Selfidges and 3 mobile

Ever been on a blind date and been extraordinarily disappointed?  Thought you were meeting a potential love interest when he was really worthy of freak show status?

Well, according to 3, a new mobile company, they have rendered this unsightly scenario a complication of the past.  In partnership with high-end department store Selfridges, the company is boasting that mobile technology will end the blind date as we know and hate it.

In one of the most stunning, attention grabbing window promotions I have ever seen, Selfridges windows have been turned into a bizarre mix of Japanese inspired characters and television-style dating show scenarios.

The result?  High ratings for Selfridges.  Customer interest is apparent.  Loads of people walking down the street stop and stare at these window displays, which can only lead to higher sales for both 3 and Selfridges.  The displays are interactive, clever and visually appealing.  The windows incorporate both industries interests into the marketing scheme.

According to a press release, “To celebrate this phenomenon 3 is hosting the world's first ever video mobile dating event at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London on 30 November. It promises to be the most desirable dating event ever with up to 100 of the UK's sassiest singles checking each other out via video mobile before deciding who takes their fancy for a real live date.”

Need a date?

If you want to be a non-blind dater, all you have to do is visit Selfridges on London's Oxford Street to record a personal video ad in one of the dating pods located in-store.  Or if you are already a 3 customer, you can record your own video message and send it straight from your mobile to 07915 123123.

Dater Rater

To decide who makes final event, the public can log onto www.endoftheblinddate.com and vote for their favorite contestants.  According to 3, “Only the most popular singles will make the grade so if you fancy someone in the gallery you'd better get voting. All you have to do is click on their image and their personal video ad will play, then you rate your date.”

Competition ends: Friday 19 November 2004.  Competition entry price: 50p per video.

Dacia Abel

What is fashion?

Quintessentially the industry may be about clothes, but those who are successful in the business know that fashion is all about creating an image.

Although trends sweep through society like wildfire conforming the public to a preconceived notion of style, truly fashionable people never loose their own sense of individuality.  Sometimes being stylish means knowing what works for you: your body, your skin tone, your overall personality.

For example, would you wear a skirt that hit your legs at an unflattering length just because all the fashion magazines said it was the “in” thing?  Worn a colour that was wrong for your complexion?  Bought clothing that did not quite flatter your figure?

We have all fallen into the fashion trap at one time or another.  It can take time and experience to realize what works for us and what does not.

The same is true in the business of fashion.  A designer may be innovative and fresh, creating new designs every season.  However, they must always stay true to their own sense of style, which can mean catering their clothing to a certain kind of woman.  They must realize who their consumer base is; otherwise their clothes would not be marketable.

A store that does a particularly well executed window display that not only enforces their image but portrays their consumer’s style is Escada on Sloane Street in Knightsbridge.  With elegantly dressed, platinum blond mannequins posing in swell of dripping diamonds, Escada definitely has a look in mind.

Window design expert Mary Portas explains the importance of mannequins in her book, Windows: The Art of Retail Display, 1999:  “By investing the merchandise with the moment’s attitude and verve, the mannequin mimics customer’s aspirations, whilst working within the images of the retailer and designer label.  The mannequin takes on the face of the moment and reflects it back through the glass of the window shop…Mannequins are far more than just a torso and limbs.”

The look is bold and direct.  More than clothes, it sells an attitude of the person who wears the clothes, like they are meant for someone in particular.  In other words, Escada does not seem to want to portray that their clothes are for everyone.  They seem to want to say only a select few are fit to wear Escada’s apparel.

Dacia Abel

Coco Chanel

Whenever people go to Sloane Street in Knightsbridge they have a preconceived notion of what they are going to find.  The elite fashion strip has a world famous reputation and houses some of the fashion industry’s most established designers.

Therefore, part of the beauty of being a store on Sloane Street is you are already well established.  Your reputation precedes itself.  You are no longer struggling to create your image.  However, with that image comes responsibility.

