Alberta Ferretti, London

Images Courtesy and Copyright www.artevetrinaproject.it
 

Just about every luxury brand around town is celebrating 100 years of Vogue right now and Alberta Ferretti is no exception.  Inspired in conjunction with their SS16 campaign the team at Arte Vetrina Project have produced another super quality scheme and great to see this brand looking so good right now.

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Marks & Spencer, London

Images Courtesy and Copyright www.sfd.co.uk

We have never included Marks & Spencer here previously, there was no agenda we promise although we do look for innovation and interesting schemes to include here otherwise we just become a brands' PR machine (or not) and this is not the point of www.retailstorewindows.com  However, we were struck by this latest scheme using giant neon lit fruits with the strap line Spirit of Summer.  We all know that this brand sells quality products even if it isn't somewhere we would necessarily normally shop ourselves (in fact the last time we did was pre-internet days - yes that long ago) however their latest scheme shouts 'confidence' and we all want a bit of that don't we? (as opposed to looking non committal in their offer. Maybe that's the reason why we've inadvertently given them a wide berth? Who Knows?).  From just one window scheme, this brand looks like one we would like to take a closer look at and we now may be more inclined to step over the threshold once again and take a closer look at what these guys are doing.  We are aware that its easy to sit behind our screens and poke fun at a brand but this one looks like its working so hard to win us back, it looks like a desirable department store (from the outside), the least we can do is take a closer look.  We did, will you?

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Karl Lagerfeld, London

Images Courtesy and Copyright www.harlequin-design.com

Beautifully produced and exquisitely executed its no wonder that tourists are blocking these windows in order to take 'selfies' and be a part of the spectacle.  An out sized revolving articulated wooden hand is the main focal point here with the addition of smaller versions in a repetition and gravitational format.  This scheme is certainly currently the most exciting along Regent street right now and great to see such investment in exciting and innovative Visual Merchandising.

 

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Selfridges, London

Images Courtesy and Copyright www.elemental.co.uk

If you still haven't seen the amazing Body Studio at Selfridges, here's another snippet to whet your appetites.  The lovely team at www.elemental.co.uk have been working closely with the creative team at Selfridges on their incredible window displays which accompanied the launch of the department stores new Body Studio Department.  If you have been reading any of the free newspapers or travelling on the tube then you would have seen some of the incredible marketing too.

The team at www.elemental.co.uk produced a variety of the elements contained within the staggering run of windows along Oxford street including these incredible kinetic metal sculptures in varying concave and flat form consisting of Gold and Copper discs with beautifully detailed Chrome finished bases.  These pieces are stunning in themselves and in conjunction with the team at Selfridges create an enviable installation.

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Joseph, London

Images Courtesy and Copyright Joseph

The latest concept at Joseph right now has been inspired by the Tribal trend which we've seen cropping up across a range of SS16 collections. 

The Masai tribes people have inhabited the arid plains of the Serengeti for over 4 centuries and the colours and fantastically intricate details that they adorn themselves with represent their wonderful qualities; Beauty, strength and tradition.

Using the characteristics of the tribes dress codes, the team at Joseph have explored and developed these details further and looked at the strong sculptural shapes of their necklaces, head masks and carved African Art and how this then influenced 20th century Modern Art movements in Sculpture and Architectural forms.  Commissioning sculptural pieces in aged Bronze and stone and applying recreated organic thatched roofs as the window backdrop, this brand is looking as amazing as usual.   

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Belstaff, London

We love the aesthetic at Belstaff right now with these delicious merchandise tones and textures.  Sand structures have been created to form plinths onto which are placed their fantastic footwear and elevating the mannequins to just above the bottom edge of the fenestration.  The mannequin positions are slightly reminiscent of a Police line up however rather than grouped as we would normally expect so any possible dynamic is lost but then everyone is an expert in Visual Merchandising, right?  Perhaps its time to recognise that we shouldn't always use computer packages to 'drag and drop' window schemes which this one has a strong whiff of.  This is not to say it is unlikable or wrong but all dynamics known to any well practiced Visual Merchandiser have clearly been lost in the digital production process leading to a very generic outcome. 

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Hugo Boss, London

We've noticed recently that Hugo Boss is looking rather softer than its usual Germanic self and this is a good thing too.  We've also recently read that this brand have unfortunately been closing stores in Asia so perhaps it is repositioning itself ever so slightly in order to appeal to a wider audience?  Who knows?  We can only guess from the outside looking in, however the installations are much more gentle than their usual Grey and hard edged looking schemes with their use of pale wooden screens with flashes of colour.  As always the product is fantastic and we may now be more inclined to have a look inside their stores.

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Vivienne Westwood, London

We haven't been passed Vivenne Westwood for a while and what a corker of a scheme right now.  With their Mirror The World strap line and, fantastic props and gravity defying bust form whats not to like at this luxury brand?  We only wish the service here matched the excellence of their windows however.  Lets just clarify this for you.  Bought something from here recently?  It broke?  Don't expect this brand to fix it for you.  Unlike most other luxury brands who will fix the stitching on your fabulous watch strap or mend your accessories this store will send you elsewhere when your precious purchases fall apart.  Not such a luxury service from such a premium brand sadly.  If this has changed then do let us know, we have a draw full of 'bits' from this brand which need fixing.  The windows look great though.

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Lanvin, London

We saw and showed you the larger version of this scheme at Lanvin's Parisian store a short while ago which looked quite spectacular.  Using their signature Blue tone and cartoon-like props this store is looking really cool right now even if the window spaces are relatively small by comparison to their Maison or at least flagship (?) store in Paris.

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Breitling, London

We've never included this brand previously (but then are fixtures of watches that interesting?).  Technically this store is known as an Institutional Complement (according to Luxury brand theory at least) and for this type of luxury product, normally the favoured method of product distribution is through department stores (watch stores don't tend to do very well - remember Elba?).  We wouldn't have normally included this store but we happened to capture some Visual Merchandising beyond their usual graphics.  Great prop, although perhaps the references to 'Nose Art' (i.e. the decorative painting on the fuselage of an aircraft) is possibly a little dated?  We're just putting this out there but will let you decide what you think.

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Dsquared2, London

This is one brand on the high street who are really putting some energy into their Visual Merchandising schemes.  Since they took over this Conduit street site we've seen some quite exciting installations coming through and this month, we clearly have references to SS16 (even if London weather is so miserable right now) with their beach hut-style structures and pastel shades.  We will continue to follow these guys and update you with wherever they go next with their installations.

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Brunello Cucinelli, London

We've spotted the use of jellyfish-style props across a few brands recently (remember our entry on Max Mara in Dubai?)  We are guessing that this is a seasonal 'thing' as we usually see these kinds of props at this time of year.  Beautifully tonal merchandise and props in a gravitational format, this brands' windows look gentle and of course are naturally beautifully produced.

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