Hey Guys,

I wish you all a very Happy New Year! I hope your Holidays were filled with love, family and joy.

Last year I dedicated a post on the best things to do if you’re spending your holidays in Paris. This year, I  want to focus on one of the highlights – in my opinion – which are the magical Department Store Holiday Window Displays! I want to specifically feature my two favorites that were only briefly mentioned last year :

The Galeries Lafayette & Printemps Department Store

Bundling up and wandering the beautiful Paris streets is of course a staple activity, but whether you live in Paris or are simply visiting, admiring the gorgeous displays of these two iconic stores are one of the best parts of spending the holidays in Paris. Each year the displays are more inventive and whimsical. Only a scrooge would not get caught up in their holiday childlike enchantments!

Les Galeries Lafayette Haussmann

With its Art Nouveau Cupola, this  flagship Galeries Lafayette Department Store has become a Paris icon since its creation in 1984.

This year, the store is celebrating an Arctic Christmas with an all in white display following the adventures of a family of polar bears who discover an incredible new ice pack to play on.

This window is displaying a beautiful staircase as the crux of the story. Will the penguin get the shoe?

Those magical animated windows required of work in delicacy. It is the painstakingly detailed work of Lorenzo Papace that has gone into creating the skits in the windows on Boulevard Haussmann.

This window titled the bears are chic resonated with me because, it stars a handbag haha! Here is a bear after my own heart.

All the windows have little stairs and a raised platform to enable little ones to admire them up close. You can see toddlers hats peaking on my pictures below.

This window is dedicated to the Castle of toys, what polar bear winter wonderland would be complete without a princess castle and toys of course?!

Carousels are definitely part of the holiday spirit, one was featured in the Printemps display as you’ll see below. This one is a gift themed one perfect for Xmas, and you’ll aslo see on in conjunction with the star of the show : the Xmas Tree in Galeries Lafayette.

But the star of this show has to be the amazing all white paper Christmas tree located at the heart of the Galeries Lafayette under the most beautiful Art Noveau Coupole or Cupola! I love visiting any time of year, but during the holiday season, it’s quite a sight to see it all decked out!

The tree is actually 4 stories high! Can you see the cute polar bear prints peaking through?

If you want to check out last year’s classic Christmas tree then go to my post ‘In Paris for the holidays‘.

Printemps

Created in 1865 by the visionary Jules Jaluzot and listed as a historical monument, Printemps Haussmann is today one of Paris’s leading department stores.

I love when you can combine fun fashion shopping with historical and architectural visits haha don’t you ;)?

Interestingly, Printemps has taken the opposite direction with their holidays window displays from the all white monochromatic vibe of Galeries Lafayette, they have gone for the most colorful extravaganza ever!

The window displays are  inspired by the dreams of two fictional children, Jules and Violette, as they slumber on the night before Christmas. In their dreams, they find themselves inside the store after closing time (#ikea challenge anyone?), among a cast of fantastical characters. Each window represents a chapter in that story. Here are the five windows created in partnership with three famous fashion houses : Jimmy Choo, David Yurman and Bonpoint.

This is the enchanted carousel by Jimmy Choo. It is animated to turn around the Xmas tree.

This would feature in any kids dream for sure, a sweets factory ! Here is  a close up of some of the gorgeous detailing achieved.

You got to have a dream for all the shoeaholics out there so here is Jimmy Choo’s ‘Imaginary Cabaret‘ :

This shoe is just to die for !

This window is dedicated to all the perfume collectors and lovers.

Crystal is an appropriate winter theme as well, and sparkles in just the right way!

Which one is your favorite window dressing?

So which one was your favorite? The monochromatic white winter wonder land or the explosion of color?

Let me know what your favorite window decorations are in Paris or whichever city you happen to live in or spend your holidays in!

Xoxo

Danetigress

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