Shop fronts that border Manchester’s many high streets are a feast for the eyes. Creative endeavours, showcased behind polished windows, woo unsuspecting customers through shop doors and straight into the fitting rooms. MFN has gathered some of the city’s current finest windows for your viewing pleasure.

Diesel on Cross Street always have a shop front which boasts an impressive display. Recent campaigns have included: “Sex sells, shame we only sell Denim” and the provocative set up which featured male mannequins on leashes. The current window is somewhat less sexual but considerably more colourful. Men’s wear windows show a single mannequin completely surrounded by balls of all varieties, with a slogan printed on the glass reading: “Smart may have the brains, but stupid has the balls”. The Ladies wear windows are simpler with the single mannequin surrounded by cardboard speech bubbles containing the word “yes”; the slogan reads: “smart says no, stupid says yes”. Although seeming to literally call their clientele stupid, the windows are visually stimulating and fun.

A short walk down King Street past the beginning of the Manchester Spring Markets and you arrive at The White Company. Characteristically and in keeping with their brand’s mission the entire window, including building, is pure white. The home wear window showcases summer time garden furniture fit for Pimm’s and BBQ sausages. The window next door currently hosts nursery furniture and baby clothing all in glossy catalogue white; for parents who want to dream of clean children.

A strut around the corner finds you in St. Ann’s Square opposite The Royal Exchange Theatre and in front of French Connection, AKA FCUK. Since Trevor Beattie overhauled the advertising strategy of the then failing European fashion brand FCUK has been a household name and high street must in any fashionable city. The current campaign aims to conduct “a light-hearted study of man and woman born from the notion that men and women need to be spoken to in different ways.” The separate gender departments are represented by two models which have fronted the campaign all season. Holographic images held by mannequins move as you pass by, featuring the two models pulling faces and posing. Slogans are printed on windows in a similar fashion to the Diesel windows which are written in a mixture of English and French: “a playful nod to the brand name”. The campaign has already proved a success after a reported upsurge in sales after a 14 week drop by 1.9% ending in May.

Continuing down Cathedral Walk past the impressive windows from Harvey Nichols, which currently feature giant fish and dinosaur skeletons made from coat hangers first seen in their London store, and you come to Exchange Square.

Bordering the square and within The Triangle Shopping centre is Jigsaw, who are going sailing for this season. Windows host yacht sails and sea buoys which compliment the nautical themed collection. Sales for the British fashion brand apparently remain “buoyant” even throughout the recession and hopes are pinned on the buoyancy of the latest collection to see profits throughout 2010.

Words and images by Jordan McDowell. Follow Jordan on Twitter

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