Christmas in New York City is other worldly. With a reputation of being ‘The city that never sleeps’ New York City truly comes alive around christmas time. Manhattan is so obscenely crowded that places like Times Square are ‘approach at your own risk’, due to every block being packed to a point where it feels like the whole square is one massive painfully slow moving queue. Its not surprising that people want to spend christmas here. At night the city dazzles, but around christmas, even more so. It is full of beauty and wonder, as thousands of lights dance blissfully in the dark.
Competition is peak amongst retailers during the christmas period. Many establishments splurge in hopes creating the most innovative and compelling visual presentations. This period is one of the most revenue generating periods throughout the year, so visual merchandising is more critical than ever. Christmas window displays for successful retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue are coveted. Crowds subject themselves to a guard controlled queue all day and night for the opportunity to view the windows up close and the chance to take pictures.
Having been conveniently scheduled to work in Saks Fifth Avenue during the week leading up to christmas, I had the opportunity to peruse the windows in person. These windows were absolutely mesmerising. I tried my best to capture them on camera, but although these pictures may speak a thousand words, you really have to see in person to fully appreciate…
We snuck into Macy’s and worked our magic to produce this overall stunning visual display from scratch! Hugo Boss’ new shop on Macy’s fifth floor is looking impeccable. After hours of hard work, this is what I helped to construct from an empty space!
We have all heard the tale of Cinderella and how her dashing Prince Charming searched high and low, in persuit of the fair maiden who’s foot would fit the glass slipper. Cinderella’s slippers were magically designed for her feet alone, which meant the prince’s quest could not be complete until he found her. As a society, we all have our own perfect glass slippers, and it’s fair to say that at times these can be difficult to find, so we settle for second best. Unlike Cinderella, we are not all privileged enough to have a magic fairy godmother, so we compromise, since second best is better than nothing at all.
Inspired by Charming’s determination to find the perfect fit amidst countless feet, I embarked on a quest to find the perfect slippers for my best friend, whose US size 4.5 feet were made to accommodate specific slippers, ones which most shoe design companies have deemed too rare to make a decent profit out of.
Consequently, up until recently, I had always felt that the shoe size struggle was mainly limited to ladies with big feet, who in turn find it difficult to shop for high heeled shoes. I had not really paused to consider the possibility that small shoe sized ladies might endure the same difficulties. The solution for my best friend’s shoe size dilemma came from a charming little shoe shop that sorely caters for women with small feet.
The Little Shoe Store, situated on Clinton Street in Lower Manhattan, sells the most gorgeous small sized shoes. It was founded by two small shoe sized friends, who shared the same frustration as many other small footed ladies. These two friends saw an opportunity to utilise this disadvantage and transform it into something positive. They bridged a gap in the shoe market and became the answer to many women’s prayers. Women with small feet can now choose from the many shoes at their disposal and rest assured that style and comfort can co-exist without compromise.
The Little Shoe Store, NYC, 2014
Upon arrival at The Little Shoe Store, the inner visual merchandiser in me disapproved of the chaos that spilled out when I opened the store’s doors. In all fairness the store had just received several boxes from a vintage warehouse, so were in the process of organising everything. In a way, the store’s overall set up makes finding a pair of shoes more like treasure hunting, which in turn makes finding the perfect pair of shoes more precious.
The store’s chaotic set up meant that it took nearly half an hour to pair up the shoes. This could be easily overlooked, as once found, the shoes were amazing. Whilst my friend revelled in her newly found shoe heaven, I explored the store’s bag collection since the average US size 5 shoes remained far too small for my US size 7 feet, regardless of the many times I double checked. The bag collection included some precious vintage pieces, a couple of which would have been perfect if not for the short straps that had been clearly designed for their era.
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My friend tried on countless pairs of shoes and modelled them for me while I took pictures. The store’s owners provided fantastic customer service, they were very attentive and went out of their way to accommodate my friend’s particular needs. For a discounted $125, my friend emerged from the store with 5 gorgeous pairs of leather high heeled shoes, which were originally on sale for $50-80 each!
It seemed that by accident my friend had stumbled upon a treasure trove. It wasn’t until later when she was flaunting her new slippers, that she found out that four of her five new shoes emerged from high fashion. These leather shoes are the works of legendary shoe designer Joseph La Rose, who designed for countless stars including Marilyn Monroe! I believe my best friend when she tells me that she will love these shoes forever. This whole experience led me to believe that The Little Shoe Store is truly a hidden gem and a wonderful solution for those who crave vintage bags and small sized shoes at affordable prices.
