Hilfiger Fashions Become Model Kit Pieces In This Window Display by Fabio Novembre

Italian designer Fabio Novembre has created a unique window installation in Rome's La Rinascente for designer Tommy Hilfiger's Fall Winter 2013 collection.




Titled “I Have a Lifestyle” the installation is Novembre’s creative interpretation of a man’s wardrobe in the form of those model kits whose pieces are connected prior to assembling, incorporating pieces from the Tommy Hilfiger Men's 2013 Winter Collection. Each piece is coated with navy blue nitro and acrylic paint and affixed to metal tubing.




“There are no assembly instructions for our personality. We build our model kit day by day, listening to good advices and following sweet dreams” said Fabio Novembre.

The window display went up mid-September and will come down on October 14th.

images courtesy of Fabio Novembre and photographed by  © Pasquale Formisano

Nibble, Nibble Little Mouse. Who's Nibbling On My Sugar Greenhouse? Caramel Solarium By William Lamson.

Commissioned by Storm King for their 2012 Light and Landscape show, a show in which fourteen artists used natural light as an essential artistic material, this isolated hillside greenhouse actually has 162 amber-tinted windows made of caramelized sugar.




William Lamson baked the caramelized sugar into the windows of Solarium, tinting each a unique amber shade.





All plants create sugars through photosynthesis; those inside Solarium use light that has been filtered through sugars, a circular process. Weather permitting, Solarium is designed to be viewed from afar, where it appears as a jewel-like object, and from within, for the experience of its unusual plays of light.







William describes the project as follows:
"Like a mountain chapel or Thoreau’s one-room cabin, Solarium references a tradition of isolated outposts designed for reflection. Each of the 162 panels is made of sugar cooked to different temperatures and then sealed between two panes of window glass. The space functions as both an experimental greenhouse, growing three species of miniature citrus trees, and a meditative environment. In warm months, a 5x8 ft panel on each side of the house opens up to allow viewers to enter and exit the house from all directions. In addition to creating a pavilion like environment, this design references the architecture of a plant leaf, where the stomata opens and closes to help regulate the plants temperature. Set within the open the landscape, the house functions as a hybrid sanctuary at once evoking a plant conservatory, a chapel, and zen garden."


Materials: Steel, glass, sugar and plants
Dimensions: 10' 10" x 8' 11" x 10' 3 3⁄8 in. (330.2 x 271.8 x 313 cm)

William Lamson discusses the creation of Solarium, on view in Storm King's South Fields. Film by Kate Barker-Froyland:


images courtesy of William Lamson, Storm King and This is Colossal
A special shout out to Laughing Squid who brought this cool project to my attention.

Leather Animals In A Paper Jungle For Hermès Window Installation.

For its 13th Carte Blanche, the Hermès store at Hong Kong International Airport is exhibiting a piece by the French artists Zim&Zou, 'The Eternal Jungle', which is an invitation into the wild. (Some of you may recall that I previously posted about the paper crafts of Zim&Zou.)



The window installation creates an intriguing contrast between the jungle, a world that is dominated by wild animals, and one of great refinement, the world of Hermès.




The window is influenced by the abundance of vegetation in Hong Kong and showcases Hermès accessories (such as scarves, jewelry, bets and ties) and a Monkey, a Toucan and a Chameleon crafted of leather off-cuts from the workshops of Hermès.

If this sounds a little familiar, it is much like the lovingly crafted animals made with Louis Vuitton leather goods for their window displays by Billie Achilleous.

Monkey and Hermès tie:

Chameleon and Hermès bracelet:

Toucan and Hermès necklace:


The installation displays the finest skills in paper-cut art and leatherwork. Remaining faithful to its original purity, the artists create intricate objects with the paper, a material both beautiful and versatile.



A look at the impressively crafted animals.

The Monkey:


The Monkey in the display:


The Toucan:


The Toucan in the display:


The Chameleon:


The Chameleon in the display:

The window as it appears in the Hong Kong International Airport:


Zim and Zou

Don't miss this post about another artist who has crafted small animals of leather for Louis Vuitton Window displays:

A Shoe Lovers' Holiday Fantasy. Red-Soled Christmas Trees For Christian Louboutin Boutiques.

Shoe lovers and Foot Fetishists will delight in these designer Christmas Trees. Studio XAG has created fabulous red-soled Christmas Trees inspired by Christian Louboutin's classic Pigalle spike-heeled pumps that are featured in the windows and interiors of the Christian Louboutin boutiques in Paris and Geneva. As admirers of the brand know, the red sole is an attribute of the luxury label's stunning shoes.



A cast of the brand's classic Pigalle shoe served as the bulk of the design for the trees:








Each red-soled tree is topped with a sparkly Pigalle open-toed pump in various colors as the 'star':



The trees in the windows are set against mirrored backdrops and rotate for the full effect:


photos (some cropped) by Susie Rea, courtesy of Studio XAG