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Feature: Jenny Coggins
EVERY Christmas, a shopping tradition takes place in London.
Each of the major department stores along the West End become
window proud and competitively strive to out do each other with
their take on the festive season. So, take a last breath of shopping
inspiration from the Christmas window displays.
Selfridges have got a real sweet tooth this Christmas,
with the theme, "Feast". From spun sugar dresses, to
lanterns made from Turkish delight, this is the most original
of all the window displays. But the crowning glory is the chocolate
Nigella Lawson. This is a window dressing well worth fighting
the crowds for, it's just a shame that you aren't allowed in to
eat it all!
Dickens and Jones, in Regent Street, take inspiration
from the carol 'Twelve days of Christmas', except they
miscalculated and there are in fact 19 days on display. Two evening
gloves replace the turtle doves, four eyeshadows replace the colly
birds and so on, all of which is demonstrated by models, poised
in adventurous positions. These displays, though, are not as exciting
as they sound, as many of the separate days just look the same.
Perhaps then, it is only worth peering into the one window.
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Liberty's try to beat off the competition by having two
separate displays. On Great Marlborough Street, toboggans twist
along the windows, carrying glimpses of the gifts on offer inside.
Yet on the Regent Street side, the second display breaks the traditional
feel. Led by the buzz word, 'enchanting', the dressing is stark
- with bark, decaying moss and the odd Victorian artefact. It
is more of a Winter window than a festive one, and for that the
cynical question is posed: Have they designed a display to take
them through into January and Feb?
John Lewis have made a very boring attempt at creating
a festive feast for the eyes. Their windows are filled with bland
boxes and brash baubles, but not much else. House of Fraser has
the same wallpaper used in the Dickens and Jones windows, but
looks less decadent and more Changing Rooms. Debenhams cram pretty
much all their stock into the display on Oxford Street.
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