The arrival of springtime brings new ideas to life in retail design and visual merchandising. As in nature, colors, shades, prints and materials are renewed in stores and window displays.

For instance, mannequins this spring are popping out in white, the latest fashion color. Others, made of wood, show an awareness of environmental issues.

European retailers are also using color in elaborate sceneries. At Hermès in Paris, stalactite caves full of precious objects create a fairy tale wonderland.

Simpler installations show the revival of sketches and cartoons as backdrops to elegant fashions. Lanvin celebrates the upcoming wedding season by showing a groom on his big day. Parts of the colorful sketch come out of the background to create a setting for some unusual mishaps on his way to the altar.

There are always the bizarre, attention-grabbing exaggerations, including absurd fashion outfits. In Paris, John Galliano shows life vests and helmets as survival gear for today’s urban shoppers.

Kenzo Boulevard de la Madeleine, Paris Fashion and ecology aren’t a contradiction anymore with reused wood elements serving as a bright geometric backdrop.

Lanvin Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris The dapper groom steps out into the scenic countryside, only to be surprised by unforeseen accidents.

Yves Saint Laurent Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris Art inspires fashion. Or is it the other way around?

Ludwig Beck Marienplatz, Munich Spring forecast: a clean and minimalist outlook.

John Galliano Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris The fashion survival kit for the 21st Century has some interesting gear.

Hermès Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris An underground world of shine and luxury.