I spent some time walking round the meat packing district today while waiting for my laptop to be maintenanced at the 14th St. Apple Store. Though I’ve seen D*Face’s mural close to a thousand times, it’s relevancy was elevated after noticing Generra’s storefront. Black and white blocks stacked together comprised of Flora and Fauna were a complete parallel to D*Face’s baseline concept.  Both compositions are beautifully designed, interesting to dissect and provide social and political commentary of our current global climate. Whichever brand of culture you choose to identify with- be it historical, branded or generic, these geometric “quilts” are a thoughtful reflection of current creative styles, not to mention an interesting window into a now popularized counter-culture.

While shopping in London last week, I couldn’t help but notice all of the string installations that kept popping up throughout the big department stores. From elaborate window displays to intricate floor designs, immense and artistic webs seemed to be woven throughout the merchandise in an effort to spice things up.

Selfridges, one of London’s main department stores, always dedicates a portion of it’s windows to art and is currently displaying a truly complex and over sized replica of a twisted loom. The design is very abstract with a constructivist style. Not only is it impressive, but wholly inspirational; I love it when I see good modern art that can inspire my own work.

Over at Liberty, there’s a beautiful geometric crystal chandelier installation that spans at least 4 floors in the Women’s section. It’s gorgeous and truly [...]

A few weeks ago we went to Paris on a trending trip for one of our clients. Along the way, we shot imagery, left and right, as everything caught our eye! Few places are more inspirational during holiday season and we wanted to share a few of our favorite and most relevant window shots with you.

Creative Sleighs

The idea of the sleigh will never go away and Printemps has reinvented the idea this season with a few clever solutions. Lucky cats double as carousels, blending eastern and western themes with the use of color and costume. Contrasting the slick porcelain sleigh, needle point horse and chariots sit a few windows away, giving the concept of decoupage new meaning.

Pretty in Pink

Be it evil chucky babies or over sized matryoshka dolls, Parisians are pulling at [...]

Over the next few days we’ll be rolling out various gift guides from a pattern point of view. Today we’re focusing on the little ones. Whether you’re in the market for your own kids, your friends kids or your beloved pets, we’ve got crafty ideas to inspire creative giving at every price point. Take a look and let us know what’s on your  list this holiday season!

1. ShapeMaker by Miller Goodman, $54

2. Organic Fun Dough, $15 and up

3. Doodles: A Really Giant Coloring and Doodling Book, $18.95

4. Bla Bla Tiger Doll, $36

5. And to Name but Just a Few, Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, $12

6. Cheyenne Collar + Leash Set, $65 and up

7. Baby Jungle Dish Box Set, $34

8. Books to Bed: “Corduroy” PJ [...]

Everyone’s aware that the fashion industry’s taken a bit of a beating over the past year. As brands struggle to stay afloat, artists continue to incorporate economic themes into their design work.  Beyond creating money inspired products, we’re beginning to see marketing dollars move in the same tactile direction. Both Bond St. no 9 and Vince are provocatively challenging street audiences to embrace this ominous topic by putting dollar signs and bank robbers in their windows. Taking a similarly playful approach, Alexandra Cassaniti has recently released this money bag into her product line-up, proclaiming, “it’s funny to carry a bag with a dollar sign down the street. People are always like, ‘did you rob a bank?’ or ‘do you have money in there?’”

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

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 [...]

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.

The moment technical drawings began popping up in the mainstream, we knew back to school season was in full swing again. What’s most interesting about the above imagery is that regardless of the subject matter, both themes remind us of chalkboard drawings. J. Crew’s architectural lettering is comprised of strings and nails and has us saying our ABC’s, while the Gap has tapped the New Vintage Edison light bulb craze with black and white illustrated pajama pants. Regardless of the subject matter, these thin-lined contrasts conclusively define the western notion of education, and it’s refreshing to see more than just books ringing in the fall season.

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 [...]