Set Pieces: Theatrical set design sets the tone for a new season at Dover Street Market

A charred old grand piano and larger than life casino table are two new installations at designer retail emporium Dover Street Market, where set design concepts have superseded retail corners for the store’s seasonal Tachiagari (change over).







A window collaboration between designer Adam Kimmel and artist George Condo grabs attention at the entrance to the store with Condo’s sinister and oversized male puppet characters standing around a casino table whilst showcasing Kimmel’s autumn/winter collection.










And on the third floor the newly refurbished shoe and bag accessories space has been designed by Studio Andy Hillman and features a charred grand piano displaying accessories by Loewe and Sergio Rossi, Fendi, Delvaux, Roberta di Camerino, Judith Leiber among walls covered in dark vintage wooden display cabinets. The effect is dark and moody reflecting the retail design trend for a Rough Luxe (see LS:N Global) atmosphere.

These eye-catching installations point to a new era of set design in retail.

My other highlights for AW10 at DSM include:
- The opening of a new Yves Saint Laurent space designed especially for DSM
- Alber Elbaz's latest VM creation for Lanvin - very lady is the vamp and theatrical
- Phoebe Philo's supremely luxe and minimal accessores space for her Celine accessories
- Hussein Chalayan's perfectly symmetrical hanging wardrobe - I loved his AW10 'Vegas' / on the road collection
- Nicholas Kirkwood's delectable shoe/rock/carving showcase
- Print fusions from Peter Pilotto or Erdem. Love the sophisticated print dress this season.
- Basement full of sneakers for men and women who like an androgynous look. I wish Visvim came in smaller sizes.

Swedish fashion house: Acne creates London studio store

Swedish fashion label Acne has opened a studio store in a former gallery on London’s Dover Street, and it's curated more like a tall townhouse with departments and artworks on each of the four floors.



The four floors not only display men’s and women’s fashion, but also art works by Helmut Lang, Jeremiah Goodman and Katerina Jebb. When entering, customers pass a piano that will be used for live music at weekends. A roof terrace adds to the feeling of being in someone’s home.



‘The studio will offer more than just clothing, it will be a house of different creativity,’ says creative director Jonny Johansson.








I particularly like the interpretations of Jeremiah's artworks - with wallpaper designs on the walls of the store very much leaping off the page of his book to mingle with the carefully merchandised collections hanging artfully on rails and mannequins.

Anthropologie is retail magic

At last! Anthropologie has finally opened on London's Regent Street. As a seasoned US Anthro customer I was beyond excited at the prospect having a good look around at the press preview on Wednesday - and they added a sumptuous tea party spread to boot!





So the real secret of Anthropologie's success Stateside is the clever VM and eclectic product display that mixes fashion, homewares and lifestyle with a certain je ne sais quoi that sews it all together. It's retail magic that makes you want to buy everything! Each store has two dedicated VM experts that change around new product all the time and are responsible for the story telling aesthetic Anthropologie is known for. From wardrobe to bedroom to kitchen table to pantry and even to garden (with sister retail brand Terrain) it's all there to be discovered.

When I asked visual manager Camdon Richardson what was his secret he told me the devil is in the detail: "It's all down to the little touches I put in the nooks and crannies to catch people's attention. Some of our shoppers are used to Anthropologie displays (and love us for it) but others are captivated when we add the little related product ideas and special props we find from our travels around the world. It's about inspiring people to follow our style in their home so I like to show them how to do it for themselves." He added that the London store has been his favourite so far because the UK - and Europe provides such a rich cultural melting pot of ideas. "It's a huge first step for us here in Europe."

James Bidwell is MD of the Urban Outfitters owned new Anthro UK. He told me: "We're all about experience and we exist to provide our customers with a journey of discovery in-store. The secret of the store is the merchandising. Average dwell time per customer is an hour and a half and it's because there's so much to discover. It's like layering different product stories for the customer." He added that the creative visual team take a completely different approach to each store - they're based in each one and take inspiration locally. So London means Union Jack wall hangings, quilts and throws - with one even styled on a mannequin as a skirt to throw the different departments together.

