MANILA, Philippines - It is winter in Paris and Christmastime in the fashion capital is nothing but magical. November signaled the start of the official Parisian Christmas. Major department stores are unveiling much-awaited Christmas vitrines. Christmas lights illuminate Boulevard Haussman as Le Grand Magasins or the grand department stores –– Printemps, Galeries Lafayette (both on the right bank) and Bon Marche (along the left bank) –– showcase a display of creativity and talent French style, all with that inimitable je ne sais quois. A revelry of fantastical and whimsical themes capture not only the shopper’s attention –– every passing individual is mesmerized by the moving fairytale. Leave it to the French to create such a display –– after all, they pioneered the Feeries, a dreamy onstage production with a lot of spectacle and bright illusions.
Le Bon Marche
Le Bon Marche’s windows hark back to old Paris. Cardboard cutouts, photos, illustrations of Parisian streets, houses and rooftops — possibly in the 1800s –– evoking “La Vie Boheme,” decorate the vitrines. Famed landmarks on the left bank such as the Musee d’Orsay, Tour Eiffel and Le Bon Marche itself are the establishments that mold the Parisian lifestyle then and now. The store windows are not crowded with elements but sparsely decorated with delicately placed items all flecked with snow and little white doves.
Christmastime in Paris is truly a sight to behold. The lights are mesmerizing and everything is illuminated — a wonderland of lights and spectacle that is made to entice and attract shoppers and pedestrians alike. Definitely C’es tres chic!
Printemps
House of Dior’s offering “Parisian Inspirations” for Printemps invites you on a walk-through of Paris’ most famous sites as dolls dressed in signature Dior dresses (like the bar suit) move up and down and around famous Parisian sites. A total of 74 dolls or Poupees were dressed in Dior’s signature fashion, showcased in windows as skaters at the Tour Eiffel ice rink, life-size mannequins wearing Dior suits at iconic Dior store along Avenue Montaigne, puppets holding balloons bopping over rooftops or reveling along the fairground at the Tuilleries.
Galleries Lafayette
Galleries Lafayette, in celebration of its centenary, partnered with another fashion house — Louis Vuitton. The display called, “The Ball of the Century,” is Louis Vuitton’s take on the holidays. It involves a menagerie of wild animals such as polar bears, penguins, a panda and flamingos in an elaborate festive dance, paying homage to its travel heritage. Eleven windows are dressed with a background of metallic geometric patterns referencing the signature Damier and Monogram motifs as well as the famed Galeries Lafayette Art Nouveau Glass Dome. Shoppers will definitely stop to take a look at the dancing polar bears and penguins all holding leather goods and marionette puppets swaying and hopping on top of monogrammed trunks.