Sometimes its nice just to change the back drop. I took the same piece of brown craft paper from last week and cut it up and made these over sized bows. They create a patterned background. The bows still go with the personality if this girly outfit too.
Thursday is Window day. Therefore we must update our window displays! Because we are going with the back to school mommy mannequin, I decided to do something Anthropologie circa 2000. It represents learning, school, fall everything we all imply for the season. I found a book in my stash and cut out all of these leaves with an exacto knife. I'm not Hitler, I recycled this book! I found it on its way to the dumpster at a school that was no longer going to teach on this novel. I saved it, knowing one day I'd make something out of it. So I cut all 200+ pages worth of simple leaves. I then stapled them together to make this garland I hung from the ceiling. I draped the back ground with thick natural colored craft paper. I even stuck a few leaves to the mannie.
My philosophy on window display is as follows:
1. Use correct scale. So many boutiques simply put some product in a window and a few props. You need to use the space you have in a window. Otherwise you are missing out on real estate. You wouldn't leave a corner of your store empty, so don't do it to a window.
2. Make a statement. If you are going to use a fun prop use a lot of them. Windows are fun and need to be attention grabbing. Make people wonder how you did it.
3. Keep product simple. Use the window display to highlight some of your product. Don't clutter the window with a lot of mannequins making it too busy. Don't confuse the customer by putting too much out there. People like clean and orderly merchandise. PS. Usually high-end stores have less in there windows and budget stores have a lot of merchandise. Who do you want to resemble?
4. Change often. Give your customer a reason to come in. Show them something new and current. Make them think you have received new shipment (whether you have or not). Changing your merchandising makes people think you have entirely new clothing.
5. Be Creative with your Budget. If you don't think you have the budget to come up with fun and creative window ideas you are cutting yourself short. Using simple or cheap items for props isn't bad as long as you follow tips 1 through 4. Save your money to make a few extraordinary windows throughout the year.
I'm a visual merchandiser, which is a pretty fun job, but I never talk about it. Heck, I don't even know if I'm allowed to! Oh well, I only say good things about the company so it probably only helps. This week we just finished a new floor set. New floor sets come with new fashion seasons. Maybe you weren't aware but we are in full swing of RESORT. Resort is a fashion season that happens right after Christmas. It is meant for places like St. Louis. When it's cold and dreary in January many people go on a cruise....so this is what you would wear on one. I have section #1. It isn't really prestigious we just rotate, but I'm still pumped about it. Look at all the mannies I get to dress weekly. Aren't you jealous? So at the store I work for, XXI, we have cute little names for all of the sections and the above mannies are dressed in Yacht Club.
This photo is more of the section, Yacht Club. It is a dressy, Chanel inspired nautical look.
I had another section called, After Hours. It is supposed to be what you would wear to clubs with a gold and olive story, and a silver story. I liked the floating fixtures in this section because it was a tiny olive and cream story that was really cute. The rest of it just cluby. Ever visual merchandiser hates to do a club section that looks like "a sea of black."
This was just a fun bust form I got to do. They wanted the 'After Hours' section to have a hard edge to it. The section included some military inspired jackets, as well as hardware, grommets and such. So for the bust forms in this section they wanted me to put wide belts with studs and hardware across the chest like so to look like "bullet holsters." Brian says that no one calls them 'bullet holsters' bet the correct phrase would be ammo holsters. Either way I think it looks pretty BA. It was pretty hard to stretch the belt across the form and make sure it didn't slip out of place. But I think it was worth it.
This as my favorite section to merchandise. It was called, Check In. It is still that hard, edgy feel but with a soft twist. It contains acid wash denim, t shirts and sweatshirts with grommet and studs. This section also contains a lot of cozies. It is a very soft/relaxed take on punk rock clothing.
For some reason I love to merchandise clothes that are not my style at all. I might be more objective and creative about it, instead of thinking I would never wear that shirt with that sweater. Honestly I wouldn't wear any of it at all! Brian says his best movies are not what he likes to watch. He loves action movies and blockbusters but he makes sweet moving videos like this one. Brian thinks I should try and make edgier things for my etsy site if it is what I'm best at merchandising. I don't know about that. Maybe new things are coming for me.
Thursday is Window day. Therefore we must update our window displays! Because we are going with the back to school mommy mannequin, I decided to do something Anthropologie circa 2000. It represents learning, school, fall everything we all imply for the season. I found a book in my stash and cut out all of these leaves with an exacto knife. I'm not Hitler, I recycled this book! I found it on its way to the dumpster at a school that was no longer going to teach on this novel. I saved it, knowing one day I'd make something out of it. So I cut all 200+ pages worth of simple leaves. I then stapled them together to make this garland I hung from the ceiling. I draped the back ground with thick natural colored craft paper. I even stuck a few leaves to the mannie.
I'm a visual merchandiser, which is a pretty fun job, but I never talk about it. Heck, I don't even know if I'm allowed to! Oh well, I only say good things about the company so it probably only helps. This week we just finished a new floor set. New floor sets come with new fashion seasons. Maybe you weren't aware but we are in full swing of RESORT. Resort is a fashion season that happens right after Christmas. It is meant for places like St. Louis. When it's cold and dreary in January many people go on a cruise....so this is what you would wear on one. I have section #1. It isn't really prestigious we just rotate, but I'm still pumped about it. Look at all the mannies I get to dress weekly. Aren't you jealous? So at the store I work for, XXI, we have cute little names for all of the sections and the above mannies are dressed in Yacht Club. 
This photo is more of the section, Yacht Club. It is a dressy, Chanel inspired nautical look.
This was just a fun bust form I got to do. They wanted the 'After Hours' section to have a hard edge to it. The section included some military inspired jackets, as well as hardware, grommets and such. So for the bust forms in this section they wanted me to put wide belts with studs and hardware across the chest like so to look like "bullet holsters." Brian says that no one calls them 'bullet holsters' bet the correct phrase would be ammo holsters. Either way I think it looks pretty BA. It was pretty hard to stretch the belt across the form and make sure it didn't slip out of place. But I think it was worth it.
