Anthro Windows.

I can't wait to show/explain/talk about/write about Anthro Windows!

Here is a little background.  Several weeks ago, I had an interview for Visual Sales Associate {i.e. - entry position that leads to the much coveted/wanted/desired/yearned for display coordinator position} with a different Anthropologie store in our district. 

{I haven't heard back yet...}

In the meantime, the Anthropologie in Boston where I currently work just moved locations to the oh-so-swanky Newbury Street.   Because of this, the display team had to redo/reconstruct/rebuild/reinvent every single display in our store.   The Boston store is aware that I am pursuing a career in their visual department, and they were nice enough to let me help with the displays and windows for the big move!

This means that for an entire week, I got to paint/wrap/cut/tie/hammer/climb/weave/tape and generally rub shoulders with display coordinators from all over the boston area and beyond.  Long story short...I got to help make several of the displays in the new store!

This first window is called the Harvest Window.  We spent several days braiding large trash bags together to form these long strands; anywhere from 5 to 25 feet long.  After the braids were complete, we individually wrapped all of the them with colored yarn {Imagine a very large, oversized hair wrap}. 

The DCs {Display Coordinators} then climbed the ladders and put all of the strands up in the window to finish.

Lots of time/patience/precision/wrapping/rewrapping.

On one of the days, I sat on this 10 foot high rafter, doing "clean up" for the unacceptable wraps.  I was happily perched there for an entire day with my yarn, tape, and scissors.  I loved every minute of it.  I might have people watched out the window while I worked...

The next display that I helped with is this little weaved beauty.  This display is the brainchild of the extremely talented DC from the Dedham store.  For two days, I helped with the prep work and installation.

First, we cut 16 foot strips of plastic strapping and painted them various shades of grey/pink/white/cream/green.

After we had all of the prep work done, we started to weave.  This entire thing is just pieces of plastic strapping weaved in and out of one another.  Because this is attached to the ceiling, it yet again required me to perch myself in high places.  This time on the top rungs of a ladder.  With hands above my head, I weaved all the day long.  In/out/in/out/in/out/in/out/in out/in/out.  You get the idea.

The amazing thing about this display is the colorwork.  The idea was to create a progression from dark to light, and from green to pink.  The sections that hang the lowest have the darkest plastic strapping.  As the form reaches the ceiling, the pieces of plastic gradually become lighter and lighter.

The same thing applies left to right.  The left side of the weaving is mainly pink.  As the eye travels to the right, the strapping becomes increasingly more green.

The DC from Dedham was awesome to work with.  She let me do an entire section on my own.  The following picture is the section I weaved.  It is the section to the right of/surrounding the bright light.  It is the light/green section, closest to the ceiling.

Finally, the third project I helped with was the painting of arrows.  We made about half of these arrows from dowels. 

Painted stripes.

I can't take credit for this next idea.  The DC from Albuquerque was in charge of the arrow display.  She came up with the creative idea to shoot the arrows right through the wall.

Check it out. 

Love it. 

The next pictures are just some other displays that went up in the store.  I didn't help with any of these.  But they are equally amazing.

Who knew yarn tassels could be so beautiful!



I am always amazed at how much effort/work/thought/time/energy/resources go into the displays at Anthropologie. 

Handmade, with love.