For example, take the window dressing of Coco Chanel.  A store with as much clout as any other, a store that one would think would have no problem attracting customers and making a sale.  However, stores like Chanel must realise that to stay on top, they must live up to their reputation. Or even better, use that reputation to further their success.

According to window display consultant Bob Taylor, window dressing coincides with a store’s image.  “Window dressing is part of sales,” he said.  “If (the window) does not reflect the brand, it is not effective…it is necessary to design a category and product matrix within which the goods can (be) offered in a powerful and direct fashion.”

By using props revolving around traffic signs, Chanel is sending a clear message to the consumer without contrived. 

The bold colors of the signs call out to consumers, just like signs along the road way stand out to drivers.  The placement of the shoes and bags with the signs suggests that they share a common trait: having the ability to stop traffic.  In other words, Chanel is trying to convey that the merchandize is so beautiful that it will stop you in your tracks.

Chanel’s other window has a picture of a roadway at night with the Coco Chanel symbol masquerading as the moon. 

They symbolisom of the moon at night might suggest to window shoppers that Chanel is a light in the world of fashion. When others might be floundering in the dark, Chanel is a guide to all that is chic.

This is compounded by the shade of blue of the night sky.  It is not dark enough to suggest real night time.  Rather, it is a brilliant blue, lit up by the store’s symbol.

The store’s display is basic, yet still manages to get its point across to those walking past the shop.  With window dressing such as this, Coco Chanel’s reputation is not going anywhere but up.

Dacia Abel

Roberto Cavalli

While walking around Knightsbridge, one is guaranteed to find some fabulous window displays.  The elite stores are known for their fantastic presentation, and while they all have their strength, some shops can take it to another level.  They can please the eye and tantalizing the pocketbook with the most basic of tools.

The window dressing of Roberto Cavalli on Sloane Street uses colour as its weapon.  The vibrant colours in the window display practically scream at the consumer.  As the shoppers pass by, their eyes are drawn to the warm yellows, rich reds, and electric blues.

According to window dressing expert Mary Portas, colour is an effective tool for drawing customer attention.  In her book The Art of Window Dressing (1999) she wrote, “It’s important to remember that most people, when they pass windows, are not thinking about shopping; their minds are elsewhere and its quite a challenge to catch their eye and their imagination.  Colour invariably does the job beautifully.”

In the opinion of Portas, colour opens up the barriers and restrictions of window dressing.  “Because colour creates its own space and environment it demarcates its own parameters and creates a body of wholeness and containment, rendering it the perfect tool for windows which are themselves inherently compact…colour instantly represent energy to me.  It’s so vital and omnipresent and luscious; it exudes joie de vivre – so intrinsically sensual and alive.”  In other words, colour can make a statement, regardless of the size of the window display.

However, the display given by Roberto Cavalli does not seem to be restricted by size.  Rather, the store certainly makes use of space.

While many stores use visual merchandizing as an extension of the shop floor, Roberto Cavalli has used the shop floor as an extension of the window.  The lounging mannequins are placed on the lighted steps, creating a stunning effect that makes use of multiple levels.  However, the repetitiveness and the balanced pattern of the mannequins still keeps the eyes focused on the colour that seems to burst out of the window.

The gorgeous pillows in the window not only add more colour.  They also reinforce the exotic beauty that Roberto Cavalli is known for.  In other words, the colours are not just pleasing to the eye.  They also represent a location of the world that obviously inspires Roberto Cavalli. 

Hence, the colours in the display are not just wonderful because of their vibrancy. The shades are well-used in this design because of how well they emulate the brand. 

Dacia Abel

Va va Vuitton

People in-the-know will tell you that Louis Vuitton has been fashionable for years.  However, it was celebrity status that recently launched the bags into the mainstream’s wishlists.  For example, the legendary designer could not have asked for better publicity when pop star Jessica Simpson called her Louis purse her pet on an episode of Newlyweds.

After thousands of purses sold and millions of pounds earned, Louis Vuitton has decided to stick with what works.  Therefore, his ad campaigns are focusing around celebrity appeal.  From magazine covers to window displays, famous faces front the Louis logo.

