Paris

This week before flying across the pond to the Big Apple to view their Christmas offering, we've decided to peruse the delights of the Parisian Retail schemes and have a look at what our friends across the channel are doing.  We have found some gorgeous bits here and made some videos too which, while a little naive at least hopefully will help the schemes come alive a little.  Anyway, just watch this space. 

Hermes, London

This scheme at Hermes really did stop us in our tracks.  How incredible?  We are absolutely stunned at this amazingly bold move and absolutely thank them for leading the way in producing such an exciting scheme which, we have to say, does make the surrounding luxe brands pale by comparison.  We have passed by this store along Bond street a few times during installation as there appeared to be a bit of a teaser going on but haven't had the time to stop until now.  This made us stop.  We are truly wowed.  Job superbly done.

Mappin and Webb, London

We are literally squeezing in all of the the amazing schemes happening in London right now as there is so much happening around town.  If you happen to be at the end of Bond Street where it meets Piccadilly then do swing by and check out these gorgeous little beauties at Mappin and Webb.   These guys have literally risen visually like Phoenix out of the retail ashes which followed after the global recession and it really is refreshing to see them looking so bold and confident.  We love these props here which really are exquisitely produced and of course so deftly handled.

Burberry, London

We have had so many entries to include recently that it has taken us forever to get around to include this brand.  Well, visually this brand have exploded this year back onto the visual scene and almost every scheme has been incredibly produced and extremely exciting to view.  This is an interesting scheme too which really could have gone so badly wrong but it seems these guys have pulled it off again.  There is the minor point of course that if we don't wear gloves while installing shiny stuff then finger prints do get everywhere and are very difficult to spot with tired eyes after an installation.  We were a little distracted by lots of them, but anyway, we're sure they will be around with the cleaner in the morning.

Ermenegildo Zegna, London

We are growing to like what this brand do with their presentation more and more right now.  We adored their installation in the Harrods windows around the corner from this store in Knightsbridge recently which absolutely oozed the best bits of their Italian background.  Anyway, here we have a series of sleighs stacked in what appears to be a Christmas tree-like format.  OK, well its not stopping the traffic on Sloane street but its is simple and does what it does very well.

Iris, Bangalore, India

Images Courtesy and Copyright Restore Solutions.

We do feel privileged that so many people from around the world send us images of their latest projects and we do try and include everyone when we can.  Far away from a very cold London the Indian brand Restore solutions have worked their magic on the Iris store, Bangalore, bringing the festival of light to life in this beautifully clean space.  Great to see some exciting bits happening all over the globe and not just here in the West.  Thank you guys for sharing your images. 

Desigual, London

This is a fun little window at Desigual.  You can view this also on our YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjJVZ3x7ep0

Calvin Klein, London

We have been drawn  into this brand over the year as there have been some very interesting schemes happening and this installation captures exactly the mood of London right now.  Frosty and freezing.  There's not much more to say about this although we cant wait to see the fantastic CK store in NYC in a few weeks' time as they always produce such extraordinary installations in conjunction with artists and designers which is just up our street.

J Crew, London

For those of you who remember C&A then you will know exactly where we are coming from.  We've seen this brand in the US and it actually looked really more than ordinary.  The launch of this store here in the heart of it all of course looked very interesting and they have actually produced a couple of interesting window schemes from their run of several (well these two at least).  However, do have a look inside and wonder to yourself.  Wonder we hear you ask?  Well, yes,  where is the visual merchandising?  How are we being enticed?  This is a massive space which no doubt has cost rather a lot of 'bucks' but how boring and generic does it have to be?  In the words of Jack Cohen (Tesco founder), 'Pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap'....well in this case a much higher price point for quite generic merchandise.  With shoes costing in some cases over £500, bits of Barbour chucked in and a sprinkling of cashmere sweaters presented in a Benetton kind of way we couldn't be less impressed.  Dull, dull, dull.

