The VM+SD 12th Annual International Visual Competition Winners

Holt Renfrew's Vinyl — Style in the Groove, a month-long celebration of music and fashion held at the Canadian retailer's Toronto flagship, earned Best of Show honors and First Place in the In-Store Storewide Promotion category, setting the tune for an exciting 12th annual VM+SD International Visual Competition.

The judges, gathering in May at the Cincinnati office of brand consultancy Benchmark for the annual review, lauded Holt Renfrew for interpreting its theme in different but equally impressive ways throughout the department store, in window displays and in-store events. “It has layer upon layer upon layer, and you just want to see more and more and more,” said one judge.

Another paused to consider, “How much further can you go than cladding the whole building?” — a reference to the hot pink exterior screaming for attention during the 26-day event.

This year's judging panel included: Robert Carey, designer, Federated Department Stores; James Frederick, principal, Frederick Design Group; Beth Harlor, vp and market leader, beauty and fashion, Benchmark; Brent Hodge, visual merchandiser, Arhaus; Tracey Lanz, senior designer, Landor Associates; Andrew McQuilkin, vp, FRCH Design Worldwide; and Jennifer Wilson, freelance designer and former J.C. Penney visual merchandiser.

Reviewing entries from around the globe, judges commended this year's winners for their fresh use of color and lighting, the creative interpretations of themes and the intricate use of layers to tell their stories.

To view Award of Merit winners, click here.

For more information on this year's competition as well as the 2006 visual competition, contact Anne DiNardo at anne.dinardo@stmediagroup.com or at 513-263-9337. Also look for updates at www.vmsd.com.

Best of Show and First Place In-Store Storewide Promotions
Vinyl — Style in the Groove
Holt Renfrew, Toronto

Like the beat of a favorite song that stays in your head, Holt Renfrew's Vinyl — Style in the Groove campaign left this year's Visual Competition judges tapping their feet.

“It truly owns the space,” said McQuilkin. “You can imagine all of the music that was thumping throughout the store.”

Holt Renfrew created the month-long, multifaceted retail marketing campaign for its Canadian department stores, including its glamorous Toronto flagship on Bloor Street. Entitled Vinyl, the event was a 26-day celebration highlighting the fusion between fashion and popular music. Events included celebrity guest appearances, product/label launches and cutting-edge in-store visual and window displays.

Along Bloor Street, a hot pink-clad store exterior called unmistakable attention to the event. On the sidewalk level, window displays played on the glamour and fashion of the rock-and-roll lifestyle, including pink ceiling fringe, mirrored curtains and references to musical legends like The Doors.

Inside, each floor of the Bloor Street flagship centered on a different music genre, including Hip Hop, House and Underground. Fashion displays and visuals played back to that theme through propping, including deejay tables and mannequin styling, while photographs by Allison Jackson of singers' look-alikes, including Cher, elevated the star appeal.

“The main challenge was keeping the theme consistent on all floors,” said Mary Pompili, vp, marketing, for Holt Renfrew. “We achieved this by repeating common themes such as the pink color, the Vinyl icon and staying true to the fashion in each department.”

Design: Holt Renfrew, Toronto
Janis Bell, former national visual director
Mary Pompili, vp, marketing
Daniel Giles, former creative director
Gwen Gibson, director, national special events
Mona Lee-Tam, manager, direct marketing
Janet Eger, director, communications
Susanne Shaw, visual manager
Holt Renfrew Visual Team

Outside Design Consultants: Allison Koturbash, Toronto (set designer)
Little Feet Ltd., Toronto (scenery, display and manufacturing)
Concrete Design, Toronto (icon designers)
burdifilek, Toronto (lounge design)
Dot and Dash, Toronto (props and decoratives, vinyl)
BGM Imaging, Toronto (surfaces, display, icons)
Westbury National Show Systems Ltd., Toronto (lighting)
Mannequins/Forms: Adel Rootstein Mannequins, London

Props/Decoratives: Forget Me Not Floral, Toronto

Photography: Jay Robis, Saw Photography, Toronto

First Place — In-Store Apparel Presentation
Brand repositioning
Lane Bryant, Columbus, Ohio

Visual Competition judges enjoyed the new approach to plus-size fashion that design firm Chute Gerdeman created for Lane Bryant's Easton Town Center store in Columbus, Ohio.

The design repositions the apparel brand as fashion-forward through a neutral palette; sophisticated black and white photography; and distinguished areas for displaying outfit and wardrobe concepts together. A “runway” in the center of the store further emphasizes the new positioning with mannequins showing off the latest fashions.

“It's very glamorous,” said McQuilkin “The designers really understood the merchandise and the consumer.”

Client: Lane Bryant, Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Tom Carr, store design director, Charming Shoppes
Kolby Veenstra, senior brand presentation manager, Lane Bryant
Jon Nubbemeyer, director of construction, Charming Shoppes
Mary Dawson, creative director, Lane Bryant

Design: Chute Gerdeman, Columbus, Ohio
Mindi Trank, program director
Tony Oliver, creative director, environments
Steve Pottschmidt, design development director
Carmen Costinescu, materials specialist
Eric Daniel, creative director, graphics

Architect: CG Architecture, Columbus, Ohio

General Contractor: Construction One, Columbus, Ohio

Ceiling:Interior Furnishing Merchandisers, Chagrin Falls, Ohio

Fabrics:Maharam, New York
Bernhardt Textiles, Lenoir, N.C.

Fixtures: TC Millwork, Bensalem, Pa.
Garvey, Red Bank, N.J.

