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 [...]

Rather than eat Thanksgiving leftovers or reminisce at high school reunions, we plowed through Paris this past week, documenting everything from street fashion to high-end homegoods. One reoccurring theme we found throughout every neighborhood was graphic-heavy tights. Regardless of age, district or outfit, women were sporting asymmetrical looks, transforming their legs into fierce accessories.

Applying this textured technique to Susan Woo’s Spring 2010 catalog, Geordie Wood’s hand painted photos reveals the perfect balance between mixed media and fashion photography. Proving equally playful, these leopard print leggings for kids remind us why even the youngest Parisians are so chic. In predictably beautiful fashion, Garance Dore’s portrait of Tennessee Thomas, the drummer and vocalist for The Like, is sporting a gorgeous pair of Emilio Cavallini stockings. It wont be long [...]

Apparently, diamonds don’t have to sparkle in order to shine. Diamond contours are surfacing everywhere. We first noticed interesting uses of the infamous pyramid on the streets of Paris back in November and have continued to spot creative variations across the Atlantic.  From Mike Perry’s vector repeat to this Parisian jewelery display to this remarkable 3D installation by Kirsten Hassenfeld, all of these interpretations glorify the geometric intricacies of the world’s most famous carbon.

While shopping in the trendy Palermo Hollywood district of Buenos Aires (yes, it’s named after Hollywood, California), we sensed this trend emerging on the tails of ArteBA. The graffiti-culture shop, Sixfeet, is covered in diamonds, most notably on the back wall, which is strategically complimented by several colorful diamond hoodies for sale on the floor.  Back in [...]

Zippers, the commonplace closure, have been striped of their hidden functionality and thrust into the spotlight, proving they can double as innovative solutions as well as decorative patterns.  The results are striking, and slightly quirky.  Part of the zipper’s appeal, perhaps, when compared to its closure counterparts such as buttons, hooks, and snaps, is the fluidity of movement.  This is evident in Ji Woong’s Zip Up Tangles, a creative solution to the wiry mess we all experience when reaching for our ear buds.  Stepping it up a few notches, Van Cleef & Arpels has recently dove into it’s archival library to revive it’s 1950’s Zip Necklace.  While today’s version may be toned down, it’s no less elegant, and a primary example of how innovation can have timeless appeal.

In a French design studio not far [...]

When times are tough, retail environments pull out all the stops, forcing their design teams to get crafty in lieu of spending big bucks.  Sometimes these ad hock compilations are miserable collages and other times, wondrously creative ideas emerge.  Anthropologie’s artistic displays typically fall into the later of the two categories.  Inspired by Parisian wallpaper styles, the back wall of the retailer’s Fifth Avenue location pairs kitchen wares with floral chalk panels.  Using a $10 can of blackboard paint and a steady hand, Anthro’s budget illustrations are incredibly chic and can easily be translated to any wall in your home.

Inspiration: Floral Striping

When designing floral striping, all inspirational elements must be considered.  Here is a mood board that combines paralleling themes through the use of nature, Parisian craftsmanship and modern techinique.

Conformist installations have started to emerge throughout European retail displays.  From militaristic mannequins wearing Eres lingerie, to gold bunny gardens at Printemps, to soldier-style figurines in Amsterdam, the idea of sameness is popping up in the most unlikely of places.  Be it unstable economics or adverse politics, retail is embracing the notion of unity, hoping to curtail risky business, taking creative (and creepy) measures.

Gieves and Hawkes, in traditional British fashion, caters to the military man gone CEO. The grid of suits in this window display is a playful throwback to army line-ups of yesteryear.  Kozyndan, a creative duo from Santa Monica, highlight the Japanese Maneki Neko in their Weezer illustration entited, “The Link and the Witch.”  A marching band of lucky cats let loose in perfect porcelain formation.

If you pay attention, you’ll almost always notice art imitating life and vice versa. I find this most exciting when unexpected trends weave their way through a city I am unaccustomed to. This was the case on a recent trip to Paris. While exploring the Marais, I stumbled across the most beautiful collection of hand painted silk pillows. The beetle toss was a high-end approach to playful décor. This beetle theme consistently reappeared in various stores – most interestingly as a woven monogram at Printemps. Later on in the day, on a more guided stroll through the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, I stumbled upon a beautiful collection of preserved butterflies. The color, composition and collection were impeccable. A commercial version of this natural wonder is translated well [...]