Forever 21 Blanco Primark Forever 21

Brighter updates on soft hues brought a fresh take on Summer color for June. Pastels and mid-tone hues likecandy pink, sherbet orange, sky blue, lemon and mint were popped with brights and white for depth. Powdery,matte surfaces accentuate the candy-like palette. Retro, kitschy locations like pool clubs and stadiums along withwhimsical objects like beach balls and streamers evoke faded childhood memories sure to appeal to all.

SWEET TARTSCOLOR

Ralph Lauren Marc by Marc Jacobs Selfridges

Selfridges Tommy Hilfiger C&A

A whimsical take on beach vacation themes updates classic Summer visual merchandising this month. Saturatedand whitened brights mix with faded, sun-bleached hues for a nostalgic effect. Retro seaside themes—resorts,snack shacks, cabanas, postcards—are appealing and entertaining. Oversized imagery and scenic backdropsfurther support the happy theme, irresistible to all who pass by.

FUNCATIONTHEME

Sisley

Sisley Anthropologie

Harrods Ambrosi Abrianna

Lush, exotic greenery updates the tropical theme from last month. Real and faux plants in crowded arrangementsand layered over long grass carpets for a plush effect. Green backdrops and lighting accentuate the verdanteffect. Hothouses, wheelbarrows and gardening implements lend a horticulture note. An oversized fan at Sisley inMilan beckons the overheated shoppers outside to enter for some relief from the blazing summer heat.

HOTHOUSETHEME

Harrods

Harrods

Hermes Ralph Lauren

Passersby may have found themselves transported away by shop displays this month, with many depictingscenes of appealing fantasylands. Oversaturated backdrops and luscious scenery added to the dreamlikelandscapes. Hermesʼs windows encased a bleached out tropical oasis with porcelain palms, while Printempsdepicted a cloaked mannequin emerging from a mysterious, unearthly green background. At Harrods, a seafaringmaiden reclines in a giant oyster shell surrounded by flotsam.

FANTASY ISLANDTHEME

Ann Taylor Reed Krakoff Barneys New York

Gap COS Louis Vuitton

While Summer weather leaves most feeling refreshed and renewed, visual merchandisers have been spreadingthe blues. From Klein International Blue to cobalt and royal, the vibrant hue was spotlighted in windows aroundthe world this month, abstractly symbolizing clear skies and open oceans. Barneys New York filled its display withenlarged Pantone® swatches of various blue shades, while Ann Taylor matched its azure background to window-sized blowups from their catalog. Louis Vuitton referenced the sky, featuring a background of saturated blue andsuspended model airplanes.

SUMMERTIME BLUESCOLOR

Daks Coach Bergdorf Goodman

Bloomingdale's Anthropologie Banana Republic

This June, visual merchandisers made it clear that the background story can be just as interesting as the mainevent. Two such stories unfolded in storefront windows: One scientifically based, and the other emotionallynostalgic. Scientific illustrations of flora and fauna formed a collage in the displays of both Daks and BergdorfGoodman. Faded maps overlapped to form a geographic wall for hanging handbags at Coach. Photo nostalgiaweighed just as heavily this month, as Bloomingdaleʼs and Banana Republic reflected on instant memories withPoloroid-themed windows, and Anthropologie looked to the past with a vintage slide show.

BACKGROUND CHECKTHEMES

For June, Bergdorf Goodman welcomed Summer with a nod to nature. Using the work of New York-based artistKevin Paulsen, the Bergdorf team created a backdrop echoing natural light and nineteenth century folk art. Acalming palette of brick, pale yellow, ocean teals and desert tans provide a perfect accent to the garmentssharing the stage. From runway favorites like the Dolce & Gabanna garden lace dress to watercolor florals on apair of Summer shorts, this window feature transports the viewer to the long-awaited time of year with easy,beautiful dressing for warm nights and the occasional gallery-hopping.

BERGDORF GOODMANBEST OF

Promoting the new line by Polaroid Grey Label: Haus of Gaga, Polaroid took over the Bloomingdale's windows onLexington and 59th to give fans a chance to get interactive. In one vignette, fans and passerby's could stand infront of a Gaga lookalike mannequin to have their picture snapped and uploaded into the display, joining a massof giant Polaroids depicting Lady Gaga, oversized disco balls and all of the usual suspects associated with thelarger-than-life songstress. Gaga clones in the window were dressed in a variety of styles, from the sparkle ofBCBG Max Azria to the gothic drape of Rick Owens to the sexiness of Agent Provocateur. Very Gaga indeed!

BLOOMINGDALE'SBEST OF

Selfridges bold window schemes featured unique, and often humorous visual interpretations of their much hyped-about campaign “Project Ocean”—an initiative addressing the disastrous effects of over-fishing on theenvironment, as well as information on sustainability. Witty stylized sets brought the message to life, featuringmock fish & chip vans without any fish, life-size postcards of empty seaside resorts, and mannequins adorningdesigner Katherine Hamnettʼs specially commissioned capsule collection of graphic slogan tees. The introductionof a giant interactive screen was a major highlight, drawing in huge interest from shoppers, and eventuallyhelping raise over £100k.

SELFRIDGESBEST OF

Anthropologie brings out its unstoppably creative team again for a stellar installation this month. Largeconstructed displays created from a patchwork quilt of parallelograms, squares and triangles inset intowhitewashed wooden frames fan out to form backdrops and domed cabanas. The soft mid-tone hues of blues,corals and sea green echo the geometric tribal prints of the denim-friendly transitional collection inside.

ANTHROPOLOGIEBEST OF

Hermès took its cues from the atelier this month, fashioning figurative versions of accessories with bobbins ofthread. Hats, heels, cuff bracelets, and even the iconic Birkin bag were re-created in exaggerated proportions,and paired next to their human-scale counterparts in window scenes saturated with color ranging from teal,purple, and orange to stark white. These quirky, crafty creations lent an air of wit and whimsy to the classicFrench house, making for a bold, dynamic display nothing short of inspiring.

HERMESBEST OF

Printemps celebrated the power of nature this month in bold, monochromatic window scenes punctuated byflowers and fauna. Green leaves were individually suspended from the ceiling, evoking the quiet aura of a tropicalforest. Stylized cacti looked like natureʼs totems in scenes dowsed in blue, while floating red masses seemed tosuggest the complexity of a coral reef. Accentuated by one mannequin per vignette, Printemps evoked therelationship between man and almighty nature.

PRINTEMPSBEST OF

World-renowned department store Harrods featured June window schemes exuding opulence, reinforced bydecadent references of the Italian Renaissance. Standing amidst a luscious garden backdrop consisting ofluminous green, a marble fountain, columns intertwined with ivy and imposing Roman statues, were statuesquemannequins draped in flowing gowns of crisp white and rich berry hues. A consistent nod to the arts wassolidified by a striking interpretation of Botticelliʼs “The Birth of Venus,” which tied the entire luxurious themetogether seamlessly.

HARRODSBEST OF

Harvey Nichols created a series of breathtaking commemorative windows honoring the life and talent of one ofBritainʼs most inspiring designers—the late Alexander McQueen. The windows coincided with NYCʼs MetropolitanMuseum of Artʼs much-anticipated retrospective, “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty”, showcased an edit ofarchival pieces ranging from the iconic dress from the S/S 99 show, in which robot arms spray-painted a model,to items from the F/W 08 collection, inspired by a 600 year old elm tree. This moving initiative offered shoppersand fashion fans the rare opportunity to see these pieces first hand, re-enforcing McQueenʼs legacy.

HARVEY NICHOLSBEST OF