Sammlung Boros Collection, Berlin

This is a must go and visit place in Berlin if you are in need of a bit of culture.  The amazing contemporary Art collection of Christian and Karen Buros is staggering.  The place itself even more so.  Beginning life as a former WWII Nazi bunker it had many other lives including a place for storage for fruit when it was known as the Banana Bunker and also a fetish club famed as the hardest club in the world.  The walls are 4 metres thick in places and has a penthouse apartment where the Boros live.  Apparently to put an additional staircase to the apartment above, it took builders 6 months to drill through the concrete.  This is by appointment only and the works are shown by guided tour only. 

Check out our fantastic sponsors below for incredible Visual Merchandising solutions or click on the banners on the side of the main page at www.retailstorewindows.com

Starstyling, Berlin

Like just about every other boutique we simply buy into their 'edit' however at the well known and beautiful Starstyling this really proved to be an interesting selection.  We particularly loved the escalator and stairs wallpaper and the re-vintaged fixtures mixed with a bit of metal piping.  Put this one on your list of places to visit.

Check out our fantastic sponsors below for incredible Visual Merchandising solutions or click on the banners on the side of the main page at www.retailstorewindows.com

The Corner Berlin, Berlin

The Corner Berlin was on our hot list of places to go and see.  We did actually also swing by LaLa Berlin but they aren't actually doing very much and the hype around them is, well just hype really.  This is quite a large store by Boutique standards and not quite Collette although the same kinds of products are here.  Beyond the huge White walls there isn't anything very visual apart from a couple of mannequins in the windows but great selection of product and of course they have the fabulous Le Labo  and Cire Truvdon ranges too.

Check out our fantastic sponsors below for incredible Visual Merchandising solutions or click on the banners on the side of the main page at www.retailstorewindows.com

Made in Berlin, Berlin

If you like a bit of vintage then look no further than Made In Berlin.  This is the kind of store that we see the world over and although this isn't the most visual of places it is very well organised and quite well presented.  We were 'told off' for taking photos here but, what ev' life is a little short to worry about these things so we're including them here anyway and telling thousands of people but, buuuuutttt if the sales team dropped their bad attitude we may have been inclined to make a purchase or two.   

Check out our fantastic sponsors below for incredible Visual Merchandising solutions or click on the banners on the side of the main page at www.retailstorewindows.com

Apartment, Berlin

You really do need to know your stuff to find this place.  Apartment Berlin oozes the coolness of this amazing city selling the best of the best in luxury brands.  Well where is the merchandise we hear you ask?  Well its so exclusive that you have to walk down the spiral staircase (image below) into a cavernous Black space below ground.  By the way, there's no photography allowed so we cant show you the interior and the sales guys watch you like a hawk presumably to unnerve you.  Leave your Primark bags behind too as they don't allow them in here. 

Check out our fantastic sponsors below for incredible Visual Merchandising solutions or click on the banners on the side of the main page at www.retailstorewindows.com

Wondrous, Berlin

This is our new favourite shop in the world.  It seems to be rather rare to find a city without the multitude of global brands on every corner of the high street but here in Berlin there are heaps of gorgeous boutiques and Germany only based brands.  The merchandise is fantastic and all individually made here in Germany with super friendly sales guys which would make a luxury brand Green with envy.   There are two stores very close to each other here in Berlin, one which houses their Black and White collection and one which contains their colour range.  Sadly they don't appear to sell online so you will just have to visit here yourself. Its definitely worth it but do check out their website anyway here http://www.sensounico.com/

Check out our fantastic sponsors below for incredible Visual Merchandising solutions or click on the banners on the side of the main page at www.retailstorewindows.com

Casa Camper, Berlin

This week we are in what is possibly the coolest place on the planet (well apart from London of course) and visiting some of the fantastic boutiques and shows for Berlin Fashion week.  What is so great about Berlin is that we are actually able to dodge the usual H&M's, the Gaps and the other mega brands which dominate and pollute our high streets.  Of course, these brands are here but there are also so many other cool places to see too which always makes for a pleasurable shopping experience.  So, strap yourselves in we have some real corkers to show you.

