Photo Essay: Liberty's Christmas Windows for 2013

With Selfridges out the way, it's time to focus on Liberty, another London department store with a rich history. Right now, Liberty is also the centre of attention thanks to a behind-the-scenes Channel 4 documentary, the final part of which will be broadcast tonight, so there's no better time to look at the windows of the famous mock Tudor building with its signature purple bags, that same purple of the lining of a bar of Cadbury's chocolate. Tuck into the company's minimalist visual merchandising vision for Christmas 2013...

 In previous years, these windows have featured a psychedelic frog and glamorous tableaux of mannequins, but 2013 called for simplicity, a smattering of sequins and starbursts.

 Each star contained products based on a particular theme or customer - this one definitely covered travel, with a distinctive wooden sculpture and some beautifully covered maps.

 More travel, anyone? The phrenology head sat alongside a globe and a Moroccan lantern.

 A little Statue of Liberty snowglobe or paperweight added a pun on the shop's name.

 Fancy setting sail with these gifts?

 A flamingo ticked the kitsch box.

 A solitary mannequin in this window showed just how uncluttered the displays were in comparison with previous years, when it was hard to see everything crammed in.

 Rockstud pumps by Valentino got my attention.

Fur trimmed boots were placed with stylish homeware pieces.

 I couldn't resist a peek inside, either. These mannequins and their present hats stopped me in my tracks.

One of the building's rare open spaces, overlooking the scarf hall, was dedicated to the West End musical, Matilda, complete with letter panels and a paint-splattered satchel.

Considering Liberty's Christmas shop alone attracts 250,000 visitors every year, it's fair to say that the visual merchandising on the outside plays an important part in drawing potential customers through the doors. 

Obviously going minimalist can be a risk for a place so readily associated with opulence and floors piled with goods, but I think it will help Liberty to stand out from the crowd. I would have liked to see a bit more colour in the windows, but otherwise the content is still going to grab people as they walk past. 

Do you think going minimalist at Christmas is a good idea for the store, or would you have preferred something crazier? Tweet me - @misspallen - or leave a comment below.

Photo Essay: Selfridges' Christmas Windows for 2013

It's that time of year again - and I swear I only just stopped playing Christmas music from 2012. Of course, Harrods has been greeting festive shoppers since August, when its seasonal department typically opens, but most of us have held out slightly longer to get our fix of tinsel and snow spray.

Whilst the Christmas window displays have been up for a little while now in London, it was only yesterday that I caught a glimpse of them. As usual, I've focused on Selfridges and Liberty, two of the biggest power players, but first it's the turn of Selfridges with a really magical example of visual merchandising.

 Say it with Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb - my favourite perfume got the spotlight it deserved.

The Dutch design duo created a story to set off the playful children's winter wonderland theme of the decorations.

 There was an element of Gulliver's Travels here, as the tiny elf figures clustered around the perfume bottle.

 A larger-than-life Charlotte Olympia cat loafer with moving ears was another centrepiece.

 Primary colours were the focus here - royal blue Kenzo jumpers suspended from pillarbox red and signature Selfridges yellow parachutes and surrounded by yellow planes.

 A nice promo for Canon and a nod to the many other snappers (besides me) taking photos of the windows.

 Even these figurines couldn't wait to get in on the act.

 Something of a Grey Goose playground for these (responsible, 18+) models.

A giant snowglobe would complete the look, you say? Oh wait, they've got that one covered...

The avalanche of Play-Doh was presented as fun rather than life-threatening for the figures in this miniature world.

Who knew boxers could be so artfully arranged? Candy-stripe ladders were the final touch.

This took the biscuit on the 'oversize clutch' front - no wonder a child was mesmerised by YSL's (or Saint Laurent's) piece de resistance, complete with Santa clinging onto the gold tassel beneath the logo

Ding Dong Merrily on Hi-Tops.

Fornasetti brought a touch of theatrical glamour with a model of its candle (normally more of a manageable size, but still £99). The train set running past was a nice touch.

Some of the side windows focus on the charity that Selfridges has teamed up with this year, the brilliant Kids Company. You can help them support disadvantaged children by texting KIDSHELP to 70700, which will cost just £5; the whole of that donation goes straight to Kids Company and funds their important work.

So, was this visual merchandising enough to draw the punters? I'd say so, judging by the crowds gathered to look at the windows but also to peek inside the store and get a taste of the magic for themselves, from the Christmas Shop and its helpful Elfridges concierges, to the beauty counters downstairs.

I think the concept of a playful winter wonderland is simple but effective, capturing the childhood nostalgia that Christmas inspires year after year. After all, it is the best time to be a big kid.

Visual Merchandising: Harvey Nichols, London #HNStayCalm

If, like me, the word 'sale' is like a drug to you, then you'll really appreciate the creative genius behind Harvey Nichols' new windows, which I saw being put together last week. Part of its current #HNStayCalm campaign, which promotes its huge summer sale, the idea is to give the concept of running around like a headless chicken a very fashionable twist. 

 These two look relatively calm. Check out the feather-inspired wigs.

Having once braved the highs and the horror of a Vivienne Westwood sample sale in Notting Hill (where I was surprised nobody drew blood, especially with the very inept staff on hand), it's safe to say that I know what Harvey Nichols is getting at with its message. They know that shoppers lap up the deals and are prepared to fight tooth and nail to get them, so they've brought us ads with headless but style-conscious poultry and then they've added feather-style headpieces, possibly with hair extensions, to the mannequins on display. 

