Halloween, London

Its that time of year again. No, not Christmas just yet, although I have noticed schemes being installed recently in the centre of London. Unlike our cousins across the pond we simply just don't seem to do anything for Halloween here in London. I really struggled to find anyone who was doing anything to promote this commercial nonsense, some skipping it completely and jumping to a Christmas scheme. This is going to make it hard for me to write about anything in the next few weeks if the schemes that are being implemented are going to last until the 25th December, when its still October. Anyway, David and Goliath, a brand that I am completely unfamiliar with have installed the scheme you see here. Scary, eh? I did manage to find a couple of other Halloween bits and pieces around town. Tezenis displayed some pumpkins in their window surrounded with posters from scary films and Stella McCartney installed an inflatable mortuary. Oh well, bring on the Christmas schemes I guess and lets hope the credit crunch ends soon.

Profile Display, London

How many places can one go and be in the company of so many famous people? Well visit Profile Display in West London and you can be in the company of Twiggy Lawson, Sandie Shaw and Marie Helvin (Above pic). This is only the tip of the iceberg. Crammed to the rafters in this Aladdin's cave of mannequins of yesteryear are figures with names that read like a who's who. Yes, they look 'nackered, chipped, scratched, worn and unloved, but to anyone truly creative who can see their potential and knows how to handle this product well, this is a gem of a find. Afterall they can all be renovated as the client desires. Kim Fraser is the Director here, doing what it says on the tin with an amazing sense of humour. What Kim doesn't have in his stock isn't worth having. Show him a mannequin and he can name the collection, the person and even the production code. He probably even has the original catalogue - truly incredible. I first came across Profile Display through a contact of mine many years ago. They don't advertise, they don't have a website and if you're lucky you may get a reply from an e-mail - very Unter stuff. And yet you would be amazed at how often you will see their work, quietly working away and serving this industry. This is a must have contact for any free-lancer or designer out there.

Kim Fraser can be contacted at kim@profile-display.co.uk

Hackett, London

I rarely look at Hackett along Regent St. here in London, although I was drawn in by this scheme. Although I'm not an ardent fan of bust forms because of the lack of legs which always appears to me as if the figures are floating in space. Anyway, the attention to detail here is quite superb. While this is not the most cutting edge brand they do do what they do extremely well. The dressing is exquisite in monochromatic tones with the odd hint of Blue, and the articulated arms on the bust forms gives the sense of movement so desperately needed when using these forms. The backdrop uses the repetition of bowler hats in frames, reinforcing that this is a 'gentleman's' brand and appealing possibly to the professional / city type of target market.

Calvin Klein, London

This is an interesting scheme from Calvin Klein along Regent st. here in London. Gold sprayed headless male mannequins supported with slick monochromatic images of males as the backdrop in a steamy shower scenario wearing jeans. There is one cubicle with a male and female mannequin however I could not find a scene with two males or indeed two females sharing the scenario - I guess its only single males or heterosexual couples that actually have or share showers. I cant help feeling that Calvin Klein have risked alienating a huge segment of their adopted or perhaps rather unexpected target audience - I feel a trip to clubland or the street (by the CK crew) would have clarified or supported my thinking here. However, looking in store I do really like the way the fixture at the centre of the image directs people through the space creating the initial focal point and and reinforcing the sexual, oily and erotic image that they [CK] seem to be striving for.

Anthropologie, London

I have been waiting for the opening of Anthropologie for quite some time and therefore was quite excited to finally view the finished store. Having initially viewed the store from across the street, to enable me to get wider perspective of the site I was intrigued to find out what this scheme was about. On closer inspection the 'things' suspended on these strings are in fact teabags...! Whether they are dipped in colour or just a collection of herbal teabags is not quite clear, however on this scale it creates an incredibly dramatic effect.

