festive holiday window displays from london to dc
If ever there is a time to be creative in retail, it’s the holiday season! With Christmas upon us, it is more critical than ever for retailers to attract customers to their storefronts, and the competition is extraordinary. Window displays are a huge part of a store’s branding efforts, but when it comes to the shopping frenzy of Christmas, it’s all about the allure and the attitude!
The Brits have always been so witty with their advertising, so I thought it would fun to compare their holiday window displays with those in Alexandria and the surrounding DC shops. Though the Brits are all about tradition in general, I found Alexandria to be the winner when it came to traditional window displays, and the retailers in London went to jolly extremes! The Christmas decoration at British luxury department stores are some of the most anticipated of the year.
Iconic department stores in London, like Harvey Nichols, Fortnum & Mason, Harrods, and Selfridges all undergo a Christmas makeover. So I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorites as I walked around my new neighborhood. I was most impressed with Harvey Nichols, whose festive-inspired displays were filled with color, glitter, and sparkles. Their window designers used more than 300,000 sequins, 15,000 gift boxes, 30,000 staples, 620 mirror balls, and at least a million flakes of glitter to achieve a disco-glam theme inspired by Studio 54.
Insert source: Harrods
The successful window display designers hope to inspire you into the shops and make present-buying seem less like a chore and more of an adventure. Harrods dedicated a huge block of space along Knightsbridge with festive goods featuring spectacular stocking fillers and decorations. Using the theme, “Once Upon a Christmas,” their window designers recreated a mini stage with red velvet curtains and games of lights.
Insert photo credit Andrew Meredith
Selfridges is well-known for their fun attitude with imaginative window displays. This year they have 12 windows each dedicated to a different zodiac sign, which was created using two tons of glitter, 450 meters of neon lighting and 10,000 laser-cut leaves. Of course, this type of window display is not done overnight as I was amazed to learn some 500 people worked more than 32,000 hours on this project, starting back in June!
December is a magical time of year, no matter which side of the Atlantic you may be on, so thank goodness for those retailers who make the season extra festive for the shoppers, pulling out all the stops for their Christmas window displays. No need to feel the angst of shopping in malls, when gift giving can be such an entertaining experience along beautifully lighted streets and decorated storefronts.
I say, treasure this festive shopping time, and take in the sights of the creative window displays surrounding your neighborhoods. Which one is your favorite?
- About the boutique
Using the soothing color palette of a coconut by the sea—whites, neutrals and splashes of turquoise—Coco Blanca has created a trademark look. Her lifestyle boutique offers expert solutions for home design and women’s fashion—blending a clean, fresh, sophisticated, feel-good style.
210 South Union Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.535.8002
