Retail: All Strung Up in London

While shopping in London last week, I couldn’t help but notice all of the string installations that kept popping up throughout the big department stores. From elaborate window displays to intricate floor designs, immense and artistic webs seemed to be woven throughout the merchandise in an effort to spice things up.

Selfridges, one of London’s main department stores, always dedicates a portion of it’s windows to art and is currently displaying a truly complex and over sized replica of a twisted loom. The design is very abstract with a constructivist style. Not only is it impressive, but wholly inspirational; I love it when I see good modern art that can inspire my own work.

Over at Liberty, there’s a beautiful geometric crystal chandelier installation that spans at least 4 floors in the Women’s section. It’s gorgeous and truly an art-meets-glam piece. Definitely worth the visit to the store to see it up-close.

In the Women’s areas at Harvey Nichols, the string trend continues with a crazy and abstract chandelier near the Women’s cash wrap. When you venture down to the Men’s section, you can’t help but notice a totally cheeky display of miniature mountain climbers scaling Goliath mannequins- such a surreal and humorous display! Luckily the sales people turned a blind eye as I sneaked pictures, pretending to be a Japanese tourist. In all, some very inspirational displays, though beware, you’ll likely need to unravel your tired legs after a day of London shopping.

Coverage by: Angela Chen

March 1, 2010 | By: Shayna Kulik

Holiday Windows in Paris

A few weeks ago we went to Paris on a trending trip for one of our clients. Along the way, we shot imagery, left and right, as everything caught our eye! Few places are more inspirational during holiday season and we wanted to share a few of our favorite and most relevant window shots with you.

Creative Sleighs

The idea of the sleigh will never go away and Printemps has reinvented the idea this season with a few clever solutions. Lucky cats double as carousels, blending eastern and western themes with the use of color and costume. Contrasting the slick porcelain sleigh, needle point horse and chariots sit a few windows away, giving the concept of decoupage new meaning.

Pretty in Pink

Be it evil chucky babies or over sized matryoshka dolls, Parisians are pulling at feminine strings, combing pink palettes with textured backdrops. The babies and their necklaces can be found in the Marais, while the Russian dolls are part of a Chanel series at Printemps.

Paper Graphics

H&M is a little different in Europe. The merchandise is slightly less chaotic and the attention to detail is more on target. The overarching theme this season embraces the doll house, incorporating a multitude of printed box tops to achieve this effect. Taping less vivid palettes on the interior retail displays, 3D/2D illustrations cover the back walls, reminding us what Audrey Hepburn’s closet would look like if she chose to collaborate with H&M.

White Wonderland

Be it an orbiting headdress from Chanel or a glistening crown from Printemps, white is the safest and most glamorous color choice for the holiday season, particularly when paired with gold. Be it paper, branches, toule or pearl, both of these windows seem to have taken a page out of Ralph Lauren’s playbook.

Figurine Storytelling

Tugging at the customer’s inner child. these two windows remind us of Toy Story, from both the masculine and feminine perspective. Warrior play sets battle through mens merchandise while pink doll sets tumble though pink ribbon obstacle courses.

December 22, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Gift Guide for the Little Ones

Over the next few days we’ll be rolling out various gift guides from a pattern point of view. Today we’re focusing on the little ones. Whether you’re in the market for your own kids, your friends kids or your beloved pets, we’ve got crafty ideas to inspire creative giving at every price point. Take a look and let us know what’s on your list this holiday season!

1. ShapeMaker by Miller Goodman, $54

2. Organic Fun Dough, $15 and up

3. Doodles: A Really Giant Coloring and Doodling Book, $18.95

4. Bla Bla Tiger Doll, $36

5. And to Name but Just a Few, Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, $12

6. Cheyenne Collar + Leash Set, $65 and up

7. Baby Jungle Dish Box Set, $34

8. Books to Bed: “Corduroy” PJ + Book Set, $46

9. Doggie Houndstooth Sweater, $15 and up

10. Kid Robot Pascagoula Alien, $120

11. Make Your Own Monster Kit, $24

12. Corella Clutching Rattle, $14

December 14, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Fashion: Luxurious Loot

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Everyone’s aware that the fashion industry’s taken a bit of a beating over the past year. As brands struggle to stay afloat, artists continue to incorporate economic themes into their design work. Beyond creating money inspired products, we’re beginning to see marketing dollars move in the same tactile direction. Both Bond St. no 9 and Vince are provocatively challenging street audiences to embrace this ominous topic by putting dollar signs and bank robbers in their windows. Taking a similarly playful approach, Alexandra Cassaniti has recently released this money bag into her product line-up, proclaiming, “it’s funny to carry a bag with a dollar sign down the street. People are always like, ‘did you rob a bank?’ or ‘do you have money in there?'”

November 18, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Follow-up: The Latest Checks in Town

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It’s been but two weeks since Bloomingdales in New York City opened their doors to a remodeled beauty department. Now, $55M dollars later, we have glossy checkers to compliment six new brands: Bare Essentials, Jo Malone, Shu Uemura, Sisley, Bumble and Bumble and Giorgio Armani. This rendering highlights the perfume area, just one section of the cosmetics floor. As we’ve noted over the past few months, Alexander McQueen, Amy Winehouse, Vivienne Tam and Kandinsky are all artists that have found inspiration in this timeless staple, so too will the customers, the retail financiers are hoping.

By: Shayna Kulik

October 29, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Fashion: The New Face of Lace

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There’s true intrigue when it comes to lace. Delicate and dainty, it both conceals and reveals. While we’re all accustomed to seeing its multitude of personalities in fashion, home goods and accessories, reoccurring ties to privacy and obscured visibility have been a constant theme over the past few seasons, making us wonder if everyone’s watching Eyes Wide Shut all over again.

The editors at Dazed and Confused are continuing to manipulate eyes in sadistically interesting layouts just as designers are racing to reinterpret them into tactile accessories. This Karl Lagerfeld tote is brilliantly inaccessible and proves our point with it’s € 1500.00 price tag.

Uma Thurman’s styling on the May ‘09 NY Times Magazine cover adds a layer of intrigue just as the geometric lace pattern on these Urban Outfitter curtains convey feelings of graphic obscurity. Pulling from past influences, Aperture’s Weegee Spoofs the New Spring Hats spread by Michael Caccaro provides a playful window into the world of advertising and photography in 1957. Fast forward 52 years and Jean Paul Gaultier has created his own interpretation of hooded mystery.

Bringing beauty back to the forefront, this delicate Shu Uemura portrait paired alongside this seductive Dazed spread, reveals the ease with which we can jump mediums and industries, proving sexy or sweet, lace is truly a gatekeeper.

Coverage by: Emily Gup, Kelsey-Lee LeGassick and Shayna Kulik

October 20, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik