It’s been but two weeks since Bloomingdales in New York City opened their doors to a remodeled beauty department. Now, $55M dollars later, we have glossy checkers to compliment six new brands: Bare Essentials, Jo Malone, Shu Uemura, Sisley, Bumble and Bumble and Giorgio Armani.  This rendering highlights the perfume area, just one section of the cosmetics floor. As we’ve noted over the past few months, Alexander McQueen, Amy Winehouse, Vivienne Tam and Kandinsky are all artists that have found inspiration in this timeless staple, so too will the customers, the retail financiers are hoping.

By: Shayna Kulik

It’s always thrilling when brands fuse artful thinking with strategic marketing. Pointer footwear appears to be quietly racing to the top as they’ve built a cult following of sneaker enthusiasts over the past two years. Merging relevant trends, such as black and blue color schemes with cubic formations, Pointer’s art direction appears to overlap product categories of every variety. When paired beside this African Shore Eye Palette by Yves Saint Laurent, it’s easy to understand how one color can make the difference between gender specific marketing.

By: Shayna Kulik

There’s true intrigue when it comes to lace.  Delicate and dainty, it both conceals and reveals. While we’re all accustomed to seeing its multitude of personalities in fashion, home goods and accessories, reoccurring ties to privacy and obscured visibility have been a constant theme over the past few seasons, making us wonder if everyone’s watching Eyes Wide Shut all over again.

The editors at Dazed and Confused are continuing to manipulate eyes in sadistically interesting layouts just as designers are racing to reinterpret them into tactile accessories.  This Karl Lagerfeld tote is brilliantly inaccessible and proves our point with it’s € 1500.00 price tag.

Uma Thurman’s styling on the May ‘09 NY Times Magazine cover adds a layer of intrigue just as the geometric lace pattern on these Urban Outfitter curtains convey feelings of graphic obscurity. Pulling from past [...]

Few motifs are as powerful as the starburst.  We recently highlighted this symbol’s universal appeal and versatility in relation to logo design and beauty editorial.  Today’s theme follows a similar track with other inspirational layouts. This R & Y Augousti mother of pearl serving tray is comprised of natural materials, giving it ethnic appeal. Following a similar path, Kate Miss, a New York based designer, advertises her Etsy shop organizing vibrant necklaces in a playful circular formation. The French footwear company, Repetto incorporates photo effects to emulate a snowflake with their Fall/Winter 08 advertisement. All successful executions inspired by the spherical formula!

By: Shayna Kulik

Most fashion aficionados and style connoisseurs will agree that white is a signifying color of summer- one that should be neatly tucked away after Labor Day. Interestingly, we’ve been noticing blatant references that defy this social rule in everything from music and beauty to fashion and (most obviously) home design this Fall season. Be it a jumble of sound equipment for Jay-Z’s newest album, Blueprint 3, this decorative West Village door, Jessica Simpson’s latest fragrance, Fancy Love, or Bergdorf Goodman’s recent retail display, fanciful elements ranging from classic to contemporary can truly pop with a wash of white.

Diamonds in their purest form have remained desirable for centuries. From King Louis XIV of France to today’s modern bride, this gem signifies wealth, status and emotional commitment- three things that drive fashion and marketing teams crazy. Back in June, we covered global diamond patterns, as they were surfacing, and are now adding a few more to the bunch. Phillip Lim uses photo-realism in his bejeweled tank top while Rachel Roy simulates sparkle with cross-hatched slots on a quilted purse. Mimicking this concept with glass, Michael Kors references Hollywood glam with his new fragrance, Very Hollywood.

Additionally, many designers seem to be moving away from the traditional pyramid silhouette that we’re all accustomed to seeing. From Clé De Peau’s eye shadow to Marc Jacob’s earrings on the cover of [...]

Circular bursts serve as inspiration for countless campaigns and logo layouts. Be it corporate, luxury, indie or budget, there’s something subconsciously wholesome about a round shape that nearly everyone is drawn to. One of the reasons we’ve chosen to focus on Claudio Riaz’s make up brushes from Barney’s summer catalog and the Viceroy Hotel logo, which was appropriately placed in Ocean Drive, is that these two layouts, while wholly unrelated, make perfect visual sense when placed beside each other.  Unintentionally, both images speak to the luxury traveler who considers themselves a minimalist. Add Levi’s Go Forth art to the mix and your younger sister and her camp friends have suddenly joined the graphic vacation.  What’s the take away? Essentially, you’re halfway there if you choose the appropriate line quality, [...]

Light will always be a source of inspiration. From free hand shadow puppets to mood-induced candle lighting, shadows have a way of revealing an alternate reality. Recently, we’ve been noticing an equal importance between objects and the shadows they cast.  Maiko Takeda, an ‘09 graduate from Central St Martins, recently applied this concept in her final academic project entitled, Cinematography Collection. Takeda’s jewelry casts an elaborate shadow upon the body, weaving organic movement with man made metals. Using a similar theory, Peter Burning’s ceiling lights project elaborate flower-like patterns on the surrounding wall space.  Moving into the world of whimsy, Marc Philbert’s fashion photography is no stranger to light and patterns as he incorporates beautiful women with color and contrast.

Light boxes can be easily crafted, as demonstrated on