How did Visual Displays lose creativity????

Hello all... :)

So as i promised I am bringing you the window displays of some big brands in Delhi. But to be totally honest I was very disappointed with the Visual Merchandising this season with creativity ranging no more than just putting up trees, lights, balloons or snow flake stickers. Oh how I am jealous of all those in Paris or New York right now, where the displays in the holiday season are no less than a piece of art. Its big business around this time of the year and thats why ample money is spent on windows there. I am sure you would have already checked the link I talked about in the last post, since it has the best displays in NYC. It was http://gonyc.about.com/od/christmassights/tp/holiday_windows.htm But more examples are like one below

This is Karl Lagerfeld's  ‘Chanel’s Christmas wonderland’ window display at Paris’ Printemps.The display features lots of spage-age looking puppets in signature Chanel-style quilted fabrics with space-age mini-skirts and thigh-leg warmers. The puppets were named ‘Coco dolls’ and each had the signature bob hairstyle of Mademoiselle Coco Chanel, and are all handmade. As is seen these dolls are in a Christmas Garden of their own with golden flowers and purple skies. Now the next one

This is the Dior Christmas tree By John Galliano, which is at display at the Claridge's hotel London.The color scheme, shape and other elements chosen are very offbeat. His Christmas Tree is designed as sparkling white tropical Christmas tree, adorned with stones, crystals, flowers, lianas and vines. The sleeping leopard will pole on one of the branches.And notice how due to the lights the shadow of the tree seems alive and complete in itself.

"I want to combine the festive with the innovative, the spirit of Dior with the beauty of Claridge’s and create something spectacular that will inspire,” said Galliano. 

And now finally for the stores that I visited in Connaught Place, I wonder if this season the stores forgot to take up themes and stories altogether.

Allen Solly - See what I am talking about... Just a tree and a few lights plus they just wrapped the shirt like a present, which in fact was the most  clever thing in their display!!!

Bentley Republic - I liked this one somewhat for it seemed they had a clear goal in mind. The arrangement of gifts is appealing, the backdrop of Baroque prints looks pretty too, giving it an aura of elegance and color maroon gives it a subdued festive look. And now for the hanging light in shape of a Christmas tree, now this  is by far one of my favorite props. It looks good, conveys the mood without being over the top. So in whole this window has tried to create a 'gifting ideas for him' type of look.

Catmoss - This one again was not creative. The Santas look so inanimate, as if they are all coming from a military school and are standing in attention position! Though the interior with balloons and stars is ok for a kiddie store.

Pepe - They had a snowman sticker giving a gift plus lots of snowflake stickers. The festivities are subdued but I give them points for being uncluttered to the eye when you consider the whole window, which may not be so evident here in the picture.

Reebok - They looked inviting. Though they just used red and white balloons, the quantity in which they used it made them a success. On top of that all Reebok staff was wearing Christmas caps which again clicked with me. On the other hand i expected Mc Donalds staff to be wearing the caps but sadly they weren't....whatever happened to the spirit of Christmas.

Spykar - I liked their slogan quite a lot. It read 2010 - Bring it on! The sticker gifts too were simple but due to looking 3-D they impressed me since this eliminates, to some extent, the need of placing actual gifts and hence cuts down costs. :)

United Colors of Benetton - I liked their display for the reason that the red back drop worked well with all that was placed in front of it. As always their use of props impresses me with the white bench this time.Also the tree seemed like it had just snowed. Their display was a perfect balance between warmth of the season and the cold that comes with it. Oh how i wish it snowed in Delhi....

 Park Avenue - Nothing great about their display here, just that the arrangement of dress forms was nice and the use of Autumn leaves was different plus the lighting highlighted the merchandise well.

Van Huesen - The lights are way over the top but since they are blue and not the harsh yellow, I don't mind all that much. The huge snowflakes, again though not very creative, solved the purpose for them all the same.

This one is a billboard of Monte Carlo at the Metro station, Rajiv Chowk. And it really impressed me that there was a tree in place with fake snow made of cotton, it was duly decorated with gifts and all and the winter background worked so well with it..! Plus the two people on the side (poster) appear to be skiing.... :) full points for the mood depiction!!!


So we had enough right? So this is it and I am not really impressed this time. So be a sport and send me the pictures of holiday displays near you, I am really dying to see something creative!!! Mail it to me and I will post it here with your name and due credits. 
So until then, Happy holidays everyone...May god bless :)

Enjoy the holiday season without spending a rupee!!!!