The Louis Vuitton store on Sloane Street in Knightsbridge has effectively merged photography with window art to create a cohesive advertising campaign and an attention-grabbing display.  By placing the pictures of celebrities in the store window, Louis Vuitton is reminding shoppers that it is not only the store of the rich.  It is also the store of the famous.

Actress Christina Ricci is featured in Louis Vuitton’s campaign alongside four other hot Hollywood stars, including Scarlett Johansson, Chloë Sevigny, Diane Kruger and Hayden Christensen.

The large picture of Ricci is featured in the Sloane store’s windows, whereas Johansson’s is not.  This is an interesting choice considering it is rumoured that Ricci pictures were almost scrapped from the campaign altogether.

The photographs are by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott and can be seen in almost any women's magazine in the next few months.

Notice how the picture seems to blend into the window display because of the matching white rug.

The shoes are lying about as though they have just been kicked off and the dress has been laid out as though it has just been worn on a

night out.  Juxtaposing the scene with the model lounging in the background picture implies that whomever wore the outfit has slipped off to bed after a long night of parties and premieres.

With displays such as these, Louis Vuitton should have celebrities beating down the store’s door to promote the brand.

Dacia Abel

Dickens & Jones

According to Bob Taylor of Taylor Associates, many stores view a window display as “an extension of the shop floor and tells the customer they will get a good value for their money.”

The store Dickins & Jones on Regent Street obviously considers its window displays to mean much more.  By combining high fashion with images of brush strokes, colour swatches, and painting materials, Dickins & Jones is no longer just showing the world its clothes.  Rather, the store is sending a weighted message to window shoppers that fashion is art.

The window display is a celebration of London Fashion Week and seems like a tribute to the London fashion scene as a whole.   It has been entered into the 2004 ‘Evening Standard Window Display Competition.’

The window celebrates the fact that fashion is creating an object of beauty and not a tool to be used for functional purposes.  Whenever a store is going to sell designer clothing it must realize that there are less expensive items that are available.  If someone does not see the importance of buying a designer label, most likely the consumer will gravitate towards lower end stores.  The shopper might consider buying less fashionable clothes as a more sound purchase because the consumer never realized the value of buying the pricier goods.

Recognizing fashion as an art form is very tactical marketing ploy of a high end store.  The association of clothes with art reminds consumers that they are not just buying any old rag off the rack.  People that choose to shop in Dickins & Jones know that the store is providing beautiful, high-quality luxury items.

The mannequins in the windows are all dressed fashionably, funky, and fun. 

With each window there is corresponding colourful brush strokes with the words “painting London in shades of…”  It reminds me of an artist dipping his/her brush into the easel and lavishing the paint upon a blank canvas.

The colour swatches in the background create a stiking milieu, offsetting the starkness of the white walls.  They seem to be growing out of the wall itself.  When I look at the collection of swatches, I feel as though the group could expand at any moment, covering the back wall and eventually the whole display.

The whimsical detail of ladders, paint cans, and frames completes the look.

Dacia Abel

Heading For Hot: The Trend of the Hat

I used to think of hats in two different categories.  One was of course, something to be worn at a wedding.  The other was something to be worn as a fashion faux pas.  After all, Megan Ryan said it the best in You’ve Got Mail; most hats usually DO seem to be a mistake.

However, with the winds of fashion blowing me away from preconceived notions and old ideas, I am convinced that hats are the ‘in’ accessory for this season.  Where they might have been overly dramatic or catastrophically costumer in the past, headgear seems to have evolved into a necessity of any fashion guru’s ensemble.    

There is something about a hat that screams a special occasion because it is not something that women wear everyday.  Hats transform a blah outfit into something out of the ordinary.  They are a tad whimsical and almost indulgent.  Wear one when you want to feel like a celebrity hiding from an adoring public.

“I love wearing hats.  I wear one whenever I need to be incognito,” says student Emily Coughlin.  “There are some days you don’t want to be recognized.”

