Eastland Mall Bloomington, IL - Earthbound Trading Co.
I love Earthbound Trading Co. and their products so much, but this window was just middle of the road for me. There are some really successful principles and elements in this window, but also some failures affecting that success. First of all, I think this window excellently shows Earthbound's brand identity. The products, poster, and peacock art (which I absoultely adore!) displayed give off that earthy, boho vibe that Earthbound is famously known for just perfectly. That was one of my first thoughts when I saw this window, which is fantastic for the brand! I also liked the way they placed a mannequin backwards to show off the beautiful back of a shirt, but I'm a sucker for anything with a low back, open back, or some back cutout so... ;) It is something you don't see in every window though! Again however, these mannequins also do not have legs, just torsos! I have learned in my fashion promotion class that isn't the best move for a window display, and it does bug me a bit! I think it's just that a potential customer cannot stop and fully envision themselves wearing the store's products displayed, which is the point of a window- to draw a customer in to buy products for them to wear/show off! Another problem, I have with this window is how bare it is. Sometimes a window pulls off a simple look, but it has to be done just right, maybe with something unexpected or truly insightfully interesting. This window, while it has some great products, is not all that interesting at all, which doesn't work if the window is going to be simple. I'm not sure if this was purposefully a design element, but I wish there were some accessories in those small boxes where the "Now Hiring" sign is. It is another element that just seems to bare. After thinking, I think this window lacks creativity, which is disappointing for Earthbound as it is such a different, unique store! However, something they added which is not seen in every store window, is the small social media sign. I think this is something great to add, as social media is very important and impactful in today's culture. It's not the focus of the window (a good thing), but I think it's an excellent, small element to add! I think proportions are fantastic in this window! The fact that the mannequins are smaller and placed closer to the window, and the walls with the art and poster are much taller and placed farther back give the window much more height for attention. I do wish that the wood walls were blocking the majority of the window though, it's a little distracting to see the entire store behind. The rhythm is interesting to me because my eye travels in the opposite way it usually would. For me, the eye first notices the giant poster on the right side of the window, which would be the emphasis of the window showing the brand's identity in a full environment. From there, your eye travels across the window horizontally going towards the left, which is the opposite way we are used to (think of reading). This is unexpected, and I really like that about this window! Overall this window has some excellent qualities that I would like to see in other windows (I'm looking at you, The Mole Hole! lol), but it fails in other areas as well, so it is average in my book.
xoxo~ Ashley
