The Trend Curve™

The international authority on color and design trends in home furnishings

  • Home
  • TTC Blog
  • About Us
    • What We Do
    • Consulting
    • About Michelle Lamb
    • The Trend Curve Story
    • The Trend Curve Team
    • Life of a Trend
  • Contact
  • Members (now open)
    • *Member Homepage*
    • Member-Only Posts
    • The Trend Curve for Members
    • Trend Flash™
You are here: Home / Trend / Retail Trends / Portobello Road

Portobello Road

May 13, 2006 By Michelle Lamb -

Portobello Road is a fascinating place for people watching in the Notting Hill neighborhood. It is also a great mix of old and new. Today, Editorial Correspondent Mary Sausen and I spent several hours strolling down that street, stopping to munch on a fish and chips lunch along the way. We found a darling little card and gift shop called Banana Moon, where were found some pretty fabric cards. In the stalls on the street, Mary bought a 1920’s Art Deco cocktail purse from a man who turned out to originally be from Brooklyn. Small world…

After a fabulous play, Noel Coward’s Hay Fever starring Judu Dench, we walked back from the Theatre Royal Haymarket to our hotel via Regent and Oxford streets, taking pictures of windows along the way. There were some terrific ones, like the Wedgewood window showing a pattern called After Willow (see left) that brings the old Blue and White standard into the next century, We also liked the Dr. Who robots and figures at Hamley’s toy store and the all-Aqua barbeque vignette at Marks & Spencer.

But the windows that won our hearts for whimsy and creativity were found at Selfridges. Each of their windows had a name, visibly given through a cartoon-like bubble that hung in each vignette.

Three Sheets To The Wind was all about bed linens, cleverly displayed as though they were hanging out to dry in the back yard. The Pot Calling The Kettle Black replaced mannequin heads with—you guessed it—a pot and a kettle, both Black. Everything But The Kitchen Sink was all about colorful kitchen products crowded along the counter with cans and boxes of food. She Had Enough On Her Plate featured a mannequin wearing a Givenchy blouse and a skirt made of Wedgewood plates, all in White

Our favorite was called Turn To Jelly. In this window, a mannequin is dressed as a male runner in mid-stride. In the sequence that moves from left to right across the window, he runs through a wall of jelly beans, coming out on the other side covered in beans, not wearing his clothes. Very fun.

Filed Under: Retail Trends  

Recent Posts

  • Paola Lenti + Campana Brothers = Sustainability With Artistry
  • Color Stories at KBIS
  • Fourth of July Influences on Décor and Food
  • Color Trends from Guimarães Home Fashion Week 2022
  • Trending at Maison & Objet: Valets

Posts by Category

Post Tags

Ambiente Americasmart Animal Skin Asian Style Black and White Ceramic Chelsea Flower Show Christmas Color Copper COVID-19 Design Details & Embellishments DMC Dogs Florals Functionality Geometrics Halloween Harvest High Point Furniture Market Key Items Kids Licensing Lighting Maison & Objet Marble Metals and Metallics Mixed Media Paper Pattern Shape Showtime Spring/Summer Sustainability Tabletop Textiles Texture Thanksgiving Toy Fair Transparency Trendcurveteam Valentine's Day White Wood Trends

Site Menu

  • Home
  • TTC Blog
  • Exclusive Content
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Sign Up for Email Updates

  • Hidden

Connect With Us!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Contact Us

The Trend Curve™
16 Penumbra
Lake Forest, CA 92630

Phone: 949-662-1515
Fax: 952-893-1264
Contact us here

Copyright © 2023 · The Trend Curve™ · Trend Staff: Log in