Christmas is my favourite time of year, not only because of the parties, giving and receiving of luscious presents and spending quality time with my fibreglass loved ones, but also because of the magical displays our nations most fabulous retail stores create. Bright lights, designer trees, steam trains, giant bottles of champagne and animals ingeniously made from domestic appliances are just some of the 2013 trawl of Xmas displays that will make you want to jump for joy!
This year, luxury Knightsbridge department store Harrods takes us on a magical journey on their Christmas express train; carriages oozing glamour and indulgence, filled with festive treats and gifts suitable for a never ending wish list; including an £80,000 gown dripping in jewels (not that I’m hinting Santa)
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| Harrods |
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| Harrods |
Just down the road, Harvey Nichols are merging high-end fashion and fantasy to create eye-popping displays bursting with brightly coloured stars and snowflakes.
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| Harvey Nichols |
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| Harvey Nichols |
Whilst in this part of town I also got the pleasure of catching up with a few of the girls (my darling friends from proportion london) Elegantly gracing the windows of high-end lingerie brand, Rigby and Peller. The fluid range girls also looked uber
stylish in H&M
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| Rigby and Peller |
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| H and M |
Adding a little bellezza Italiana (Italian beauty) to Mayfair’s most prestigious hotel Claridges; designer duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana created a traditional Sicilian Christmas themed tree. What a grand place to stop for a sherry and marvel at this magnificent showstopper.
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| Claridges |
Fortnum and Mason almost brought tears of nostalgia to my eye with their wistful window displays, featuring children playing in the snow and many festive goodies. I managed to stop myself blubbing after suddenly remembering it would likely ruin my new petal pink paint finish (post on paint finishes and fabrics coming in the New Year)
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| Fortnum and Mason |
They say big is not always best but in this case it certainly helped… Selfridges stopped shoppers in their tracks with giant bottles of Ace of Spades champagne, Charlotte Olympia slippers, YSL bag and a snow globe which pays homage to the store. These are just some of the witty displays which demanded passers-by attention!
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| Selfridges |
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| Selfridges |
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| Selfridges |
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| Selfridges |
Now there is no denying that the competition for best Christmas window is very competitive this year - but one stands out by a mile for pure genius - and that is John Lewis. The touching advert which tells a story of a bear and a hares relationship is continued throughout their window displays, using household objects and everyday appliances. Bunnies made from hairbrushes, deer from dyson vacuums and a hibernating bear from leather cushions; all have you standing in awe and utter amazement. Well done to this clever team for breaking away from their usual safe theme - the effort was well worth it - judging from the attentive shoppers lingering on the street.
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| John Lewis |
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| John Lewis |
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| John Lewis |
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| John Lewis |
Believing in the 'magic and sparkle', Marks and Spencer’s flagship store at London’s Marble Arch has brought to life a modern day fairy-tale following on from their ad campaign within their windows. Windows featured mannequins (from the SERIES range by proportion) which resemble the characters from their multimillion pound advert and a lavish dinner party that I for one would be delighted to attend.
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| Marks and Spencer |
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| Marks and Spencer |
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| Marks and Spencer |
One of London’s oldest leading department stores; LIBERTY, has star bursts of product bringing the frontage of their iconic tudor building to life this year.
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| Liberty |
Before heading back to mannequin towers I couldn't resist taking to the cobbled fabulousness of Carnaby Street where the robins were definately rocking!
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| Carnaby Street |
Well my darlings, i'm off home to massage my weary feet and plan my outfit for the proportion office party! I do hope this Christmas post has you well and truly in the festive spirit and if like me you agree that the visual teams of London have done a spectacular job this year, then raise a glass to the sheer creativity and effort they have put in .... and wish me luck - as i tuck myself into a bubble-wrapped export box and zoom off to Heathrow to bring you my next blog...a round up of the Xmas windows in New York....Oh the glamour x
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