Some are a hybrid of environments. Some are a colorful Disney fantasia, others a study in prison yard austerity. But always they are something else. A store is never just a store, though few architects and designers take advantage of that fact. To step into a thoughtfully designed boutique is to literally step into a fantasy, to enter a purely artificial world.
Stores are settings which inspire our sense of playfulness.
They awaken our imagination. Mister All American Hero with the American flag displayed across your chest. You can go to Versace and invoke the vibes of blonde Donatella on a fashion rush, enjoying a mad orgy of sequins, satin and sin, sin, sin. Or you can step into Tiffany's and transform yourself into Holly Golightly, Liz Taylor, or Marilyn Monroe on a diamond kick. Few environments are so conducive to the theatricality we all have within us, and which remains hidden within us most of the time.