As a society we are bound by countless addictions, some healthier than others. But how can one identify a terrible addiction let alone combat it? It’s a sad realisation that for some it may take years if not forever to defeat an addiction, in which case another would most likely take its place. However this also tends to either be for the better or worse…
Today I met the craziest looking man dressed in the most outrageous clothes, so colourful he stuck out like a sore thumb! Now having lived in New York City for several months, I immediately realised that this man was one of the many found on street corners and in parks, making a living of off generous donations from the public. This particular man was hoping to attract passersby with his vibrant and unusual clothing, allowing them to photograph him in exchange for a small donation.
The Colourful-man, Union Square, NYC 2014
The Colourful-man, Union Square, NYC 2014
The Colourful-man, Union Square, NYC 2014
The Colourful-man and his companion, Union Square, NYC 2014
Having mainly experienced visual merchandising for women’s accessories, I was both excited and nervous when Hugo Boss’ influential Visual Merchandiser Christie Rotter offered me the chance to merchandise a couple of the Hugo Boss menswear tables in Bloomingdales! I’ve always known that I am a bit of a perfectionist, one can even go as far as to say I have a bit of OCD, so it took me a little while to complete the first table. However having Christie and the Hugo Boss Visual Standards Guide (HB VM Bible) to assist me was very reassuring and helpful. The following pictures illustrate my first ever visual display at Hugo Boss. The best part of this was getting Christie’s stamp of approval! it was extremely motivating and exciting!
This Sunglass hut window display at Macy’s caught my attention! I love the clever play with words in the accompanying vinyl ‘Make It Reign’ window decal. The lighting in this window is particularly effective. It draws attention to the throne, the main focal point of the display where most of the light seems to be targeted. Overall, I love this concept and feel that it is a very strong visual display.
As most brands are beginning to inject more warmth into their window displays by introducing fall/winter inspired themes. Scarves, knee-high socks and jackets seem to be a common style trend for most mannequins, which is no surprise that H&M have swapped their summer inspired themes to fall/winter. Personally, I think that the most striking element in H&M’s window displays, setting them apart from other brands this fall/winter, is their clever use of mannequins.
H&M has decided to showcase its transition into fall/winter by swapping the heads and hands of some of the window display mannequins for giant knitted versions. I feel that this striking concept is very compelling with the clever addition of mannequins seemingly designed and dressed to entice passersby with the promise of warmth and comfort. The whole display effectively functions as an attention grabbing magnet that no doubt helps to lure in more customers, especially as the temperature continues its descent into cooler depths.
We all love a bit of Zara! who can resist the temptation to pop in and have a ‘quick look’. Whenever I visit Zara for just a ‘quick browse’ I usually always end up joining the forever long fitting room queue with an armful of clothes, which of course results in an increased dent in my bank account!
Zara, Autumn Winter, 2014
Zara, Autumn Winter, 2014
Zara, Autumn Winter, 2014
Zara, Autumn Winter, 2014
Zara, Autumn Winter, 2014
Zara, Autumn Winter, 2014
Zara, Autumn Winter, 2014
As most of us are now in the process of swapping out our bikini’s and summer dresses for trousers, long-sleeved tops and jackets etc. It is definitely the right time to start investing in warmer clothing pieces. I personally think that Zara’s the place to be if you want decent priced and quality fashion pieces this fall. So why not check out their latest collection, there’s no harm in looking…right?
I took a little stroll down Fifth Avenue on Saturday and stumbled upon this beautiful window display in one of Lord and Taylor’s windows. I am not too familiar with the brand ‘Obsessed but I love this!. Just amazing.
Obsessed VDC, Lord and Taylor NYC, Fifth Avenue, 2014Obsessed VDC, Lord and Taylor NYC, Fifth Avenue, 2014
It was so exciting to see Jason Wu’s latest Spring/Summer 2015 ‘ThisIsBoss’ Womenswear Collection! The garments looked absolutely beautiful and to top it all off, I was lucky enough to get involved in transferring this collection straight off the runway and onto the mannequins in the Hugo Boss club room which I help supervise. Seeing the fashion pieces in person and being able to touch them and truly appreciate the fine details was a real treat!. Jason Wu has an amazing talent and is a good asset to the Hugo Boss brand. Click on the link below to view the Hugo Boss NYC Fashion Show.
Moon Coated 