Hats were even featured in this month’s Elle as the new purses: staples in every woman’s wardrobe.  Melanie Rickey writes, “Designers have realized that no outfit is complete without either an elegant hat, a cute cap or beret, or something borrowed from the boys, like a trilby or fedora…A bag may be more useful, but don a hat and your look is instantly more individual…”

Not everyone is a fan of the hat trend.  USATODAY.com writer Alison Maxwell wrote a negative fashion report over the current hat trend and implied that hats were less than flattering.  Although, I think Maxwell would have trouble convincing many Londoners of this fact.  After all, what could be a better solution to a bad hair day than a big, floppy bonnet?

However, there is one hat trend that should be hung up on the rack.  Wearing trucker hats is last season.  Go for a more sophisticated look this fall; choose a hat that is eloquent rather than ironic.

Dacia Abel

La Dolce Vita

“Promotional windows are like marriages,” writes author Marry Portas in her book, Windows: The Art of Retail Display.  “[They are] dependant for success upon mutual respect imagination and compromise.  There should be a sympathy between the retailer and the promoter which allows each to flourish, yet often they descend into Faustian tragedy, one selling their soul to the other.”

If this is true, then I believe Harrods has sold its soul to all things Italian.  And, in my opinion, Harrods made a bargain, or perhaps even married out of its league.

With striking backgrounds and interactive features, Harrods’ window displays for its Made in Italy promotion should not be missed.

Each and every one of the stores 72 windows is masked in Italian culture.  From clothing designers to food, Harrods has captivated the country’s flare and passion. Here are the highlights of Harrods fantastic Italian transformation:

De-Lovely Indeed!

Giorgio Armani has joined forces with MGM Pictures in his latest wardrobe collaboration for the production of De-Lovely, a movie about legendary American composer, Cole Porter. 

The costumes from De-Lovely will be exhibited in Harrods’ front windows through October.

The Italian designer contributed numerous designs for the Linda Porter role (played by Ashley Judd) like the custom-designed cream satin wedding dress with a draping train and a cascade of tiny buttons down the back, which is displayed in the window.

Judd said that the opportunity to wear selections from Armani's vintage evening collections made her feel like she was "walking back through time, experiencing a reign of elegance in America I've never experienced before. From the music to the entire ambience of the production, everything transported me back to an era of sheer elegance." 

That tradition is carried out in this window display.   Although there is a lot in the window, it is still simple and classic with a graceful ambiance. 

Cool School   

Harrods is presenting Made in Italy in partnership with Istituto Marangoni, Italy’s leading fashion school.  According to a press release, Istituto Marangoni is popular because: “With campuses in London and Milan, students have the opportunity to experience two of the world’s greatest fashion capitals and find the expertise they need to become professionals in their field.”     

Harrods windows showcase an array of designs by students from Istituto Marangoni’s Fashion Design program in Milan.  The displays highlight the diversity of student’s work, showing the different inspirations and themes for each collection.      

The uniqueness of the students’ work and the quirky window designs set these displays apart from the ordinary.  They effectively showcase the new designers’ talents, as well as add interest and originality to the store itself. 

Dacia Abel

Pashmina pashmina

Until I came to London, I did not know what a pashmina was.  My conservative wardrobe was littered with jackets galore.  Traditional and tailored coats were not just staples; they were the only options.

If you talk to a Londoner about the trend of the pashmina, they will look at you as if you asked them to comment on the trend of shoes.  Pashminas are not a fad here.  They are a way of life.

Practical and simple, pashminas are as functional as they are elegant.  More than a wrap, pashminas are a way to swathe yourself in warmth and luxury.

Ironically, the word pashmina does not really refer to the actual wrap that most identify as a pashmina.  In fact, the word pashmina is literally the material from which the wraps are made.  It is a type of cashmere gathered from the undercoat of Himalayan mountain goats.  The material is so thin it cannot be woven by machine, only by hand.

 In the opinion of cashmere manufacturer and exporter company High Himalaya Garments, pashminas have always had an elite following: “For centuries, the Royalties and the wealthiest women in Nepal and other neighboring countries have relied on the fine Pashmina products to adorn their shoulders…Stylish women all over the world have used Pashmina as the icing on the cake of their designer wears.”  Perhaps the company is right, since Napoleon is even credited with presenting Empress Josephine with a pashmina in the beginning of the 19^th century.  

