Whilst flicking through Vogue Magazine recently I came across details of the Street Lights idea. Vogue’s Jewellery Editor, Carol Woolton, experienced ”a eureka moment” which was a stroke of brilliance. Since becoming a jewellery designer myself I have long thought that the jewellery shops needed to get more in line with the rest of retail with their jewellery and window displays and indeed, I still have the sketches from two exhibition stand ideas from a year ago when I briefed someone on making me some props, two of which have been repeated in some form on Street Lights (sadly time constraints meant that the ideas I chose didn’t come to fruition).
I enjoyed the dressing table windows at Chatila whereby the painted women where “wearing” jewellery (another sketched out idea of mine which I was going to use for Top Drawer in September 2009!) although my women were going to be on the walls and not have the clever mirrors as faces. It can be hard to display jewellery well, without using standard industry displays but I have always “themed” any displays that I have done at exhibitions, large or small, and tried to look different and am excited about how this is going to move the jewellery industry forward, I am sure.
Street Lights 2011 Chatila dressing table mirror
Displays I loved:
Harry Winston – I actually said ”wow” out loud, it was truly stunning and incredibly clever.
Asprey’s
Bulgari
Chanel
Boucheron
Solange Azagury-Partridge
Street Lights May 2011 Harry Winston Window Display by David Foux-Fouillet
David Roux-Fouillet's diamond shapes represent the indestructability of diamonds
Street Lights May 2011 Asprey window
Street Lights May 2011 Shopping Trolley inspiration by Leigh Cameron
Street Lights May 2011 Boucheron window
Chopard windows were simply beautiful with spinning lampshades with great light (film strip) effects but I could not tell whether they had taken part in the “Street Lights” exhibition – the designers’ names were visible but the Street Lights window sticker was not visible. However, it was difficult to see the Street Lights stickers in most windows – they were easily missed and some were placed at pavement level as were the designer descriptions which was a shame.
“Street Light” window displays that did not move me at all:
De Beers
Boodles
Tiffany window display – I couldn’t easily see the jewellery (partly because I am only5 ft 3″ and was wearing Converse trainers not heels) but would love to see what is happening in the shop as their window displays are usually so fantastic
Mappin & Webb
Georg Jensen – the jewellery became a bit lost in the large display
Street Lights May 2011 Tiffany window display
Sadly I missed the Garrard one due to time constraints, but it sounds well worth a visit, having, according to Carol Woolton “life sized acrylic crowned lions as part of its display, in which a computer screen will conjure an image of the viewer as a tiara-bedecked princess.”
Sadly there did not seem to be many people around from 4 pm onwards, other than the odd tourist, but it did mean that I could take pictures without having to worry about pedestrians. Even the VIP event at 6 pm seemed rather empty, as I accidently walked right through it, and past Tamara Mellon (of Jimmy Choo fame)!
What a great project – well done and thank you to all involved. I thoroughly enjoyed my quick browse.
Street Lights Bond Street 9th May 2011