 I love the drama of this white dress against the brocade jacket.

Ok, so it's not the finished article, but this is shaping up to be a fantastic display.

For me, the real killer touch were the layers of industrial foam in different shades, creating a backdrop that resembled the strata of cliffs (well, even chickens get desperate, guys - if they needed to jump off a cliff to reach a bit of Mary Katrantzou then they definitely would go for it). The bleakness of the foam made the clothes stand out even more, creating a bit of a wasteland for the mannequins to punctuate with outfits in earthy and neutral tones.

A mannequin lounges on top of the foam layers.

If being a chicken makes you this well dressed, clearly it's worth working up a sweat for those sale bargains.

Visual Merchandising in Rome: Shop Window Lust

After last week's Roman Holiday adventure (in which I did not resemble Audrey Hepburn or smash a guitar over a spy's head on the River Tiber, but I did have lots of gelato), it's time to reflect. Naturally I had my VM brain on when I visited the city, as it's so well known for shopping and I'm such a shop window whore, so I've come up with an overview of the best fashion snapshots that I took.

These were mainly in the Via Del Corso and Via Condotti and the surrounding streets. The area is a mecca for anyone with money to burn and it's also a great place just to gaze at quirky displays. Enjoy!

 Where else to start, but with Valentino?

The atelier that is surely most synonymous with Rome, Valentino remains as chic as ever, despite the man himself no longer running the show. We're still seeing feminine silhouettes and great craftsmanship, with designs that you know would be investment pieces.

 It's all about the Rockstuds.

Just as Valentino has previously taken camouflage print and removed it from an army setting (he used it as the basis for a ballgown), his brand continues to push the envelope. Here we see the faddish low fashion trend of studs, which was corrupted from its punk origins and became the embellishment of your average housewife's t-shirt, being used as a high fashion material.

 Mannequins in catwalk formation.

 A rainy view of MaxMara.

 Dolce & Gabbana go for deckchair stripes in an oversized doll's box.

 Louis Vuitton goes old skool with a typewriter, a parquet floor and a flurry of paper.

 Really simple visuals, but these stacks of paper work well as pedestal columns for menswear.

 Just off the Campo De' Fiori, I found this lurid but fun shoe shop. Love the brogues.

 The hipster contents of Nora P in the Monti district.

Want real shabby chic and artisan cool in Rome? Then you have to head to Monti. My Vespa tour guide, Annie, described it as Italy's answer to Nolita in New York. It's quirky and fun, full of tiny restaurants serving authentic local food, alongside vintage stores and bars. Nora P was a homeware shop that we came across in the area, boasting weird and wonderful furniture and accessories.

 Chanel's black and white photo montage got me snap-happy.

 The other branch of Vuitton is the flagship store and it has a cool back-story.

This used to be Rome's first cinema, so the team at Louis Vuitton decided to use its original features as a starting point for the building's re-design. You'll find a board outside listing screenings of fashion films.

Spot the cinema screen at the back.

Okay, so you can't smell the heady mix of popcorn and hormones that your average cinema reeks of, but instead you get cool promotional videos and something a little bit different. Kudos to LVMH for keeping an authentic slice of Rome, rather than glossing over it. This proves it really is the Eternal City, with more reinventions than Madonna.

As for the actual shopping that I could afford, I was more high street than high chic, but I did manage to bring back some seriously good chocolate and a leather-bound notebook. Maybe next time I go, I'll be doing more than window shop in the stores along the Via Condotti... well, a girl can dream!

Photo Essay: Liberty's Christmas Windows 2012

 Liberty always has the power to make you feel glamorous, even when you're peering through the window in a decidedly unglamorous outfit and wishing yourself to jump through to the other side. 

 No bog-standard Ikea stool for this lady - instead there's an elegant branch/antler-inspired chair.

 What I love about visual merchandising is when you take a trend and exaggerate it to the hilt.

Here we have the fashionista bun, turned into an elaborate feat of hair engineering.

 Burgundy and oxblood tones look great against Christmassy silver and gold.

 If you hadn't guessed it by now, the theme is 'party'.

 One of the biggest shoe trends for this season is the flared chunky heel, worked best by Miu Miu.

It's the perfect example of seasonal excess, and it somehow works.

 The children's window did old-fashioned festive fun with plenty of animals and books.

I loved the absence of chunky, homogenous plastic.

 There's definitely something magical about this kind of traditional Christmas.

 Obviously setting the table is slightly difficult when there's someone sitting on it.

 I love this set-up - the lobster, the lightbulb, the delving under the table.

It feels eccentric and typically British (with a slight nod to Dada).

 The appearance of seafood on the table shows that this isn't just about Christmas; it's the whole festive season and not just the bits with turkey in.

 The brilliantly subtle thing about the use of multiple sets of gloves is that it suggests buying (well, and grabbing) without seeming forceful. However, you still want to be the person clutching those bags.

I think Liberty's windows are much more understated than last year (remember the giant frogs?) but they're really effective and they combine the party excesses with the down-to-earth decor of home. Everything's warm and friendly and feels a million miles away from the 'candy cane rammed down your throat' feeling that sickly over-saturated Christmas displays can sometimes leave behind. Liberty, as always, stays classy.

[All photos my own].

P.S. After my trip to Liberty I popped along the road to see the Carnaby Street lights. They paid a fitting tribute to the Rolling Stones with the gold LPs and giant Stones tongue logo.