Oh Comely

I'm really excited to have come across a magazine which has elements of all my other favourites; quirky articles and features (like 7 ways to toast your toast!) as seen in Vice, girly and kitsch imagery like in Lula and the work of contributing illustrators just like Amelias.

Heres what they have to say about themselves:

"oh comely is a magazine about people and their quirks and their creativity, rather than money and what it can buy. It's nice to see you here.


It's a magazine that inspires people to be creative, talk to their neighbours and explore new things, rather than buy stuff or lose weight. Imagine sitting down with a cup of tea and a creative friend to hear all the strange things she says, all the curious stuff she does, and about the things she loves."

Boukates

I have finally started experimenting making bouquets out of paper. Initally i was going to just look at making bridal bouquets but when i went to the wholesalers to buy the foam i came across little silver buckets which lead me to consider wedding favours, centrepieces and gifts - housewarming, anniversarys, birthdays, new babys, mothers day, easter, or just to say thank-you!

Here is my first creation i made for my new baby cousin, Milly.

Points to develop: wrap bucket in fabric? more details on flowers - stitching, stick on gems etc? different shaped flowers - or could i make a point of having all the same shapes so my work is easily recognisable?

One problem i encountered was that the flowers were slipping down the wire so i tied knots underneath but this was difficult, time consuming and looked messy so instead i have invested in some crimp beads to hold them up.

Revival

Following my last project in which i made paper jewellery, i decided i would carry on the techniques i picked up but apply them to bouquets. For inspiration I have had my eye out for all things wedding related and came across this amazing little room out the back of one of my favourite vintage shops - Revival in Totnes. The mixture of vintage clothing, suitcases, hat boxes gives a really overwhealming cluttered look which makes it so exciting as everywhere you look there is something to see! I have spoken to the manager about my plans and she is happy for me to do a shoot in the room but at this early stage i am not too sure what kind of approach i am after. However, as i want to appeal to people who are conscious of the environment, shooting in a vintage shop will reflect the recycling message i want to portray.

New Look

I currently have a summer job working as a Sales Advisor for New Look and i love it! As a brand, New Look inspire customers to try new looks and interpret the trends in their own way, something which they encourage particularly in their visual merchandising.


I was given the chance to go to a visual merchandising course in Plymouth, lead by Emily who is the regional VM for the south-west.
I had such a brilliant day, learning lots about both window displays and in-store merchandising, things which New Look take very seriously to continue their brand image, encourage customers to enter the store and ensure they can shop eaily when they are inside.


The main points i picked up about each area are:


WINDOW DISPLAYS

• Windows looks must appeal to all customers, of all shapes and sizes and with a wide range of budgets. To ensure this, each mannequin must be different (ie can't all be wearing trousers - instead have one in a skirt, shorts, jeans, dress etc and vary the lengths whilst ensuring a 'flow' so the customers eye follows the length of the window).
• Mannequins are accessorised but not in the most obvious way to inspire new ways for the customer to wear the trend (eg long dresses were pinned at the side with a coursage)
• By accessorising with bags, hats, scarfs and jewellery (evenly spread across the number of mannequins) the customer can buy into the trend without having to spend a fortune and can introduce the pieces into their own wardrobe. This last point is essential as working in-store i have realised that alot of people don't have the confidence to try out new things.
• When there are more than 1 mannequin in the window they should be positioned in a way that they will catch the eye of customers coming from different directions.
• Generally one trend (during the course 'wild', 'eerie' and 'gypsy' had just launched) per window, or per set of mannequins so you can see the different looks clearly. While the window should provoke interest and be exciting, if there is too much going on it will look messy!

MERCHANDISING

• Looks from the windows should be placed just inside the door ('See it, Buy it!') so the customer can easily find what they are after.
• Unless working on an area promoting all the same product - usually basics such as denim and casual jersey - it is encouraged to not have two of the same items next to each other, eg 2 t-shirts. Whilst considering this you must also ensure clothes are blocked in lengths to look neat, as many different outfit combinations are on one side of the wall/gondola, the colours flow and  best sellers are at customers eye line.
• New Look also have their own specific guidelines about the construction of shop fittings to represent their brand image and ensure all the shops look consistant.
• Outposting (having a bar amoungst the clothes with accessories on) is really useful in showing different ways to wear. For example next to a cream and coral floral dress i hung a pair of gold sandals and a long, simple chain necklace. However, this is limited to 2 looks per gondola as otherwise there is too much going on for the customer to take in.
• With accessory walls, everything must be clearly grouped according to style, size, trend, colour to make it shoppable.
• Till point areas should be utilised with products under £5 to encourage that quick impulse buy! It is important that items displayed there are universal and will go with any outfit (eg a plain pair of silver earrings, a neutral coursage, a set of bead bracelets).

Throughout the day we were encouraged to put our new skills into practice and in groups were given tasks such as analysing the windows and making changes, putting together 6 looks reflecting one of the trends and re-merchandandising new stock to make it shoppable and presentable.
Below are some pictures of the windows we worked on (unfortunatly i could not take photos of the merchandising instore)....

Denim was introduced to break the looks up as they were previously very dark.

6 looks to reflect the current 'eerie' trend - grey, purple, mink, lots of loose layering and gothic prints

Coral was introduced to the last 3 mannequins to break up the look and add a pop of colour to the 'wild' trend - animal and bird prints, satchels, lots of browns and beiges.