A Wonderful Summer at Anthropologie

It's a dark day here in NYC - so we are looking back to a brighter time a couple months ago.. at Anthropologie - a brief look back to creative uses of used objects.

Anthropolgie's windows vary from store to store, yet always follow a consistent theme and shared elements.

Here's a few interpretations showing wine corks for Earth Day, and hanging paper petals for summer. We love the creativity and craftsmanship and look forward to seeing the holiday windows - sure to dazzle us soon.

Levi's shines during Fashion Night Out

Fashion Night Out was Thursday September 8th and many in NYC (and around the country) were out to celebrate and support retailers. Levi's put on a good show in it's Meat Packing location.

We love these wooden skyscraper/ skyline buildings - because the scale is so great and the lighting was terrific.
Love the simple drama of this one - a good example of a the extra effort many of the retailers took.

"Interpretations in Wood" at Anthropologie

Anthropologie never disappoints with it's unique window concepts and the various ways the stores install them. Recently, we compared the "Window frame windows" of Rockefeller Center and the 5th Avenue locations.

At Rockefeller Center, they used the wooden frames to build geometric yet somewhat abstract shapes. Ranging from simple backdrops to full structured sculptures, the windows were quite eye catching.

On 5th Ave the message was still very effective though much less abstract. The frames were larger and filled with the colored wood bits that only made an accent at the Rockefeller store. The effect was more colorful and somewhat artistic looking.

Both stores did a great job of catching our eye as Anthropologie delivers on a message!

Manikins take over Hermes

Hermes' current windows showcase their heritage craftsmanship and it seems the small manikins are doing all the work!

Wearing little aprons made of leather and canvas, these small articulated wooden people are lending a hand to make saddles, leather goods and scarves.

Fantasy windows are great, especially after the holidays when we see so much emphasis on SALES - this is a much needed treat.

Christian Dior does nothing small

Now we have seen brands try to spice up the scaffolding during renovations but NOTHING like this. Here this luxury retailer used a large scale "Lady Dior Bag" to cover up the front of their 57th Street store while they renovate. This is a bag Clifford, the big red dog might love!!

And we do too - talk about keeping the continuity of your brand. Bravo!!!

Anthropologie draws customers inside with art

We think this is a neat way of using the outdoor mall space to bring customers in and carry the VM message throughout the store.

These rattan and rope abstract sculptures were hanging outside the store, in the window and within the store helping to create an overall cohesive theme.

The natural, arty quality helped set the mood for this seasons clothes and lent the store environment an air of whimsical sophistication.

What are other ways have you seen to creatively draw customers into stores visually?

Hermes amazing action window

WOW! - I had read about this but not seen it until now - it was an Hermes window in Tokyo where a video of a woman appears to move a classic Hermes scarf by blowing on it. This is an amazing use of technology for Visual Merchandising.

Blackhawks Mohawk and other excitement

As most of you know, our HQ is based in Evanston, IL so the Chicago Blackhawks win last night in game 6 of the Stanley Cup was BIG news.

Company President, Courtney Wright's children were so inspired by the excitement that they decided to decorate the office lobby with their own hand crafted Stanley cup replica. Looks like visual merchandising will continue to run in the family. The youngest Robert, even went so far as to cut his hair into a mohawk to support the local team.

Go Hawks (and go VM!!)

I got roped in...

to these windows but was without a camera so I had to borrow photos from another blog.

But I will go back as these were great. Rope macrame plant holders holding large scale paper plants. Can you stand the 70s vibe?

and the 'rope art' tree. oh, love that!

we LOVE visual merchandising

and visual merchandisers - and all the many people it takes to give brands their look at a retail level. Like many things, its easy to take something for granted "from the outside". When a shopper walks into a pleasing retail environment, he or she may not understand all the many steps it took to make that magic happen.

