Art Of Window Display

Wanganui Chronicle, 17 January 1948, Page 9

Art Of Window Display

Have you ever wondered whv :ome particular shop window attracted you —while the objects you noted seemed to draw and compel your attention? It is the skill of the man or woman who arranges the window displays. Not only is it high class salesmanship, but an art. Gone are the days of the conglomeration of merchandise when oi i- of everything in the store had tc be found room for in the a indows. Window decoration and. display is a profession followed by both men and women, and there are as many women. if not more, in the field than there are men. If you were to wonder whether men or women were better suited by innate talent for it, it would probably be women. Is it not women who usually arrange the furnishings in the home, the flowers and other decorations? Those little duties involve the fundamental principles of display. The woman shopper has had a direct influence on display of merchandise. Department stores used to be stodgy and uninteresting places. Today women appreciate shopping in an artistic atmosphere, in seeing new ideas in display and settings that are original and exciting. Now that goods are available again after a number of lean years, the display profession is developing again. Instead of crowded windows packed with samples of nearly everything inside, window dressers in modern stores emphasis harmony, balance, proportion and colour. Some of the windows and also showrooms have taken on this quality. A few weeks ago one window in a large drapery establishment in the Avenue, Wanganui, displayed a few frocks, each in a soft pastel shade that created a picture of harmony in blending of colours. This display immediately attracted the eye and was made more appealing by a huge boWl of lupins in similar shadings as the frocks and which emphasised their lovely colours. A window artist has a creative job in which he —or she—expresses individual ideas for everyone to enjoy. It Is refreshing to see a display where the window-dressers art is given free play. China shops and showrooms, jewellers, booksellers, milliners, drapery and furnishing stores, florists, shoe shops and others each show atractive display and reveal skill in the art of arranging goods to the best advantage. Even grocers and butchers shop windows can be quite attractive with their displays. One butcher in a Wanganui suburb takes great pride in his windows. It is a pleasure to see the neat and orderly way he arranges the legs and loins of mutton, the small goods and the joints into an attractive design. In passing, one just has to pause and look at it. There can be no doubt that the good taste and artistry shown in the dressing of shop windows and the lighting effects play an Important part in the art of selling. The majority of women look forward to displays at the changes of the season as bringing something new in* clothes and accessories and also furnishing.— E.R.