Daks, London

We have seen the use of these spools recently across a variety of brands at the moment from luxury all the way down to the mid-range brands so clearly they are on trend right now (although they also were around two years ago but we know you wont tell anyone)  Still, this installation at Daks is quite a corker, don't you think?  We're not huge fans of some of their installations although this one is very interesting and particularly love the references to the hand made which highlights the superb quality of the product.

Topman, London

If you ever needed an example of Visual Man-dising then here it is.  We've always felt that Topman is quite a difficult brand to make 'interesting' although these guys always seem to manage very well.  OK, well its lots of 'males' looking up at a mirror image of themselves so we could read all sorts of stuff into it but we have a feeling that it simply is what it is.  Anyway, it does actually look rather dramatic none-the-less.

Warehouse, London

Wow, Warehouse have a personality after all?  For such a long time this brand appeared to sink deeper and deeper into the retail no mans land (wherever that is) ever since their break up from Arcadia.  However, bit by bit they seem to be clawing their way back up onto our radar and doing some innovative stuff.  We cant remember what the signage on the fenestration said, so we're not sure if Wool week is approaching?  Anyway, little lambs in a repetition format.  Abstract, for sure.  Attention grabbing, definitely.

Desigual, London

From just this one little window along Regent street, Desigual really does scream out their presence.  We always look forward to what they will install and this week we have these beautifully coloured forms creating a theatrical set layout.  Will you do something with your other window at this store though?

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.