Check out our fantastic sponsors below for incredible Visual Merchandising solutions or click on the banners on the side of the main page at www.retailstorewindows.com

Silent Partners Exhibition, Cambridge, UK

We did leave this exhibition to the last minute but wow it was worth the visit.  Silent Partners; Artist and Mannequin from Form to fetish, is an exquisitely curated exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge here in the UK.  'This ground breaking exhibition is devoted to the artists mannequin which uncovers its playful, uncanny - and sometimes disturbing - history from the renaissance to the present day'.  Sadly the last day is tomorrow but you can catch the exhibition at the Musee Bourdelle from 1st April 2015 in Paris.  We weren't allowed to take images to show you, well apart from a couple of covert ones to whet your appetites (well we did buy the book too) and if you can get to Paris (or Cambridge on Sunday - just 1 hour from London) it really is worth the visit if you can make it. 

Check out our fantastic sponsors below for incredible Visual Merchandising solutions or click on the banners on the side of the main page at www.retailstorewindows.com

Prada, London

Continuing with what appears to us to be Prada's references to interiors and architecture their latest scheme contains faux perspective views created from these beautiful wooden panels with its horizontal grain. As usual this brand looks fantastic and interesting.  Glimpses of the scenery behind of landscapes in monochromatic tones forms the focal point beyond the product.  Great to see at least one luxury brand not looking vulgar.

Check out our fantastic sponsors below for incredible Visual Merchandising solutions or click on the banners on the side of the main page at www.retailstorewindows.com

Selfridges, London

There has been an enormous amount of press around this scheme and all for the right reasons too.  This installation along these staggeringly large windows on Oxford Street celebrates the Bright Old things and the retirement renaissance, so essentially people who have retired but refuse to go away quietly; fantastic stuff.  There is a truly remarkable and inspiring story here so do check out Selfridges website as there is a heap of information about their latest scheme.  Thankfully this is one brand getting everything oh so damned right.

Check out our fantastic sponsors below for incredible Visual Merchandising solutions or click on the banners on the side of the main page at www.retailstorewindows.com

Patek Philippe, London

This is a brand which don't normally seem to do very much which is why we rarely go to view them, however we were rather struck by this installation of exquisitely made props based on narratives from historical text.  From the 1851 Worlds Fair, the 1932 A Stern Family Affair to the 1851 Journey to St. Petersburg these windows look absolutely incredible.  We know the product is of course Uber premium but now they finally have the windows to match.  If you do have the opportunity to see these then do swing by as the level of detail here is quite phenomenal.

Check out our fantastic sponsors below for incredible Visual Merchandising solutions or click on the banners on the side of the main page at www.retailstorewindows.com

Fendi, London

We do love a bit of humour in windows which seems to be so lacking in most brands schemes, but then that's globalisation for you we guess.  Parachuting their products to you right now is the Frndi installation along Bond street.  This is such a difficult store to capture as there is pillar right in front of their windows but we hope you can appreciate the scheme nonetheless.

Check out our fantastic sponsors below for incredible Visual Merchandising solutions or click on the banners on the side of the main page at www.retailstorewindows.com

Joseph, London

Images Courtesy and Copyright Joseph

Joesph have just launched their SS15 windows at their Fulham Road store inspired by the gorgeous new Valentino pre-collection and in conjunction with the french artist Joy de Rohan Chabot.  This moss filled window is quite a spectacle to view with beautifully placed butterflies inside and on the exterior of their building; this is something that we just don't see often enough here in London.  If you want to view more of Chabot's work do have a look at her installation here of her amazingly hand painted Butterflies at Chateau D'Haroue too.  Stunning.  http://www.joyderohanchabot.com/expositions  

Check out our fantastic sponsors below for incredible Visual Merchandising solutions or click on the banners on the side of the main page at www.retailstorewindows.com

Moschino, London

Oh yes they did.  This is a difficult scheme to describe beyond a mannequin reclining on an out sized can of drink.  So there you go, a mannequin reclining on an out sized can of drink at Moschino.  Great prop though.

Check out our fantastic sponsors below for incredible Visual Merchandising solutions or click on the banners on the side of the main page at www.retailstorewindows.com