Tag Archives: Winter

News

Harvey Ni-Claus is Coming to Town

By Cameron Noble

Premier UK luxury fashion retailer, Harvey Nichols, has revealed their mesmerising Christmas windows for their Edinburgh branch, and this year, they’ve gone full out.

For 2022, Harvey Nichols’ Display Team have devised an opulent display full of glitz and glamour, inspired by one of the key catwalk trends of the season, ‘Studio 54.’ Consisting of reflective angular mirrors, disco balls and an uncountable amount of sequins, the display reflects and throws lights onto the street to enchant passing customers.

Janet Wardley, Head of Visual Display at Harvey Nichols, said: “This year, we went all out with sparkles, mirrors and metallics, to create something truly mesmerising and eye-catching, that excites our customers as they shop this Christmas. We filled our windows with angular mirrored screens and oversized sparkling stars, and the most wonderful gifting ideas to help our customers get into the gifting spirit.”

Treating their window displays as a promotional stunt to showcase the variety of fashion, beauty, accessories and food products they hold within the store, Edinburgh’s Harvey Nichols store presents mannequins which are elegantly adorned with autumn/winter 2022 attire from international luxury brands such as Alexander McQueen, Saint Laurent and Gucci, as well as displaying their own-branded luxury hampers and small gifts to cater to the mass market and inspire Christmas wish lists.

Behind the scenes of Harvey Nichols’ bedazzling windows, every store also has its own Visual Display Team who liaises with the Head Office’s visual management to ensure brand consistency. There is also an extensive creative process to materialise ideas into physical displays.

Mood boards are created to spark ideas by scanning magazines, watching fashion shows and sifting through old photographs. These ideas are sketched, followed by 3D drawings of the drafted window displays before they are sent off to Alperton, London, where parts are manufactured and sent to stores for on-site construction. The entire process can start as early as April, taking several months before the final idea is approved and realised, all in good time for the festive period.

Management within the Edinburgh branch has shared their praise and admiration for their Visual Display Team.

“Our Display Team are absolutely incredible at bringing our displays to life,” A Menswear Supervisor for the Edinburgh store said, “This year, they’ve done such an excellent job with the glitz and glam that Harvey Nichols was aiming to achieve.”

Especially in the dark, the windows’ beauty is amplified, helping the store to stand out from its competing neighbours such as Louis Vuitton and Burberry in Edinburgh’s luxurious high street – Multrees Walk. It also brings a pop of colour to St. Andrews Square, serving as a beautiful backdrop while also attempting to evoke curiosity within passing shoppers to take a closer look.

Harvey Nichols doesn’t shy away from dramatic displays that play with colour and creative concepts to captivate its customers. For 2021, Harvey Nichols decided to characterise each window with its own colour to symbolise positive emotions such as joy, happiness, excitement and calmness, all of which embrace the Christmas spirit. Their reputation for their ostentatious window displays over the years places them in a position where customers can expect a next-level display that reinforces the Christmas perspective in a fun and daring way for 2023.

Features, News

UNCUFFED: THE SECRET LIFE OF CLOSETED SINGLE MEN

By Cameron Noble

LGBTQ+ culture is no stranger to cuffing season – a period of time where people metaphorically handcuff themselves to a partner on a short-term basis to accompany each other over the course of winter. Cuffing season, for those who participate, enjoy feelings of comfort, intimacy and warmth to combat the cold and possibly lonely season. On the other hand, cuffing season can also evoke feelings of envy, isolation, and a deep sense of hopelessness, particularly for those who are fascinated with the idea of pairing with another for a couple of months and want to get in on the action, but aren’t lucky to connect with the right person.

For closeted single men, it’s a whole new game. The additional pressure of keeping their sexuality under the radar prevents them from fully embracing cuffing season, even if they do desire a short-term partner. During cuffing season, closeted single men face the winter alone, and don’t reap the benefits of having a short-term partner, but is that really the case?

From Auchterarder and Edinburgh, George (22) and Michael (29) shared their thoughts about cuffing season from a closeted perspective, and how they get by without the need for a partner. Their names have been changed to respect their anonymity.

George identified as bisexual, but has not revealed his sexuality to his friends or family, especially his parent whom he still lives under a roof with. His family believe men can be sexually attractive to men, but draws the line at bisexuality where they feel bisexuality doesn’t truly exist. As a result, he is not comfortable sharing his true sexuality in fear it would damage his relationship with his family. George has not been in a relationship before, but is actively searching for women to swipe right on dating apps such as Tinder. Given he keeps his profile clear of photographs of his face, he also swipes through a selection of men so he can safely see everyone he could potentially date without compromising his secrecy.

“You see other people on social media having a blast in their relationships, so you kind of feel like you’re missing out on something,” George described his feelings about being single, “So far, I’ve had better chats with guys on here [Tinder] compared to girls but nothing really develops since my family believe I’m straight.”

Michael is exclusively attracted to men and is open to his family about his sexuality, but as his friends are homophobic, he only reveals his true sexuality to those who need to know. He has great memories with his friends, and feels that the bond they have built with each other shouldn’t be damaged over his attraction for men over women. Michael had previous experience in a relationship, but recently broke-up after realising juggling his romantic life with his friends was becoming a bit of a struggle. For the time being, he has been enjoying the perks of being single and living life by his rules.

“Going our separate ways was best for both of us,” Michael referred to the break-up with his ex-boyfriend, “Now that I’m single again, I can do things on my terms without having to think about commitments.”

Michael has made the most of his reclaimed freedom of being single by dedicating his daylight hours with friends whenever he isn’t working, and reserving his evenings and nights to fulfil his sexual desires by involving himself on gay-oriented hookup apps such as Grindr. Ontop, whenever he is doing neither of those, he enjoys treating himself by taking himself on a date, whether by dining alone at a restaurant in the heart of Edinburgh, or buying last minute tickets and snacks at a cinema to see the latest films.

“For those who are single, count it as a blessing.” Michael said, “I think there’s a stigma attached to single people, and that’s not true. You can focus on you. Do what makes you happy.”

Given Michael has experienced what it is like to be in a relationship, it may be easier for him to accept that relationships aren’t the only source of comfort, intimacy and warmth during winter, compared to George. However, George is aware these feelings can be obtained elsewhere, primarily from his friends.

“My friends love me, and I guess that matters to me more.” George said, “We’ve got a few things planned for December that we’re looking forward to.”

For the lead up to Christmas, George and his friends are hitting the pubs and clubs for a rowdy night filled with drinks and blasting music. Delving deep into an energetic atmosphere with hundreds of people can spark feelings of excitement and inclusion, plus the thick air dampened by the sweat of dancing crowds will certainly keep him and his friends warm through the winter weather (at least for a little while). Pubs and clubs also provide a space where they can further connect with each other, where they can show their love for each other and create fun, lasting memories to cherish.

For those in the LGBTQ+ community who have successfully handcuffed themselves to a short-term partner, they can have their fun, but the closeted singles will certainly not be left out. Throughout cuffing season, closeted single men don’t necessarily need to rely on finding a temporary relationship to obtain feelings of comfort, intimacy and warmth. Instead, they continue living life by their own rules rather than betting all of their happiness on a romance-roulette. Being in the company of good friends, making and sharing memories together can be just as effective as what short-term relationships bring. No commitments to a relationship also keeps schedules more flexible, making it easier than ever to tick off activities on the bucket list without having to concern oneself over the need to include other people and cater to preferences. And as an added bonus, for those who enjoy regular no-strings-attached hookups with different people, being single grants you the ability to sleep with whoever you like without the guilt of cheating on a romantic partner.