Harrods unveils Christmas displays

The first sign that Christmas is coming are the windows of the most important department stores. London and Paris set the tone this year as well. The 1^st of December is not only the beginning of the “shopping frenzy”, but also the moment when the stores open their displays to the public, revealing the long hard work of entire teams of designers.

In London, the most important department store, Harrods, carefully plans and creates de décor for their displays months before the winter season. Each year, they try to bring something new, something to enchant the eyes of their customers. In 2011, the theme was “A Crystal Christmas”, inspired by Swarovski, featuring sparkling trees, frosty branches and mannequins in dramatic poses. A glamorous dress designed by Ralph & Russo was the central piece of this festive window display.

 In 2012, Harrods wanted to celebrate the Disney princesses by featuring a collection of fabulous dresses inspired by 10 of the most loved Disney characters. Donatella Versace, Elie Saab and Escada are just some of the designers who took the challenge and uniquely reinterpreted the dresses.

Sleeping Beauty by Elie Saab

Cinderella by Versace

Pocahontas by Cavalli

This year, the Christmas set is inspired by the British steam train, featuring a luxurious Swarovski-covered gown by Ralph & Russo. The Harrods Express is framed by hundreds of thousands of light bulbs and creates a lavish theme to attract shoppers from around the globe. Nevertheless, while looking at the displays, I cannot help myself wondering if Harrods wasn’t actually inspired by this year’s movie, The Great Gatsby. Somehow, I feel it has had a major influence in choosing the theme for this Christmas. Not so original, I would say, but the result is absolutely stunning.

London has its taste, I agree, but since Paris is the fashion capital, we’ll talk in a future post about how department stores such as Printemps and Lafayette choose to welcome Christmas with their displays.  

Until then...bisous!

Photos: Pinterest