Hey everyone... i would love to wish all of  you happy holidays. The festive season has already begun with Christmas tomorrow and the New year  just round the corner. What's very interesting in the holiday season is the window displays....they are so cheerful that going out, even if you don't shop, is an ecstatic experience. So, instead of a guide to what to buy and what not to or gifting ideas, i just want to take you on a tour to some of the best displays that you can find in New Delhi. A window shopping spree after all will cost you nothing but lift your spirits and bring you in holiday mood all the same.
           I am sure the list that i will add up soon would seem quite incomplete, and that's why i want you to contribute any pictures of interesting holiday displays that you find.It need not just be Delhi, i am welcome to the idea of other places too. So just mail me the pictures of the displays you find interesting and i would post them here with your name.
Would love to hear from all of you :)
P.S. i found this really interesting link to best holiday window displays in New York City....so why not you give it a dekko.
http://gonyc.about.com/od/christmassights/tp/holiday_windows.htm

7 easy ways to customize your pair of Converse shoes!!

Because we all wear them we ought to know this!!

All Star Converse, owned today by Nike, were originally manufactured to be worn by basketball players in America, as early as 1909 and they gained popularity once basketball player Charles ‘Chuck’ Taylor started promoting them. They became fashionable street wear due to many youth subcultures wearing them like the greasers in 1950s. Joey Ramone, Kurt Cobain and many such names popularized these shoes for their music fans and so did popular movies like the Hoosiers. Designers like Marc Jacobs and John Varvatos have also associated themselves with the brand which further added to their credibility on the fashion scene. And voila! they have been labeled as the shoe of the century.

Today we are again witnessing a wave due to which everyone is sporting a pair. But since so many people around are wearing them, the question now is how to stand out and make your pair more fashionable than the others. Well I give you some easy ways to do just that…here you go J

Mismatch your shoelaces!

Go and invest in various colors of shoelaces and wear different ones at the same time. This was a popular way even back in the 1970s among American school going children and is becoming popular here too.

Mismatch the shoes!

This one is not for the faint hearted since you may be termed Bizarre when you go out wearing different colored shoes. If you follow this one be prepared for weird looks on people’s faces. But my take on this is why follow someone when you yourself can start the trend among your social circles.

Lace them differently!

Now this one is not too hard. Be creative and spend some time in either inventing your own way to lace your converse or go online and search for different ways to do the same. I am sure the effort will be worth it and win you accolades among the people who matter to you.

Do graffiti on the rubberized parts!

You don’t really need a degree from an art school to make your converse look artistic. You just simply have to use permanent markers to draw symbols etc. on the rubberized parts. If you are not too comfortable drawing you can write quotes or the lyrics from your favorite song. And in case you are drawing why not sketch on a paper first and then do the actual artwork just to be sure…

Paint the soles!

Now this idea is the brainchild of one of my dear friends and I liked it so much that I had to share it with you guys. You can use crylin colors that are supposed to be used on fabrics to paint the soles. These are really cheap and available in 15-20ml bottles. If this doesn’t suit you then dig up your store room to find some leftover paints from the last paintjob that happened in your house, and use those. You might have to re-paint your soles regularly but this gives you an opportunity to have different colored soles each time!

Paint the canvas portion!

Now on the canvas you can easily draw things using the fabric paints which today are not only matt but also available in metallic finishes. Go explore your local stationary to weigh your options. If you like to be glamorous use some fabric glitter on it and your pair is good for a night out.

Embellish the shoe!

This I wiII recommend only for the girls. Remember your favorite charm bracelet that your best friend gave it to you? Now sport those charms by hooking them in the rivets of your shoe through which you pass the shoelaces. You can also buy some charms especially for your shoe or use small key fobs from your keychain. One warning though – don’t go overboard on this one, just one or two charms are fine and that too only on one shoe, or else you will end up being too much bling.

So go ahead be creative and let you pair of converse be all about who you are…transfer your personality onto the shoe you are wearing.

P.S. check out the photograph that I have included since it contains a few illustrations of what you can do and this can be your starting point.

Prologue

Hello everyone :)
                       This right here is my first attempt at blogging and well I instinctively chose fashion... I know there already are enough such blogs that promise to keep you sylish and fashionable but this one right here comes with a fresh perspective on every thing you remotely relate to fashion, from the best brands to invest in, best places to shop, key looks to the upcoming trends.                        
                       So stay connected, and I will keep writing about things that can help you become a fashionista yourself !