nyc | In Your Head

Prada X Vahram Muratyan

April 25, 2012 | By Shannon Kelly

Italian luxury brand Prada has teamed up with Paris-based Iranian illustrator Vahram Muratyan for its "Parallel Universe" project which launched today on Prada.com.

Exclusively for this collaboration, Muratyan created a number of animated graphics featuring many of the sixties-inspired summer accessories. The illustrations can seen on a capsule T-shirt collection which will soon be available in Prada flagships worldwide, according to WWD. Personally, we are loving the visuals accompanying the Rocket shoes and Pyramide bag.

{Image via Prada.com}

{Image via Prada.com}

The collaboration between fashion and art has become a mainstay at retail as brands seek new ways integrating collections with new media. Last summer we were fortunate enough to view Muratyan's work, a friendly visual match between Paris and New York also featured in the book "Paris vs. New York", at Colette.

Tags: design, paris, nyc, fashion, accessories, italy, luxury, limited time offer

seasonal creativity

April 10, 2012 | By Shannon Kelly

We've long been fans of the DIY ethos of People's Pops. With flavors like Raspberries & Basil, Peach & Bourbon, and Cantaloupe & Tarragon — the concept championed seasonal creativity while remaining loyal to their brand.

Launched as a one-day experiment on a hunch in 2008, partners Nathalie Jordi, David Carrell, and Joel Horowitz mark their fourth summer in business with four stores, four flea/farmers market locations across New York City, and the national release of their book People's Pops: 55 Recipes for Ice Pops, Shave Ice, and Boozy Pops from Brooklyn's Coolest Pop Shop on June 5th.

Our first pop-in (pun intended) occurred at the Chelsea Market in September of 2010 as we rushed from Milk Studios with our pals from butter LONDON during New York Fashion Week. The combination of nectarine + jasmine was almost as clever as the counter constructed out of popsicle sticks.

Power to the pop peeps.

Tags: food, sweets, trends, nyc, popup food, visual merchandising trends

travelers: prepare to dig in

March 23, 2012 | By Shannon Kelly

The Delta terminal at LaGuardia airport in New York City is giving us reasons to skip the flight into Newark this Spring.

According to The New York Times, the list of new restaurants and concessions from all star chefs in partnership with OTC Management, has grown significantly. Select operations will open this Sunday, with the remainder of the concepts arriving at Terminal C in fall 2013.

Of the fourteen projects, we're the most excited to sink our teeth into: the Empire Tavern from Balthazar's Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson, Kombu from Jamison Blankenship (formerly of Morimoto), and Victory Grill from Andrew Carmellini. For a full list of concepts, click here.

Looks like the folks at OTC Management are jumping on the captive venue trend with airport food revitalization, as we predicted in 2008.

{Source: NYTimes}

Tags: captive venues, food, nyc, trend predictions

forecasting beauty (with an ace of spades)

March 19, 2012 | By Shannon Kelly

{photo: Sephora.com}

Color can be the ace of spades when launching new products...

Color forecasting company Pantone and Sephora previewed their collaborative beauty range and featured Pantone 2012 color of the year, Tangerine Tango, in the email campaign.

What do you think about color authorities launching for-profit products?

[UPDATED 3.22.12]

The duo will launch a pop-up temporary store in NYC today to promote the range, according to Racked. Read about how Sephora and Pantone plan extend the promotion at retail throughout the year with summer, fall, and holiday collections that put tangerine in a more seasonal context here.

Tags: color trends, beauty, collaborations, retail, eCommerce, campaigns, promotions, trends, popup retail, nyc

a 24-hour cupcake automat

March 4, 2012 | By Shannon Kelly

{Photo courtesy of Sprinkles}

What is the price of convenience when it comes to satisfying your sweet tooth?

Sprinkles Cupcakes is banking on the solution to your late-night post-bar cravings. The brand will debut the "world's first cupcake automat" this spring in Beverly Hills, CA between Sprinkles Cupcakes and the brand new Sprinkles Ice Cream. Unlike the fresh baguette vending machine, the products will not be baked onsite.

The upscale vending machine, dubbed the magic cupcake ATM by the Huffington Post, will be continuously restocked day and night with freshly baked cupcakes, cupcake mixes, apparel, and pup cakes (cupcakes for dogs). According to twitter, the launch of the 24-Hour Sprinkles in LA is days away.

In addition to the Beverly Hills location, NBC New York reports that three additional 24-hour cupcake automats are in the works for the Big Apple (midtown, downtown and the upper west side). The company currently operates bakeries in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, La Jolla, Newport Beach, Palo Alto, Scottsdale and Washington DC in addition to New York & LA.

