SPECIAL REPORT CHRISTMAS WINDOWS: EUROPE
The third and final instalment of our Special Report on Christmas windows sees us return to Europe with its snow-covered cathedrals, mulled wine at Christmas markets and decorations lighting up the streets. Our first stop is Paris, France, to see the buzzing crowds at Galeries Lafayette before heading to the Italian fashion capital, Milan, where OVS shows off a 100% plastic-free window display.
Next we travel to Madrid, Spain, to see the elegant displays at El Corte Inglés before finishing at KaDeWe, a Berlin institution, with its unique Nutcracker inspired windows. Here’s our pick of Europe’s best!
Galeries Lafayette
Since 1945, Galeries Lafeyette has unleashed the imagination and talent of in-house and guest artists to create a Christmas spectacular year after year. On Boulevard Hausmann, the building’s façade is illuminated, a Christmas tree of epic proportions is on show and the window displays are works of art. This year’s theme, a Christmas beehive, features 11 window displays with 14 bee-autiful characters preparing for their Christmas party. Must sees? The Winter Garden and the Queen Bee banquet with dynamic Flowbox backdrops that truly set these Christmas windows apart.
OVS
The brainchild of visual merchandisers, Paolo Benzon and Sergio Morales, the Italian fast-fashion brand OVS chose to go plastic free this Christmas. The concept “Frozen Garden” took two months of planning, 700 hours of labour and 2000 sheets of paper to create eight magnificent windows that are 100% plastic-free. With only one week to install the campaign in two different cities, Milan and Florence, the self-proclaimed “crazy window dressers” have created a wonderland of frosted, oversized flowers that emit elegance and simplicity.
El Corte Inglés
Spain’s leading department store, El Corte Inglés, turns up the dial on elegant luxury for this Christmas. More than 11 months of work went into creating a celebration of the festive season that combines design with the avant-garde, the traditional with the on-trend. Featured in the windows of the department store’s five luxury concept stores across Madrid, Barcelona and Marbella, the beautifully curated windows showcase leading European luxury brands such as Moncler, Balmain and Loewe.
KaDeWe
The department store has been an institution in Berlin since 1907 and this year’s eagerly anticipated Christmas campaign, “Get Ready For Xmas”, embraces the idea that everyone celebrates the holidays differently. The focus is on the individual writing their own Christmas story. Each display features a one-off Nutcracker enjoying different moments of the festive season from the “Shopping Queen” to “Pretty In Pink”, a tropical “Under Palm Trees” to a joyful “Merry Go Round”. KaDeWe aims to make Christmas the festivity of all festivities for everyone.