Usually, I am not allowed to photograph inside stores and am often ushered out by the in house security if I attempt to do so. Therefore, during my late evening flaneur-ing of the city I sometimes manage to photograph these places through the glass - thankfully this worked quite well and we are able to view the customers journey (at least in part) through the space. I know a lot of you have asked me to include more interiors so hopefully this will suffice. Anyway, to the right of the space we have the usual promotional merchandise behind which is the first focal point. Although the display above the shelves doesn't actually relate to the product below, its more of an installation, it is brilliantly produced. (If you click on the visual below to enlarge it you will see what I mean) Looking directly through the store we have the dreaded pillars that plague in so many ways the flow through the space. I think I would have done something with this in this instance as it is one of the first things a customer sees. The bust form does attempt to disguise it however I feel that it needs something much bigger. My only real criticism however is the use of the bust forms which seem rather lost both in the windows and in store. The bust forms seem to give the illusion that they are merely hovering in the space rather than making a statement that says 'we are here'. Still, it is a pleasure find new places to shop and this store is a welcome addition helping to refresh this lower end of Regent st. here in London.

Tatler 300th Year Anniversary

Following on from my recent images that are promoting the 300Th Anniversary of Tatler magazine, I felt compelled to include this superbly produced window at Nicole Farhi. The style of this Union Jack piece is of course produced in the style we have seen from Dolce & Gabbana recently on the catwalks. I am so pleased that we are claiming back the Union Jack symbol after years of it being used as propaganda for an unsavoury political party. I also managed to capture the latest installation from Moschino (below). Parts of this I actually think work very well, particularly the figure/magazine pieces, although I am not quite sure about the magazines in skirts / dresses?

Libertys, London

The current scheme at Liberty's here in London have been inspired by the images of AnOther magazine, the culturally rich luxury fashion magazine which I believe is only printed twice annually. The images that the magazine print really do ooze 'Cool' and I this has been reflected very well in this current scheme. I recorded the previous scheme (below) but I could remember what the idea behind it was - I think a recent book launch. Anyway, Liberty's really are doing some exciting stuff. I particularly like how they have covered the back of the building along Carnaby street in a floral print. I can appreciate how difficult it is to get permission to do this so I take my hat of to Liberty's for achieving it. I frequently view tourists having their photograph taken in front of it so seems to keep them very happy too.



Previous Scheme

Dover St. Market, London

While wandering around town recently I decided to drop by Dover St. market to see what they are up to and found this scheme. It was late in the evening (although you may not think so from the images), however I am not quite sure what to make of this scheme, although I do actually like it. They have used a mass of vinyl on the glass with an almost confetti like design broken up with the various names of the designers who work is sold in store (I am guessing here though) The interior space did leave a lot to be desired if you consider retail standards although as it is called Dover st. market, so maybe thats ok? I am not sure however what the Penquins are about?

Burberry, London

Burberry's current scheme uses the essence of their signature design. Here we have examples of the design being used in a light box and below a cubed structure again using the similar design. I am not quite sure where Burberry are going with their recent concepts which seem to be all based around the same design presented in as many different formats as they can possibly think of. I must admit, I am beginning to struggle describing the same design for every scheme. They may as a brand be trying to reinforce their cool after a long period of being hijacked by their association with the 'Chav' look. However, while the merchandise is as superb as ever, the presentation (and I don't wish to be derogatory, this is just an observation) but it is getting harder and harder for me to raise any enthusiasm for these recent schemes.

Asprey, London

I rarely record images from Asprey of London, possibly because the price range of the merchandise is way out of my budget. Anyway, I happened to find this scheme the other day which is based on the sale of the Beatles memorabilia. What was such a pleasure to find were the details of the text on the bases of these bust forms in a chrome finish. The turn around time for these kind of schemes can be remarkably quick and within 12 hours the scheme was changed again to the image below. By the very nature of this type of merchandise, of course no others exist and I can only image that it was all sold as it was replaced by the scheme shown in the image at the bottom.

Moschino, London

I managed to capture this scheme by Moschino just a few hours before it was dismantled (last picture below). This brand produce some quite abstract schemes for their window and this is no exception. Here we can see them use these out sized mirrors, one of which forms the head of the seated figure. I like to see these land-of-the-giants style props which seem be cropping up a lot recently in a variety of schemes across London. However, I am not quite sure what this scheme is saying to me. Are these mirrors reflecting our vanity? or are they just props placed without any real thought? Are they perhaps a part of a much bigger campaign that I am not aware of or just a random thought. I feel that these schemes should communicate at least something to the viewer. Or, are we perhaps supposed to fill in the gaps ourselves and just look knowingly at them and at least pretend to understand?