We're curious to see how Sprinkles plans to manage the cupcake inventory. God forbid a mom wipes out an ATM of cupcakes on the way to her toddler's birthday party. If the machines can live up to the 24-hour promise, this could be a game changer.

[UPDATED: 3.6.12]

The Sprinkles Cupcake ATM launched today with 600 freshly baked cupcakes and Huffington Post was in Beverly Hills to capture all of the action. Check it out!

The Sprinkles Cupcake ATM via Huffington Post

{source: Huffington Post & NBC New York}

Tags: food, sweets, vending, LA, nyc, SF, Texas, chicago

how sweet is it?

February 24, 2012 | By Shannon Kelly

From fairground carrousel to the pastel pink paradise of an ice cream parlor — Louis Vuitton Artistic Director Marc Jacobs offers up very soft and sickeningly sweet imagery in the Spring Summer 2012 Ad Campaign. We're completely taken by the mouth-watering array of Chantilly-topped sundaes continuing the narrative of the fashion show.

Sadly, a heavy dose of escapism is not in our nature.

Could this be the French version of Serendipity 3 in New York? A reimagined corner of the store of our dreams: La Pâtisserie des Rêves? Or perhaps it's a nod to Fauchon in Paris? The setting in the campaign is keeping us enthralled with Jacobs vision.

Share your ideas on the mystery idealistic ice cream parlor on twitter: @trendscaping

Tags: france, nyc, fashion, food, sweets, campaigns, luxury

virtual beauty

February 16, 2012 | By Shannon Kelly

{Photo: AdAge.com}

Remember the Procter & Gamble virtual grocery store in Prague that we mentioned last November?

Tapping into two of the top 5 consumer trends for 2012, Glamour Magazine has created a similar installation devoted to beauty products across from the Standard Hotel in Manhattan's Meatpacking District, according to Advertising Age.

Customers simply scan barcodes with an app on their phone to buy real products for home delivery from the Glamour Apothecary Wall. Brands represented in the pop-up presentation include C.O. Bigelow, John Frieda, Elizabeth Arden, Clearasil and Versace.

While the concept of a virtual shopping wall may not be new, we are loving how Glamour Magazine is engaging with customers using innovation in unexpected spaces.

{source: AdAge.com}

Tags: beauty, nyc, retail, popup retail, trends, SmartCommerce, eCommerce

fashion bites: NYFW news

February 9, 2012 | By Shannon Kelly

Top picks from a plethora of happenings rocking the New York this week...

{photo: Racked.com}

Popup rides: Glamour has teamed up with YSL and Lancome to offer free taxi-shops for Fashion Week. Just download the app and swipe your mobile phone to snag your very own beauty cab.
Don't forget men$wear: Ace Hotel teams up with Martin Greenfield Clothiers for a two-day bespoke pop-up tailor service.
Charming presentation: Lauren Moffatt sent her models back to school for Fall.
Product launch: Miu Miu has created a limited-edition bag collection to fete Fashion Week.

See something worth sharing during New York Fashion Week? Tweet us a tip or photo.

Tags: promotion, FW2012, NYFW, menswear, popup retail, limited time offer, fashion week, nyc, SmartCommerce

a well dressed man

January 31, 2012 | By Shannon Kelly

{image: JCrew.com}

Can a suit inspire a store?

J.Crew has announced plans for a new menswear concept store called The Ludlow Shop, named after its popular Ludlow men's suit, according to Women's Wear Daily.

It will offer a full assortment of suits along with Thomas Mason shirts, Italian cashmere, a large shoe assortment and neckwear. “The Ludlow suit has become a business unto itself at J. Crew,” said Millard “Mickey” Drexler, CEO of J.Crew Group Inc.

The New York City outpost will have suit experts, on-staff tailors, and will offer courier delivery and monogramming. Retail prices will range from $400 to $1500. The Ludlow development team will also launch one to two additional suit models and is focusing on the ancillary haberdashery items.

Though there are currently no plans for more Ludlow stores, Drexler said: “I never use the word ‘rollout’ as much as ‘evolving.’ We will give this an opportunity to show itself in an important way. Ask me again in three or six months. We could add Ludlow shops to more existing J. Crew stores.”

We love how this new concept builds on the successes, outlined in the January 2011 post don't forget men$wear, the brand has established in this category.

The sport of concept stores has clearly gone co-ed.

Tags: menswear, retail, nyc, trends

Bergdorfs goes to the dogs

November 28, 2011 | By Shannon Kelly

{photo: Bergdorf Goodman}

We are loving the Bergdorf Goodman holiday video Unleashed, featuring a pack of dogs who take over the department store to select gifts for their owners (BG is a dog-friendly store). Dogs had free run through the store, thanks to the Humane Society of New York, and the results are heartwarming. Check it out for yourself.