According to the website Pashmina Golden, high-quality stores and designers sell scarves woven from 100 percent genuine cashmere or a silk blend:  “But beware of fake ‘ordinary wool’ garments masquerading as pashmina on sale in less reputable shops.”

Although pashmina is truly high-quality cashmere, it is the style I enjoy, not the expensive material.  When picking a pashmina, I suggest worrying more about the colour than the quality of the fabric. 

A wrap of this style made of ANY material will look chic.  However, the wrong colour will make your face look sallow.  Remember that this is a garment worn around the face, and it should be a colour that flatters your skin type.  Golden yellow tones are a nice look.

Perhaps try a pashmina in one of this season’s hottest shades: purple.  If you tire of it or become too toasty, simply remove it from your neck and let it adorn your purse.

The possibilities are endless!  Grab a pashmina today and enjoy the versatility, freedom, and colour it will add to your wardrobe and your life.  You might just hang that jacket up forever.

Dacia Abel

An Oasis of idea's

Even if a trend is considered in vogue, I won’t wear something I don’t like.  I assume a lot of consumers are probably weary of the look as well, which means it will be out of style soon. So why waste my money? 

In other words, success in the fashion world isn’t just about being creative.  It is about being marketable as well.  A fashion frenzy can quickly turn into a fashion faux pas if stores cannot sell the merchandise. 

A reality of business is that the stores are responsible for selling the product to the consumer.  If a store cannot sell fashionable clothing to the public, the craze will end quicker than a marriage to Brittany Spears.  Hence, it is imperative for a store to not only stock clothing that is saleable, but also promote the trend to the potential customer. 

While window shopping in London, I was stuck with one store’s ability to transform a trend into a viable message.  The Oasis store located on Argyll Street has a window display that made me want to buy everything in the store. 

Packed with symbolism, these windows are not just about what is hot in the fashion world.  The displays also explain to shoppers why the trends are a great idea, giving them reasons to buy.  By expressing its own interpretations of the current trends, Oasis is explaining why women should want to wear the latest styles.  Instead of letting the trend sell itself, the store is relating the look to what its customers want.

According to the store’s website, Oasis has a specific consumer base in mind: “The core customer is a fashion conscious, independent, twenty-something woman… The Oasis brand is synonymous with colour and fun. All Oasis imagery identifies with the fun-loving spirit of our customer.”

Oasis advertises its current collection as a “glam, vintage-inspired season.” Ladylike chic is the look of the moment.  Pearls and fur are all the rage, along with corsages and brooches.

By showcasing the store’s fashionable clothing with pictures of famous movie stars, Oasis is juxtaposing the luxury of its merchandize with the glamour of a Hollywood celebrity.  Now, the store is not just selling a strand of pearls or a crotched cape;

it is also selling the images of famous movie stars who might dress this way.  Even if a window shopper might feel silly or costume-like in pearls and fur, they could look at the pictures of Katherine Hepburn or Liv Tyler and have a new appreciation for the spirit behind the style.

Oasis also incorporated the season’s most modern colours into the vintage visual merchandizing scheme. 

The purple shades of one window convey Hollywood royalty, incorporating the extravagance and lavishness of stardom. 

Then, the green shades in the     display symbolize the money flowing through Hollywood.  Since American dollars are commonly referred to as greenbacks, it is no wonder the colour has long been established as a representation of wealth and privilege.

Therefore, the colours in Oasis’s windows cease to simply be the in style hues.  The shades serve as symbols to whoever is peering through the glass, just as Oasis gave the vintage trend new life by using black and white photos of movie icons.

Oasis has successfully linked fashion to visuals women relate to.  After all, what woman doesn’t want to dress like a rich starlet who is the queen of the silver screen?  I believe this window display will result in high sales for Oasis, as well as endear the glamour trend to a new range of buyers.

Dacia Abel