Casual, but Dressy

Store: Chico's | Location: Shoppes at College Hills, Normal, IL

This is another window that I liked from Chico's because of the color palette, which again, is really hard to see in this picture due to the brightness. It was mainly neutral colors and consisted of white, cream, and taupe. I liked that there was cohesion throughout all of the looks and that those neutral colors were present in each outfit. There was also cohesion with the leopard print that was used in the two middle mannequins. To me, all of the outfits were pretty casual, but were a more dressed up kind of casual look. You get a more dressed up vibe from the second outfit that has the necklace on it, as well as the necklace that is displayed right in the middle of the display.  

I really liked the proportions of this display because the two outer mannequins are higher than the mannequins in the middle, but the picture of the woman in the back of the middle mannequins balances everything out and gives the display emphasis. Again, there is rhythm in this display because of the colors, but also because each outfit itself is visually interesting so you are constantly looking at something.

Autumnal Colors

Store: Chico's | Location: Shoppes at College Hills, Normal, IL

This is one of the displays I saw around the Shoppes at College Hills that I liked because of the color story. It's really hard to tell in this picture since it was really bright out and this was the only angle that I could get a decent picture, but each outfit has a pop of that magenta-red that can be seen on the first outfit on the left. Other colors that were present in this window were olive green, dark orange, and some browns and reds. I'm immediately drawn to windows that have a clear color palette so it was no question that I had to get a picture of this one! It's just a shame that you can't see it well in this picture!  

Other than the mannequins and the shutter backdrop, there was nothing else in the window which is pretty boring to be honest. I think when this is the case, you really need to style the mannequins well since they're the only thing that you'll be looking at. So I thought that they did an excellent job because each outfit has enough on it that they aren't too boring and will make you want to stop for a minute to examine them up close.  

In terms of the Principles of Design, this window was somewhat balanced. I would've liked if all of the mannequins were facing the same direction, but I think in a way since the two end mannequins are both facing outwards and the middle two mannequins are facing forward, it makes the display balanced in that sense. The shutters give the display some height and differing proportions to the mannequins and you get emphasis and rhythm from the color story.   

It's Holiday Season!

Store: Target | Location: Shoppes at College Hills, Normal, IL

This was another display that I really liked at Target and one that got me so pumped for the coming holiday season. The clear theme in this display was showcasing different holiday looks. We've got Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, so I thought that these outfits did an excellent job at presenting some possible outfit ideas for customers. I love that the rack next to this display has similar items hanging on it that are cohesive with what is being displayed so there is a little bit of something for everyone. 

There was clear emphasis in this display through the color palette. Red is the obvious statement color, with everything else being pretty dark, so you have a lot of black, dark beige/brown, and little pops of white. As I said in my other post from Target, this display is also proportioned and balanced when you disregard the rack next to it. There is cohesion with the outfits the mannequins are wearing, as well as what is hanging on the rack which gives the display rhythm and ultimately makes the display unified.

Sweaters and Denim

Store: Target | Location: Shoppes at College Hills, Normal, IL

I was having a browse around Target and stumbled upon this display. It caught my attention because each outfit had the same structure to it; a sweater and jeans, and they were all in similar shades of cream/ivory. This display definitely wanted to showcase the different styles of sweaters and denim pants they have, which I thought was done well. I love that they put the rack of sweaters right next to the display so it would be easy for customers to find if they were looking at the display and liked what one of the mannequins was wearing. I actually hadn't noticed that the rack was there when I was looking at the display in the store and only noticed it after uploading this picture for this post. It certainly adds more visual interest to the display, especially because of the colors that are present in the rack.  

If you're looking at just the mannequins and disregarding the rack of sweaters, I think this display was definitely well proportioned and balanced because the mannequins are aligned and the same height, and having them on the platform elevates the display and gives them more height. Looking at the display as a whole and including the rack of sweaters though would make it somewhat disproportioned and imbalanced. You get emphasis from the shades of cream/ivory and rhythm from the differing colored sweaters on the rack, so overall, this display was pretty unified.

Pastel Heaven

Store: H&M | Location: Yorktown Center, Lombard, IL

A new H&M recently opened near me at Yorktown Mall in Lombard and I was very impressed with all of the visual displays. This one really caught my eye, especially since it's not an actual window display, but it's just part of the wall. The theme is evident and it's very clear on what type of girl this display is trying to attract. It's feminine and filled with pastel shades and girly silhouettes.  

Product placement is what makes this display visually appealing and I love that they used the merchandise as props to enhance the display and didn't just rely on the two mannequins to do all the talking. The products are not only placed in a way that is shoppable to the customer, but they all work together into completing this display as a whole. Visual displays don't always have to be filled with actual objects and props, and this display is definitely a prime example. 

Since this display is enclosed in a square shape, it makes everything well proportioned and balanced. Everything is at the same height and is perfectly aligned and the weight is distributed evenly. Emphasis is brought to the display from all of the pastel shades, and because of all the fun colors your eyes are constantly traveling from one corner to the next. This display definitely worked well and all of the principles of design made it unified. 

Where's the Party?

Store: Macy's | Location: Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, IL

These two windows from Macy's are probably some of the most bare windows I've seen. There really isn't much to say about them since they are both so bare, but I will go ahead and talk about the outfits first. The windows are two separate windows, but they are right next to each other so when you're looking at all of the outfits as a whole, they work well together and have a cohesive theme, which seems to be very cool and edgy party looks. Both windows have elements of leather and leopard print, which is what ties everything together. I think solely based on the outfits, these windows did an excellent job.

The actual window displays in terms of visual merchandising on the other hand, could have been a lot better. I would expect a retailer like Macy's to have fun and interesting windows too, so I was surprised that this was actually a window they put out. Since the only things you see in the windows are the mannequins, you really aren't left with much else to look at but the walls and carpet, which are both quite drab and make the windows as a whole quite boring. It also may confuse the consumers because there is very little in these windows so you're left to wonder what the story is here. Where are these outfits going to be worn? What's the occasion? To me since the windows are so empty, it looks like the mannequins are just waiting for a party to happen. Or that they are lost and have no idea where the party is. And because there is nothing else in the windows, you can clearly see how much space there is that they could've used to add more decorations, merchandise, or even signage. The bareness just makes the space that is already given seem even larger than if it were to have more in it. 

In terms of the principles of design, there really were none, other than that they were balanced because every mannequin is the same height and both windows have the mannequins centered in the middle of the window.