quite odd to carry references to Hartnell at this store.  Of course, there are the obvious references to the Royal Wedding, but from stacked suitcases to hammocks to Norman Hartnell is quite a leap.  Oh well, stranger things have happened..........or so we thought.  It seems that these guys are rather more clever than we had given them credit for.  Wasn't this the site (or at least close to) of the original boy-from-Streatham, Sir Norman Hartnell's original store?  We're not absolutely sure, although it was on Bruton street where his store was based.  Genius, and a wonderful reference to the designer who carried the Royal warrant for Queen Elizabeth (Queen Mother) and Queen Elizabeth II, 1957 and designer of Royal wedding stuff for decades.  Oh you clever Juicy lot...!  What a wonderfully clever Royal reference and one that took us a while to work out.  Brilliant and certainly the most thoughtful scheme we've seen so far.

Accessorize, London

"You can never have enough hats, gloves and shoes" according the character Patsy, played by the ever lovely Joanna Lumley in Absolutely Fabulous (1992).  At Accessorize, "you can never have enough stuff, stuff and stuff"  http://www.retailstorewindows.com/ (2011)  Of course, we're poking fun a little at the brand, who incidentally we actually rather like.  OK, well they stack everything to the rafters and do cram just about everything into their relatively tiny windows, however they do make an effort and this is commendable.  Naturally, just like any other mainstream brand, they are cashing in on the pending big event on Friday, and who can blame them?  Although if one stands back from this scheme a little it does have rather Pink overtones in between the Union Flag merchandise. 

Purely coincidentally, the activist Peter Tatchell, (we quickly read on-the-hoof in the press on our way to the office -  so please don't quote us on the accuracy of this), has personally delivered to Buckingham Palace, a rather large Pink Message to William and Kate, requesting that they come out (obviously not literally) in support of same sex marriages, in the light of their own high profile marriage.  We have to hand it to Peter Tatchell, that the guy works tirelessly for equality and of course has our full support.  While there is undoubtedly absolutely no connection between the scheme here and Peter's Pink Envelope, it does offer an opportunity to reflect on where we are at, and why people such as Tatchell are still having to fight for a cause that was already won?  Anyway, we're sure Friday will be a day fully Accessorize'd.