Other quirky highlights in-store include the giant lifesize Narwhal hanging above the laden tabletop display (made from all the plastic packaging from the products shipped in for opening, and covered in paper mache), the Magpie chandeliers made by South African artist communities, the Christmas room complete with snowy clouds (check out Anthro's wonderful ornaments selection) and last but certainly not least is the 2000 sq ft growing plant wall complete with over 80,000 plants, created by UK based company Biotech. "It's like a green oasis on Regent Street". If you look closely the plants are arranged in a plaid check formation and are supported by their very own sustainable irrigation system from the roof. The wall together with the three storey staircase (made from reclaimed wooden frames), stitches the building together. Oh and I nearly forgot the stunning circular hanging window display made from hundreds of dip-dyed used tea-bags. Very British!






I also had a quick chat with head of buying Olivia Richardson who said she wanted to bring over what was relevant from the US and translate it for the UK market. "We had our London customer firmly in mind and wanted to source the local market to make the Anthropologie offer right for Europe. So we're doing a number of collaborations with both the interiors and fashion offers including a capsule range with Eley Kishimoto and several items from the boutique Beyond the Valley. We have also worked with French artist Nathalie Lete to create some one off home pieces and British interior designer duo Clarke and Reilly have created a line of hand crafted furniture exclusively for us."







She added: "Our customer encounters everything from textiles to home accessories, as well as decorative antiques and vintage objects that are literally found by our buyers who travel the world in search of originality that's right for Anthropologie."

Wow 'buyer at large' sounds like my dream job!

As usual I didn't hold back snapping away inside, here's my selection of pics for your visual delight!

Anthropologie Regent Street

Dover Street Market: Tachiagari AW comes early

Autumn/Winter collections seem to arrive earlier and earlier each season and while most designer emporiums let the new deliveries slip quietly into store Dover Street Market has a completely new look each season called Tachiagari - and it's a refreshing way to introduce customers to the new designer offers with exciting corners, VM displays and personality enhancing spaces.





The press preview on Monday did not disappoint, so feast your eyes on my whirlwind tour of the new spaces (floor by floor - and then back again for a few bits I missed!).

First off, loved the colourful floral window display. Complete with heady scent, Andy Hillman has created a mystical garden illusion, entitled Endless Summer, which invites guests into what feels like a greenery tunnel. Andy Hillman is a set designer who regularly works with photographer Tim Walker (former DSM collaborator) forming whimsical and magical worlds.

And more of my personal favourites include the new Comme des Garcons Shirt for women corner (rose pink & frilly whites), the suspended hanging space for Hussein Chalayan, the 'front row of fashion' Lanvin show experience, Anne Valerie Hash's reading corner space, Charles Anastase's 'my own private museum' collection of drawings alongside his grown up chic outfits, the World corner complete with eccentric masks and vintage collectibles, Loewe's sumptuous leather bags, Ferragamo's vintage table laden with 70s era shoes and the hidden away, decadent new shoe "department" (love the axes on the carpet wall) carrying hot labels such as New Gen award winner Michael Lewis, Sergio Rossi, Bruno Frisoni, Mr Hare, Cleo B and T29. Nicholas Kirkwood's new geometric frame display is also nearby, next to the new YSL Edition 24 corner full of timeless classics - and don't miss the expanded Comme des Garcons Homme Deux tailoring desk.







The new Comme des Garçons pop-up brand Black made it's debut here a couple of weeks ago (now on the ground floor for 18 months) along with brand new shop fits for Junya Watanabe, Comme des Garçons Shirt (for men) with those active looking mannequins and Comme des Garçons mainline - the collection entitled, Wonderland draws its inspiration from creating illusions such as layering of materials and prints on accessories. Check out those chic military surrealist parkas.






Tao's little rail of frills is so cute and so is the Undercover space opposite - it's like a treasure trove at the top of the forbidden tower.

In fact there's a bit of a shoe thing going on too (great news for shoe lovers such as myself) for men and women.












Downstairs the basement has had a bit of a refurb too with a whole new sneaker space - carrying hotties like Volta, F-Troupe, Generic Surplus, Common Projects and new spaces for Engineered Garments, Original Fake, Visvim, Monocle, Supreme and the new own-label from Dover Street Market. Sadly it's the last collection for Number (N)ine down here too.


And finally, loving the new collector's book space from Idea Books - this week celebrating man's first steps on the moon.

Captions and more photos here:

DSM Tachiagari AW 09