Well we do and we salute the creative directors, the production teams, the brand ambassadors, the VM field teams, the store teams and the many, various departments, peoples and teams it takes to make retail shopping fun and retail stores beautiful.

and for those who are out of work or looking for work in the field - try this website

http://www.visualmerchjobs.com/

LONG LIVE Visual Merchandising and exciting retail experiences.

Capture a Moment!

A store window is nothing more than a stage - so get dramatic!

Many brands do well to remember this and freeze frame small moments or create little worlds that grab pedestrian's attention.

Seen here in Milan - the all wood and mirrored box, the safari moment and the perforated metal chamber.

Because if you want to catch someones attention, you must have something to say. But once you do, don't hold back - people love a good show!

Design on a Dime

The 5th Annual Housing Works "Design on a Dime" event began last night. This is a great fundraiser for a terrific organization committed to ending the twin crisis of AIDS and homlessness. This event asks designers to create rooms on a small budget (as the name implies)and then everything in the vignettes is for sale. Here is a sneak preview of some of the room vignettes set up (more to come later) - I noticed similar themes from the interior design community as are being seen at a VM level within retail.

Lots of repurposing - seen here a door as a bedboard; frames and focus walls are still very strong; creating drama with use of curtains; books, books books; the use of a single item repeated - in this case flowers on the mantel; natural elements - tree stumps, sand, foliage, flowers, etc. Also - the red bedroom is Ty Pennington for Sears. Overall lots to see and great inspiration!

Have you seen any cross discipline themes recently? Where?

10 Things to consider when planning an appealing window

With so much competition, how do you "cut through the clutter" and make your windows stand out? Think of these 10 things when planning your window and you are sure to hit on a winner.

1. Keep an inspiration guide to help you generate ideas. Whether its tear sheets, postcards, photos, books - have a place to log visual references. Always be seeking inspiration.
2. Keep a record of your past windows. Look back on past work by year, month or season–you don’t want to repeat but you do want to know what worked so you can re-use a concept.
3. Speak to your stores marketing team to know what products to highlight – its best if you can plan by the year or at least the quarter. Stores should have a consistent message throughout.
4. Focus window design on what products you are selling. Good VM should tie back to merchandise – find a thread to link props to product.
5. Hold brainstorming sessions with team members from various departments; sales, PR, VM, etc to get different points of view and fresh ideas.
6. Speak to your store or brand audience. Tailor your windows to appeal to your customers. Controversial window designs are maybe not the right choice for stores with an older, traditional clientele.
7. Fully design your window(s) layout and be clear of objective before you begin. Think how it will be viewed and will it convey the message you are aiming for?
8. Set a budget and timeline and determine how you will get all items to store by install date – leave time for accidents, delivery mistakes and problems.
9. Add props and enhancements that will make pedestrians stop and note, or customers take a second look within the store. Be bold – people love to be wowed!
10. After you have installed the windows or store sets, walk around and check work. Stand outside and listen to people talk – they may give you things to think about for next time.

And finally remember to be flexible. Sometimes the best ideas are not carried out with perfection and can muddle the message. You may need to change your idea midstream but don’t get stuck – your goal should always be about the end result – a great window or floor set. And remember, sometimes - less is more (and sometimes it’s not).

Crafty Window Buzzzzzz

Anthropologie leads the pack in creativity but those bees have been buzzzzy! The windows here are from the NYC 5th Avenue store, but we saw a variation in Las Vegas that was beee-utiful. Kraft tissue, natural papers, corrugated boxes, and a lot of patience resulted in this inspiring Spring series. Clever and pedestrian-stopping, these brand enhancing windows made us take notice of the cute clothes that complemented the beehives - Beee-licious!!

LOVE your brand!

The creativity and enthusiasm present in this window is inspiring. It's a retail outlet for a yarn brand and between the flags, and the lion with the mane of yarn and the yarn balls and scarfs - I want to knit! Even the door handles are wrapped in yarn.

Your store windows can (and we think should) be infectious. But people can't love your brand if you don't get them in the store - so let's capture them at the window. I love windows - hear me roar!