Flooring: Crossville Porcelain Stone, Crossville, N.Y.

Furniture: Texstyle, River Vale, N.Y.

Lighting: Amerlux Lighting Solutions, Fairfield, N.J.

Mannequins/Forms: Greneker, Los Angeles

Decorative Wall Panels: Modular Art, Mountlake Terrace, Wash.

Wallcoverings: Benjamin Moore, Montvale, N.J.
Sherwin Williams, Garfield Heights, Ohio
MDC Wallcovering, Elk Grove, Ill.

Wood veneers: VenTec, Chicago

Storefront Canopy: Hanover Signs, Columbus, Ohio
Corporate Glass, Erie, Pa.

Photography: Chris Faytle, Eclipse Studios Inc., Dublin, Ohio

First Place — In-Store Accessories/Beauty/Shoes Presentation
Giorgio Armani MANIA Fragrance Launch
Marshall Field's, Chicago

The sentiments typically used to describe Giorgio Armani's designs — sleek, sensual, sophisticated — were the same expressed by our judges to describe the runway presentation for Armani's MANIA fragrance launch at Marshall Field's State Street store.

“This has stopping power,” said Harlor. “It's stunning and beautiful.”

Suede-covered staging anchored a continuous mahogany wall that ran through the first-floor beauty department. White acrylic strips atop the wall held 127 Armani MANIA factices, while theatrical lighting added to the dramatic presentation. Collateral provided by Armani, vitrines and oversized graphic panels were spread throughout the department.

“In a world of glass, its mass of wood really breaks through,” said Frederick.

Marshall Field's, Chicago

Design: Marshall Field's, Chicago
Jon Jones, senior visual specialist

Lighting: Frost Lighting, Chicago

Signage/Graphics: Color Image, Chicago

Wallcoverings/Materials: Viaggio, Farmingdale, N.Y.

Mahogany Divider Wall/Elevated Suede Platform Runway: Pepper Construction, Chicago

Acrylic Wall Surface Top/Custom Vitrine Riser: Goldleaf Plastics, Waite Park, Minn.

Photography: Susan Kezon, Chicago

First Place — Windows: Apparel Display
Father's Day
Holt Renfrew, Toronto

Taking inspiration from the Lilliputian segment of “Gulliver's Travel,” Holt Renfrew used a play on scale and miniature wooden mannequins to create a series of light-hearted windows celebrating Father's Day.

The miniature figures were manipulated to appear lifelike in such beloved paternal activities as a basketball game, swimming, camping and weight lifting. “The use of humor to entertain our customers was a key factor in choosing the elements and the scale of the windows,” said Mary Pompili, vp, marketing, for Holt Renfrew..

For example, the basketball player is challenged by four wooden dolls. Additional propping, such as using pairs of shoes as the flames of the campfire and assorted jeans for the waves of the swimming pool, further added to the creative spirit of the windows.

“I love the humor,” said McQuilkin.

Design: Holt Renfrew, Toronto
Janis Bell, former national visual director
Mary Pompili, vp, marketing
Daniel Giles, former creative director
Suzanne Shaw, visual manager
Holt Renfrew Visual Team

Mannequins/Forms: Pucci Intl., New York

DK Display, New York

Signage/Graphics, Vinyl: Dot and Dash, Toronto

Photography: Jay Robis, Saw Photography, Toronto

First Place — Windows: Non-apparel Display
Fall 2004/Kisses
Shreve, Crump & Low, Boston

There's a sizeable challenge in designing jewelry store windows on a scale that catches shoppers' eyes while also drawing attention to the small, delicate products on display. However, Shreve, Crump & Low got the judges' attention with the creative lighting and display techniques used in its “Fall 2004/Kisses” window display.

Using thread and dramatic lighting, Lucy-Ann Bouwman, visual display director, Sightgeist Design, hung wire mobiles that appeared suspended in the windows while blowing goodbye kisses to summer. The retailer's bejeweled items also appeared to be blowing in the wind.

“There is always a kind of blue when saying goodbye to summer,” said Bouwman. “These window displays tried to capture that emotion with a twist of elegance in bringing in the fall season.”

The judges agreed. “These windows would stop me in my tracks,” said Wilson. “It's so simple, yet so intriguing.”

Design: Shreve, Crump & Low, Boston
Lucy-Ann Bouwman, visual display director, Sightgeist Design
Jonathan Ro-Schofield, Patrick Scales, Christina Zwart, design team

Lighting: Lighting Services Inc, Stony Point, N.Y.

Props/Decoratives: Sightgeist Design, Boston

Photography: Chris Akelian, Boston

First Place — Windows: Holiday Display
Snow White — The Fairest Tale of All
Marshall Field's, Chicago

For the 2004 holiday season, Marshall Field's turned the windows of its Chicago State Street flagship into a storyboard for “Snow White — The Fairest Tale of All.”

Eleven window vignettes told the classic fairytale with a contemporary flare, following Snow White from infancy to her friendship with the seven little diamond miners and, ultimately, to her union with the handsome prince.

The judges appreciated the retailer's efforts to tell a familiar story in an unexpected way, including using a plasma screen for the Queen's “magic mirror” and a Louis Vuitton-inspired bag for Snow White.

“It has wit with a pop-culture spin,” said Hodge.

Design: Marshal Field's, Chicago
Amy Meadows, visual marketing manager
Jamie Becker, creative director
State Street Window Display Staff

Props/Decoratives: Spaeth Design, New York

Signage/Graphics: Kinc, Chicago

Photography: Susan Kezon, Chicago

Award of Merit Winners