When I saw this at Anthropologie a while back, I was floored at how dry cleaner hangers could live an ethereal life beyond their intended purpose…but that’s what good retail installations do, right? They take ordinary, everyday objects and give them new meaning. These triangular ribbons mimic an avian theme and I love it. What do you think?
Here’s a short round up of a few retail displays in and around New York, enjoy!
Aritzia: I find myself snapping Aritzia’s windows just as much as Anthopologie’s. From a creative perspective, they’re just as interesting, though carefully minimalist. Here the retail team devised 3D cardboard hexagons covered in a lux marbling technique.
Anthropologie: These in-store ornaments resemble mythical suns and the spirograph application of the rubber bands add a fascinating touch. These could easily be a DIY project to do at home.
Hugo Boss: This unisex window represents the gift-giving season in a subtle, stately way: a swing of gift boxes constructed together gets the point across after a sidewalk double-take.
Best Pizza: This Williamsburg Pizza shop has crowd sourced their wall art, using customer drawings to make a fabulous and familiar texture. It’s delightful to get lost in the illustrations while getting a late night slice.
Bold contrasts make incredible statements when striped down to the basics. Just as camoflauge, florals and animal prints are staples, so are colorless patterns. When you add a singular hue to the mix though, you’re setting the mood – red/black/white screams news(!) while a canary yellow conveys alert(!) Eggplant still has a regal feel to it and kelly green feels playful and unexpected.
Last night, while paying bills, canceling memberships, and catching up on articles saved, I also paged through piles of product from Bergdorf Goodman, Madewell, LandsEnd, J.Crew and Anthropologie. These three images sold a story to me: Manolo Blahnik’s houndstooth, polka dotted and striped heels, Proenza Schouler’s textured clutches and Anthropologie’s cotton upholstered Astrid Chair. All loose, lyrical, rigid and of the moment.
Every few weeks, we’re churning out tangram posts. It’s longevity mirrors that of the skull trend, as they’ve been around for years and aren’t disappearing anytime soon. Today’s feature highlights the 3D connectivity that occurs when you bring these triangles to life. I snapped the the top photo while at Anthropologie last week. The notebook’s a nice translation of the aesthetic and palette, by Papier Tigre, and the model’s wearing a rather intricate and impressive design by Sandra Backlund. Just below, we’re sharing a very special project by the folks at Pattern Makers. The art represents an info graphic about the frequency of blood groups in Singapore’s donor population. Amazing.
The best retail displays are made meticulously with TLC. Today’s feature highlights the delicate beauty of hanging flowers. Inspired by the drying process, as illustrated in the first photo, flowers are elegant in all lives. Handmade in both instances, Anthropologie‘s paper tulips hang above their home department. Bisous Ciao‘s display, a love of labor by the owner and chef, Tanya Ngangan, is a gradual wave of layered papers. All very season appropriate, isn’t it?
We’ve all had those days- the ones that are never-ending, where all you need is a pick-me-up to tackle the afternoon to-do list. The other day, I noticed a few peculiar (read: awesome) photos in my instagram feed from my friend Kristine. Her and her co-worker, Katie from Bitly, decided to spice up their lunch break with a trip to Anthropologie, and behold, the tumblr, Gone to Lunch was started. There’s a fun little patterned theme going on here- have a look, Paragon Sports is next!