Prada, London

This was quite a difficult scheme to capture because of the bright lighting here, however, at least hopefully you are able so get some kind of view of what these guys have produced.  Big old printed luggage.  We quite like this one actually.  Do you?

Selfridges, London. Guest Post by Jodie Oram

Everyone of course looks forward to Selfridges Christmas windows and yet again this years scheme makes for a real visual treat, as well as creating a sense of fairytale enchantment. The windows have an overall theme of over sized products next to miniature worlds creating a real contradiction between the two. Featuring a giant YSL clutch bag and a Charlotte Olympia shoe they really put the focus back on the gift for Christmas. The detail that has gone into these snowscapes is, as always, extraordinary such as a tiny Father Christmas climbing up a giant Givenchy trainer and one attempting to scale up the tassel of a giant bag.  This infused with the movement of props from a rotating play-doh tub to the gentle beat of Dre headphones is very impressive, creating interactivity and entertainment to the masses of people flocking to see the windows.  One of the windows also features a gingerbread version of London’s cityscape created by food pioneers Bompas and Parr with even a Lyle's golden syrup frozen lake. Selfridges itself has also been turned into a miniature world in a snow globe which we found particularly enchanting.

jodieoram@outlook.com

Esprit, London

We've noticed a lot of, well what appears to be a little nod to sustainability here at Esprit for a while now.  The use of layers of cardboard seems to be their 'thing' at the moment which is extremely simple and yet so effective.  We love the use of the word here too particularly at this time of year; very understated and thank goodness no bling in sight.

Harvey Nichols, London

If you want or need to know how to 'do' Christmas then do swing by the incredible Harvey Nichols here in the centre of it all.  If you remember last years incredible scheme (which the brand so kindly allowed us to use an image from for the front cover of our book due out on 2nd January) then you may be wondering how on earth have they managed to better it?  Well, either get yourself over to Knightsbridge and take a look or just have a look at our video and decide for yourself. ......http://youtu.be/Z2Xu_GUmSlk

Reserved, Poland

Images Courtesy and Copyright http://www.vandenblocke.pl

We had never heard of this brand until we received these images but how cool are these guys looking?  We rarely venture to places such as Poland, Hungary, Lithuania and the Ukraine and didn't realise so much creativity was happening in the windows there, so we were particularly excited to see these..! The finish is beautifully produced, great mannequins in what looks like a high White gloss finish and perfectly understated Christmas scheme from this clearly innovative brand.

Molton Brown, London. Guest Post by Jodie Oram

This brand has never been featured on this site before and to be honest I have never been drawn to their windows. This scheme is best seen in person as photographs do not do it justice, and although it is a very simple concept it does work beautifully. Creating a real sense of Christmas excitement, the brand have installed a snow machine inside two panes of glass in the window. The snow, once fallen, is funnelled up through a tube at the side of the fenestration and then re-released from the top. The effect of this may not be as great in the day time, but of a night it is very enchanting. The standards of the products on display are of course also exceptional, really persuading us to go into the store to purchase a perfect Christmas present.

jodieoram@outlook.com

Fortnum and Mason, London

If you haven't been down to see Fortnum and Mason's Christmas scheme then here is a little snapshot for you.  Those of you who regularly follow this site will know we are huge fans of what these guys do and we've been trying to get close to these little gems but the crowds kept getting in the way so we have had to keep going back later and later in the evening to capture these, and in the cold and rain too, in order to show you these; don't even get us started on how difficult it was to make a video of it too.  Nightmare.  But here it is nonetheless: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAwa-83y56k

American Apparel, London. Guest Post by Jodie Oram

For a window scheme that is in partnership with the Barbican one would expect a rather more creative display, dont you think? This installation it seems was meant to draw reference to Pop Art, a movement that was known for bright, bold colours but sadly this is completely the opposite. The tube lighting looks very cheap and brash, but what I was drawn to predominantly were the standards of the presentation, or rather lack of them; wire has been left hanging from balloons and one can view where they have been previously sellotaped to the floor; many of the balloons are also half deflated.  Sadly, this is exactly the feeling this window has left me with.

jodieoram@outlook.com

Harrods, London

Wow, have you seen the latest scheme at Harrods right now?   The Harrods Express complete with life sized train with attached carriages fill the whole run of these windows.  This scheme really is truly remarkable.  The whole building shimmers and flickers and really does communicate the type of Christmas excitement that always used to at least seem to happen but got lost somewhere in between childhood and growing up.  If there is one place to visit and view a scheme then it really has to be here.  Of course, still images don't actually communicate how fantastic this scheme is so we've included a video of it also.  You can check out our video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKOA3d9IUoU

Hermes Visual Merchandising, A/W 2013, Germany

Hermès Vitrines Fall 2013 in Germany from Tim John on Vimeo.
Video courtesy and copyright Tim John.

Wow, if you live in Germany then you probably saw this scheme by the guys at www.timjohn.de  Go and check out their site and watch the whole process happen before your very eyes.  Incredible scheme.

Karen Millen, London; Guest Post by Jodie Oram

Karen Millen’s current window on Regent Street is very beautiful and almost ethereal. Although it may not be the boldest of windows, it does not need to be, as it has been executed exceptionally well with real skill and craftmanship. The forms and shapes that have been created with this installation are incredible and work brilliantly with the subtlety of the mannequins. A really exceptional window from the Karen Millen brand.  A video of this scheme can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnmsM6cCWIs

jodieoram@outlook.com
Installation by Mamou-Mani Architects

Hackett, London

If you happen to be along Regent street soon then do go and check out the new Hackett store.  If you weren't at the launch on Friday then where were you?  This brand new shiny store clearly is their flagship and considering the short time that this changed, mercifully from the old Ferrari store in  collaboration with those lovely boys at Harlequin Design to the latest Hackett store is quite spectacular.  If you want to swing by for a fabulous G+T with ice and something magical that they do to them then grab yourself one here (we did), if you need your shoes polished to perfection then have it done here (we did and what a fine job the guy did too), if you need a personal shopper or personalised workshop then yes, you can have it done here; its just like department stores have done for over a century in one wonderful gentleman's paradise.  Movember heaven really, and very nice they all are too.  We've made a short video of the windows which you can view on our YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJUAxESfa74

Hugo Boss, London

We're not entirely sure what we think of this installation.  Just lots of gift wrapped boxes surrounding the usual background.  We've seen this amazing Blue illuminated background for several months now and it did look very enticing initially, although we have moved on now and, well, this scheme hasn't.  Shame really, but quite a lazy scheme from this retailer for this time of year, don't you think?  This of course is not to say we don't like it, as that's irrelevant anyway, but complete lack of humour, complete lack of innovation, complete lack of any excitement or interest at all just screams that they just don't care or that no-one is in control of any form of creativity.  Out-of-the-delivery-box schemes just don't kick it for us. 

Agent Provocateur, London

That looks cold?  All Dolled up for the Hollidays at Agent Provocateur. London.  Mannequin in her lingerie.

Massimo Dutti, London

We were a little puzzled by the latest scheme from Massimo Dutti.  Why puzzled we hear you ask? Well, doesn't this reference the Gatsby trend which happened last May?  We know of course and understand the processes which trends follow although this is becoming much flatter and the journey from implementation at luxury brands to mid-rangers much quicker and therefore we are a little surprised to see it now when everyone else has done it?  Ah well, that's the Massimo Christmas scheme for you; just 6 months too late.

Anthropologie, London

We always have to have a could old 'fix' at Anthropologie whenever we feel the need to be inspired and cleansed  and of course cant wait to visit their stores in NYC in a few weeks' time.  With the Christmas season well and truly upon us (well in a retail sense at least) this brand always surprise us and encourage us that their is hope out there for creativity within Visual Merchandising within a global brand.  Thank goodness for Anthro. we say.