The Ice Bar

Wow the Ice Bar was amazing!Just off Regent Street, £15 gets you into the Ice bar for 40 minutes and a free cocktail, there was a great selection and each was given a themed name. Although it may not seem long after 40 minutes I was well and truly ready to leave, it was about -10 degrees celius in there and I could no longer feel my fingers or toes and couldn't even hold my drink properly. Mind you I don't think the glasses being made from ice helped in that matter! You get to wear these huge hooded capes and gloves which made it very difficult to find anyone partiucularly if they had their back to you but they were great to wear! It was very small inside though and I think a darker atmosphere with louder music could have made that little bit more special especially as the ice walls were back lit. Nether the less can't wait to go back!

Ralph Lauren Homeware and accessories

Ralph Lauren encapsulates more of a lifestyle than a brand; it’s not just what you where but the whole way in which you live, perhaps why the brand naturally created a home ware range alongside its fashion designs. Down on the lower floor a whole home is created with huge beds adorned with the best quality bed linen and wool throws, the windows gave the realistic appearance of a winter forest outside and very shelf and conceivable space was taken up with decor, candles, cushions, rugs on tables a whole dining table set up ready to eat Christmas dinner at. Another room gave the feel of a New York City bachelor pad which did not work which the rest of the store, in contrast with the traditional sensation around the store this came off looking rather seedy in comparison. The smell of cinnamon and pine overwhelmed me which I welcomed and the lifestyle continued upstairs with the addition of books on fashion, horses, cars and golf as well as fragrances and accessories. Peculiarly for such a sophisticated brand there was also a section for dog wear and I was horrified to discover a dog coat for £230! I reassured myself that no one would actually buy it, I hope.

Gap- Children's wear and more

The clear glass lift gave the illusion of space and room until I reached the first floor that houses Gap’s children’s wear. The room which was very small compared to the floors below was crammed with stock and it reminded me of my cousin’s filled to the brim play room with no room to play. The Fantastic Mr Fox collaboration from the side window display is continued upstairs with the opportunity to colour. Remarkably I sense the same preppy feel with essentially the same designs of rugby/ university hoodies and t-shirts on this floor as well as men’s and women’ s and in the same colours of red, navy, white, grey and green . The boy’s took on the form of miniature men’s wear with peaked caps tartan shirts and smart jeans. Children’s wear went right down to early years where an attempt to brighten up the walls was made in pastel colours and toys joined the shelves of clothes.
Purchases were carried out in navy blue paper bags, an attempt by Gap to instigate the feel of higher quality along with environmental consciousness. I remember however, last Christmas whilst making a purchase in this exact same store I was given a thick plastic carrier with a pull string handles that meant that you could carry the bag like a normal carrier whilst protecting your garment and I was particularly impressed at such a simple twist on a classic bag.

Ralph Lauren Customer Profile

I didn’t see many customers whenever I went in Ralph Lauren or at least I always had the feeling that I was alone. It transcends to me that Ralph Lauren is somewhat of a men’s brand that has happened to do women’s wear rather successfully to strengthen and widen the brands consumer base and this is echoed in the decor. I imagine however, men between the ages of 35 and 60 years old and women between 30 and 60 would shop at this store. This is a slightly older market than most designer stores with hobbies like golf, polo and horse riding or at least aspiring to belong to the aristocracy that convey this lifestyle. Obviously Ralph Lauren’s loyal customer would be well off living out of London in the countryside, say a short drive away in Kent but owning a town house in an area like Primrose Hill. The men are lawyers by profession or owning their business, earning between £50,000 and £400,000 per annum, many are of well-to-do families and their wives offer traditional glamour. They will spend a leisurely day out in London shopping in the store together and dining afterwards as a reward for the wife’s latest charity event.

Children's wear

This is some of my art work that I created for a children's wear collection.

Ralph Lauren - clothes and more

The faded mahogany interior epitomises the Fall 2009 collection of cosy tweed and homely velvet in warm ivories and beiges but I can’t help but speculate whether a Spring/Summer collection would look right in such a warm and comforting environment as this store, would a collection ever be able to look fresh and striking and summery when next to antlers and traditional fireplaces? Therein lies the concept of Ralph Lauren that season after season the style slightly changes but the consistency of traditional country style always remains and therefore the collection always compliments the store with only the need to modify temporary decorations.
Clothes are displayed in a way that leads the eye, with items that will create a great outfit placed together. I also loved the way that certain garments were hung on the wooden walls on hangers as though you were in a walk in wardrobe and you had selected some items from the rails to wear. The hangers were made of thick wood and were strong and sturdy to give structure to garments so that they did not just fall limp on the hanger. I saw the most beautiful patchwork effect beige wool tweed jacket costing £725 which seemed utterly worth it. A typical polo shirt cost upwards of £80, shoes and boots from £200 to £800 and dresses up to £2000 for an evening gown.
There were no more than 3-4 items of each design and in some cases just two and looking at the sizes I found an English size 8 to 14, which at first I took by surprise naively always believing designer meant very small sizes but then I remembered the market they would be catering for and older generations tend to be slightly larger than the average designer consumer. I felt that on seeing the new rugby line it would be a particular success because the look transcends style across generations and I can see both a younger and older customer buying the same shirt or jumper. This brings me to traditional tartan which is a trend that appears every winter effortlessly, Ralph Lauren incorporated this in their luxurious wool and cashmere scarves that stood next to Christmas print jumpers. Bright plain jumpers and shirts were also arranged in a more orderly fashion than the collection that appeared on the catwalk and I could in my mind I see then on elite horse riders and polo players.

Magazine Illustrations

Here is an example an illustration of Comme Des Garcons piece. Its quite immature looking but I like its unique take and childlike appeal.