Apple store, London

The pristine environment of the Apple store here in London is quite incredible. The fantastic glass staircase leading the customer up to the first floor looks quite fragile, yet to walk on it you realise it could probably carry a large truck. I also like the way one is able to see right through this staircase towards the back wall, although there is unfortunately nothing to view. This store is always so incredibly mobbed on a daily basis. The large benches in a Beech finish placed logically in the pure white space creates an environment that looks more like a laboratory than a retail space. Apple are not really known for their creative window spaces (as far as I know at least) although the video wall is quite mesmerising. I watched the people below momentarily who were drawn in by the video screen.

Jigsaw, London

It was so sad to find that the the Jigsaw store along Bond Street here in London had completely gone, and so quickly too. I am guessing that this was the flagship for the brand and so many really creative ideas were coming out from this store. It is sadly typical of this credit crunch time we find ourselves in and I guess these things have to happen to keep the smaller stores afloat. I am finding more and more of these empty sites around London and it really is so sad. Thankfully, the smaller Jigsaw stores along Argyll Street and Notting Hill are alive and maybe the kind of schemes that have been produced work better on a smaller scale. Anyway, the current scheme uses these land-of-the-giants out sized cotton reels. They are quite good fun creating the illusion that the bust forms and mannequins have almost Lilliputian proportions.

Benetton, London

I rarely photograph Benetton or even really take any notice of what they do visually, I suppose because the brand seems, at least to me to have lost its way somewhere along the line. When Oliviero Toscani's photographs of a Nun and Priest in a passionate embrace, the newly born baby still bloody or the Aids victims on death beds, gave this brand a real edge which seems to have disappeared somewhere along the line. This is a shame as I guess the brand is now more than brightly coloured sweaters (and mountains of them) that filled these sites last time I shopped there. Anyway, I did find myself drawn to this scheme although I think I would have laid this out quite differently and bearing in mind the height of the space here in an absolutely prime location, I think I would have perhaps really filled this space with these wooden discs to create a much stronger statement. The use of the grey tone in windows does shout luxury to me (even if the product is not), however I feel this is lost as while in essence the scheme and idea is there, the execution of it could do with a huge dose of drama and creativity.

Michael Kors, London

Michael Kors here in London oozes the typical American aesthetic. The interior space of this store with its white glossy surfaces and and pure white figures is a world away from the hustle and bustle of central London. Within this interior space we can see the use of designated spaces with the change in floor surfaces and low level lighting in conjunction with clearly identified focal and pause points. Lighting has been used to highlight certain areas within the space, particularly the figures wearing the merchandise which draws us toward them. Kors seems to veer towards the use of headless figures which I feel looks a little odd for this type of brand, particularly in the previous scheme further below, however perhaps this is an attempt to appeal to a wider audience, who knows. The current window scheme uses multiple chains as the backdrop, which seems to be popular currently amongst some of the designer stores here in London.

Stella McCartney, London

I find it quite difficult to describe Stella McCartney's visual communication concepts. Stella is such an Uber designer and I am always a little surprised by these schemes in her London Store. Figures have been placed in a linear and repetitive format and Brown paper bags with painted faces of a variety of characters from clowns to Lions have been placed over their heads. I really cannot say any more than this about the concept. I feel that perhaps this needs a much stronger concept behind it to support the amazing merchandise or remove the figures completely. Alternatively, I think I would have probably only used three figures as a group or have separate groups of two and three. Maybe there could have been a figure sat on the floor or even added plinths to give different levels of height to form a pyramid. Either way, I feel it would have added a great deal of interest and promoted what is essentially an interesting brand.

Louis Vuitton, London

Further to yesterdays blog and Tatler Magazines 300th year anniversary, Louis Vuitton have installed this really fun scheme in celebration. Hundreds, if not thousands of Gold candles form the background to this scheme placed on a Gold reflective surface. The Mannequin sprayed bright red stands alone in this scheme. The windows in this store are extremely narrow so it is quite amazing what they do achieve. Building work on their larger site opposite this store seems never ending. The hoardings have been up for months and I am dying to see what the new store looks like. Anyway, in the meantime, a small pile of Gold party candles are layed at the mannequins feet, and as this is Louis Vuitton, a Golden fire extinguisher is provided should she need it.

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.