As I’m sure you noticed, spring is already very much on our minds here at Bicyclette HQ, and we’ve been planning outfits and awaiting new arrivals for weeks now. But inspired by a post on the Free People blog today, our minds have turned to shop displays, and we’ve started brainstorming spring DIYs to transform our space. All it takes is the prospect of a little floral crafting to get us excited, as you can see. Between this post and a few other collection images, I’m starting to love the idea of random, pretty clusters “climbing” the walls.
[images via free people blog]
Those of you who visit the shop on a regular basis (or follow the blog) know that displays are constantly being reworked and the decor is always evolving. This aspect of having a store has always been one of my favourite parts, and I love that it is always an ongoing project, based on current inspirations, changes in seasons, the evolution of the brand, or a random spark of creativity. And I absolutely wouldn’t have it any other way. So yesterday I fought the Sunday morning urge to sleep in and met my dad (aka The Bicyclette Handyman) at the shop to tackle a few mini projects: switching a few shelves, mounting my bike (wrapped in glitter ribbon, of course) from the ceiling, and putting up a swing (inspired by this).
After we left the shop, my dad and I had a bit of a brainstorming session, and one of the items we touched on was what Bicyclette stands for as a brand. I reiterated what I’ve always believed it to be:
“… an independent retailer that offers a finely curated assortment of merchandise, drawing inspiration from a whimsical, nostalgic aesthetic and mixing it with a modern, downtown feel. Bicyclette believes in the beauty of juxtaposition and unexpected pairings: street style meets fairy tale.”
And that, ladies and gents, is why I didn’t think twice about hanging a glittery bike from the ceiling and putting a swing in the corner. It’s just so Bicyclette.
As promised, behold our lovely Holiday windows. We’re loving the white, winter wonderland feel to them, and strongly believe that they’re best viewed at night.
Last Thursday evening, Emily and I ordered a pizza, opened a bottle of red, turned up the Christmas music and put up our Holiday decorations at the shop. With 3 days of crafting already done, the process was relatively painless, and it was fun to give the shop a makeover infused with fairy lights, bright colours, sparkle, and lots of DIY’d projects based on our inspiration board. With this being our first (permanent) Christmas, we’re pretty excited to dive into the season and experience our first of many.
As is the custom, I wanted to share some photos that were taken that night and give you a little peek into the shop right now. You can expect many more photos over the next while as we continue to add to displays and play with the various elements. Next up? The window, tomorrow!
Yesterday we started our Holiday crafting, which means that a store makeover is just around the corner. I thought I would share our inspiration before we unveil the transformation later this week.
[images via pinterest]
Surprise deliveries are quite possibly the best kind, especially when they arrive on Friday and contain goodies from Ban.do and Banter Banner, with lots of bright colours and sparkly textures. There’s no better way to end the work week and welcome the weekend than with hot pink and sequins! We decided to take this opportunity to start making over the store little by little, focusing today on the vanity area, which will be the first of many display changes. With the Holiday season around the corner, you can expect lots of magic happening at Bicyclette in the near future!
When we totally revamp a display, we always start with a completely blank canvas (0r in this case, tabletop), building up and slowly adding various props and pieces until we’re happy with the whole set up. So for this post, we decided to photograph it in the same way, so you can see the process from start to finish.
Our counter was literally covered with all of the new items that we wanted to display. Beautiful chaos!
A naked table, ready to be dressed up and accessorized.
We started with the 'Good Times' banner and a mix of pom poms to frame the area.
Strategically placing items. It's an art, really.
Lots of hot pink accents and a focus on headwear from Ban.do, with a healthy dose of bows, hearts, gold and sequins thrown into the mix.
The gold banner, in all it's glory. (Ps. The banners are only $10 and we have 6 options - a steal and a perfect gift!)
Brightly coloured rosettes ('Wild At Heart' + 'Unforgettable'), and more headbands in our favourite hot pink suitcase.
Gold sequins, delicate metallic lace + hot pink rhinestones.
Gold leather turban + more rosette options.
Pom poms, gold safari animals + hints of sparkle.
Ban.do's signature sequins hearts, perfect on a lapel, scarf, or in your hair.
Gold 'love' barrettes.
Sequin scarf turban and our lovely Tocca lineup.
Can't go wrong with red + pink sequins hearts, the perfect accessory.
Sequin hair clips in a gold or multicoloured variety.
Our favourite banner, 'Magic Surrounds', perfectly offset by the brick wall.
If you don’t already read the Glitter Guide, you really should. As the name suggests, it’s full of glittery goodness, not to mention inspiring articles and features, and a healthy dose of eye candy. I was thrilled to be asked to be part of their ‘Shop Talk’ feature, where I was interviewed about Bicyclette and had the chance to dress up for a shoot with Sian Melton within the shop. Though it’s always a little weird for me to be on the other side of the camera, the images are gorgeous and I couldn’t be happier to share the results, which offer a peek into the shop and some of our most glittery details.
Below are some of my favourite photos from the shoot, some of which appeared on the Glitter Guide and a few that haven’t been seen before. I’m thinking I’ll put them all in a Facebook album eventually, so make sure to take a peek soon if you want to see more.
[photo cred: sian melton]
I’ve always loved pencil drawn fashion illustrations, especially when they’re used in a context that is unexpected, such as a life size interior store display. I’ve blogged about illustrator Kelly Smith before, and it appears that she’s teamed up with Australian store Portmans again to lend her talent to their windows and displays. With the current face of Portmans being the gorgeous Abbey Lee Kershaw, the campaign features illustrations of her, and the effect, once again, is bold and breathtaking. Below are some photos of the illustrations being used within the store, but also make sure to check Kelly’s blog for the originals.
There have been a few wine induced brainstorming discussions with my good friend and incredibly talented illustrator Alex Perlin about doing something similar for Bicyclette, and this has got me all the more excited about the possibility.
[images via Birdy & Me Blog]
A little bit of interior inspiration for the day, which mixes two contrasting styles that I love both for home and store, with rustic elements and a romantic feel.
[Images via Sanctuary]
While I’m in LA, I figured I would share the last round of shop display photos from last week’s changes. This one corner of the store, where we have the ladder and the focus is primarily on jewellery, was driving me crazy and just didn’t feel right. So we decided to take everything off the displays and start from scratch, which is often the best way to tackle a “problem” area. We designed it more around a specific colour palette and tried to keep it more minimalistic, especially the ladder, which was getting lost under too many pieces. I’m pretty pleased with the result.
Also, a little funny side note. While I was moving the fox mask up to accommodate the table underneath, I had to hammer in a nail to hold it, within the cutout area in the wall. As soon as I hit the ledge, a flash of light and on went the little light that’s inside. Three more hammer hits beside each of the top lights, and the shadow box that was there from the previous gallery has created the perfect lit display for whatever piece we’re currently coveting.
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