Vintage....Vintage....and more Vintage

My retail space will sell vintage formal dresses from all eras. These dresses are high end and can be considered couture depending on the time period it is from. My store is located in one of the glass cubes that have 2 levels. I have considered playing with level heights being that the space I have is so vast. I am also considering making a display room that would make the space more intimate. I would really like to keep the store in terms of color neutral either a stark white or black, most likely white. Keeping t he store in a sort of “blank palette” will really let the garments speak for themselves. A lot of the formal dresses I have been looking to place in my store are a variety of color. What tends to happen is when the word formal dress is thrown out there many tend to think of black and white because these neutrals are clean, classic and allows for one’s accessories to pop. But I wanted to move away from that I think other colors worn are fun but can also be classy as the black and white. I really want the dresses themselves to be somewhat like individual art pieces within the store, each creating an added element to the overall feel of the space. I have been working on creating a new way to hang my garments in the store, possibly a different material that serves as a rack other than wood, plastic, metal, etc.

After the feedback I received from last class I have considered separating my garments by color and play with lighting that will highlight each specific color. I once again could not help but think back to the trip to Anthropologies. The ways they design their stores are completely different than most retail stores. So in terms of a window display and floor set up I was thinking of using common everyday materials/products to create a dress or something to that effect. I am also considering making a different “room” with a specific color because again I would like to create a different mood from each garment piece.

So how does this all relate to Revolution Mills…well as an overall scheme of things I am taking the old and having an appreciation for it, combining the past and present and moving forward with the future. I am still striving for the sustainable factor behind my retail store, I do still see theses dresses being sustainable and being the original dresses of its kind. Using recyclable materials for display purposes. I am taking a new approach in interpreting vintage.

As a customer entering the store I want them to rally be able to experience a full spectrum of vintage formal fashion. Possibly make them feel they are in the dressing room behind stage of a fashion show and they get to choose whatever dress they want, try them on, and buy them; almost feeling like a model/ celebrity. But it is just a thought, I’m not really sure if that is what I really want.

Case Study Three: precedents and the like

KIT24 is by Karim Rashid. It is a 24-sided house that also serves as a metaphor for time and is based on a 24-hour day. It’s a unique, colorful candy-coated space that is about 1800 square feet. I like its unique geometric shape and in my opinion a structure like that would be interesting to break up the space of the large glass cube space I have to work in. The color is also what appealed to me, which would definitely draw a variety of women of different ages into the store. The space I choose to put my retail store in is one of the glass cubes that have 2 levels within and I thought the staircase design that Karim Rashid constructed is very different and in an up-close view it sort of resembles and abstract letter v. A major part of the design that I like is the usage of recycled materials. The exterior is painted recycled aluminum panels.
Design Now!
By: Charlotte and Peter Fiell
p. 464



To me vintage clothing is exclusive and can be a work of art. Oscar Wilde once said, “One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art”. Therefore the store itself should reflect that of an art piece similar to what Milanese architect Fabio Novembre created for the Stuart Weitzman store in Rome. There is a weaving created by ribbons that are across the walls and ceilings used to form shelving and seating. Essentially I would like to create something that is dynamic as this without taking the focus away from these unique designer dresses. Instead I would like the store design to enhance the merchandise, drawing customers in to shop.






In wanting to create such a unique store I couldn’t help but look back at Anthropologies being that I want to keep my store sustainable as possible. The Anthropologies we visited was very creative in its display from the window to the overall layout of the space. In terms of their layout design I really like the pinball game theory and may consider using that for my store. I also liked how the company as a whole uses conceptual ideas for the window displays as well as concept names for different areas within the store. As a possible window display, to kind of keep in tune with the sustainable aspect behind these vintage clothing is to make high end vintage dresses out of sustainable materials like newspaper, plastic, bubble wrap, etc. The biggest thing I took away from that experience that I would like to emphasize within my store is “using something very ordinary in a very extraordinary way.”

What Comes Around Goes Around









What Comes Around Goes Around is a store in New York City in SoHo village. It is a store that specializes as well as has a wide range of vintage clothes and accessories that date back to the Victorian time period. This store is exclusive and is a showroom that can only be viewed by appointment. From looking at these images I can tell that there is definitely a precise selection of the type of merchandise sold within. WCAGA has the largest collection of vintage jeans. When researching the store I learned some interesting points that I may want to consider in creating my vintage store: for one being able to discern good vintage from bad vintage, knowing how to find the good vintage, and what vintage pieces will sell to your trend- minded designer customers (courtesy of www.acontinuoslean.com). This is what I am designing my store to be, it will be a specific collection of original designs created by top fashion designers, which mean there is a limit in terms of size, and are not able to be replicated in design.


In terms of product display I would like to emphasize to the customer the trend in vintage dresses and one of the looks they could portray. To do this I would need to create an eye-catching display. In this image of an in-store display at Lane Crawford in Hong Kong there is a long vertical fixture that seems to run down the middle of the floor. On top of this fixture is a line of mannequins wearing a specific color placing distinct emphasis on a particular style within the merchandise of the store. Also having the recessed eyeball lighting in the ceiling helps to accentuate the mannequin display.
Visual Merchandising
by: Tony Morgan
p.156
Published in 2008



For my retail store I would like a sophisticated yet edgy look as well as mood for the space. Possibly going for a contemporary feel with little dressed fixtures being that these garments can be expensive. This perfume department in London has traditional floral wallpaper, a fireplace as well as simple yet delicate chandelier hanging over the centered seating area.
Visual Merchandising
by: Tony Morgan
p.123
Published in 2008

Individual Retail Environment Proposal

For this assignment I am proposing to create a Vintage Clothing store, that specialize in selling primarily vintage dresses. This type of retail environment is appropriate within the Revolution Mill space because it relates to the overall concept of our group The Shops at Buffalo Creek. Vintage follows behind the notion of connections, connecting from the past into the future, which in turn brings about change but also leaving remnants of the past visible within. According to wikipedia.org vintage clothing is defined as a new or second hand garment originating from a previous era. This definition could also be used to define Revolution Mills in the sense that The Shops at Buffalo Creek is the new that originates from the old.

In the group The Shops at Buffalo Creek we were all about reusing and salvaging the existing materials that are within Revolution Mills to keep costs low as well as be sustainable. If you think about it Vintage Clothing is also sustainable to the environment; essentially you are reusing, recycling and repairing old garments rather than throwing them away. There is a historical aspect that is still there in terms of an appreciation as well as awareness in the differences of designers then and now.
The store’s product appeals to women, specifically women where money is not an option, wanting to have a unique collection of clothing as well as the fashion-nostalgic woman. This store is unique to Greensboro because while there are thrift shops within the area there is not a vintage store, where it sells only dresses. Also the dresses range from everyday to high-end evening haute couture dresses at low prices.

A vintage store lends so many different creative display ideas. When I think of vintage I think of color, shapes, more specifically the artist Andy Warhol comes to mind. www.warhol.org

Inspiration