Blooms @ DBX

Many of you know I like visual merchandising. Lucky for me, the Bloomingdale's at Dubai Mall always has the most amazing windows. Currently they are bucking the trend of Purple and Gold Ramadan windows for intricately constructed "Giants of Fashion". I have put the pictures on flickr as there are a lot of pics, so here is the link if you'd like to see them:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66702971@N03/

It is a strange concept for the shoppers here- Window Shopping. No one does it here. The term itself seems so ridiculous to the Emirati's because they want to shop, they shop hard, and often, and with no concept of costs. To illustrate the point- I was walking out of the grocery store and there were three teenage guys- locals, the one had on Louis V loafers- $760, shorts by Empario Armani (usually $300), and the Ralph Lauren Pony Polo- which is $320.00. This was just casual clothes, out to the mall with his friends. Wearing a $1500 outfit! They just have no concept of money. They don't need to save up and "christmas" shop, they don't go to the mall once every few months. Most people go to the mall to eat dinner, to go to the movies, to pay their phone bill, to hang out; it is just so routine. Also, every mall has these high end stores- even the "lower" class malls have Tommy Hilfiger Purple Label, a Ralph Lauren store...we often times joke there are more Dolce & Gabanna stores than McDonalds in this town between the D&G line, the D&G Kids, D&G Couture, and the ready to wear stores.
So back to the point- Window Shopping. I have to say every time I have been at Dubai Mall, I go to the windows and look at each one, and EVERY TIME a security guard comes over and asks me what I'm doing. I explain that I'm just looking at the window to which he walks away usually clutching his walkie talkie like I'm going to freak out and blow something up. But truely- no one stops to look at these windows. It's a shame because so much work went into them. All the detail of rotating the heads on the wooden figures; each of those ropes has to be tied individually, and all the painting, and posing. It's amazing. So I feel that by posting the pictures on Flickr more people will see them and enjoy the windows for what they were supposed to do; delight, entertain and get attention.