Showgirls & Slayers of Harrods Swarovski Christmas Windows

This weekend while shopping for holiday gifts at Harrods, I got good look at their window display sponsored by Swarovski.

Though the name "Crystal Christmas" might bring shining bright icicles to mind, what Swarovski presents is a much darker interpretation- where the shine might just be coming from the edge of a knife.

From glittering gothic showgirls exhibited in a Ziegfeld Follies-esque tiered cake of mirrors,

to beautifully haunting scenes out of a murder-mystery.

Bejeweled birdcage songbirds appear from behind a sheer white veil,

as a python dominatrix rules the wintry forest floor.

These beautiful windows certainly stand out on the Knightsbridge storefront, seem to be themed more "The Nightmare Before..." than Holly-Jolly Christmas. In fact every child passing in front of the windows exclaimed "That woman is dead!" and "Is she killing him?! Why is she killing him!" 

So fashion slaves should flock to Swarovski's wintry windows, but those looking for more of a traditional Christmas with a jolly man dressed in all white should stick to the holiday decorations of Harrods' interior.

Bizarro World of Chanel at Harrods

With some time to kill on Tuesday before meeting up at Drink, Shop & Do, I decided to see the Chanel installations at Harrods, "Une Promenade".

Though I was sad they took away the antiques shop for this event area, I was excited to see this much space devoted entirely to Chanel. I remember quite clearly my grandmother taking me into Chanel when I was 9 and it forever became the epitome of style for me.

Walking into Une Promenade, we were greeted and moved through a beaded curtain of oversized pearls to step into a Wonderland-esque all white french garden in a circular room, featuring a Karl Lagerfield designed gold Camilla tree, where I found out quite quickly there were no photos allowed. The ultra calm, wintry-feeling room had Chanel wellies and quilted black leather handled gardening tools.

Don't I wish this was my 2.55 bag!
It's actually a vintage knockoff produced by Bloomingdale's

Someone must have slipped me a vial of "Drink This to Make you Smaller" potion because the next room to the left had me walking into the inside of a classic black 2.55 shoulder bag, completely leather quilted with an over-sized zipper pocket wall. Featuring videos of how the bags are made, I found this room very fascinating to see all the craft work that goes into each individual bag.

Through to the next room, which was a little (or big) girls dream of Chanel-clothed bears coming out of an advent calendar and a Chanel dollhouse.


My favorite part is the "Haute couture" room, featuring some Chanel couture dresses and the gigantic boxes in which the dresses are delivered to the lucky few able to afford to wear such beautiful pieces of art.

There were truly throwaway rooms: the No.5 with huge bottles and an endless reel of the current commercial and the tweed room, with wall panels of Chanel tweed. Nothing really exciting in these.

The library featured some nice furniture and a voice over from Mr. Lagerfeld, but my favorite part was the larger-than-life Karl light. Can I have one, please?

I was a bit disappointed the walls in here were covered in wallpaper and not real books, as to make it easier to pretend I was in Karl's actual library.

 

The final room before the exit was the giant jacket and 2.55 bag covered in pins (badges), placed inexplicably in a poker theme. Knowing that it is supposed to be an homage, it still comes out a bit on the tacky side.

Overall, I found the installation entertaining, but found some parts, especially the last room to not fit in with Chanel's ideal of: 

"luxury lies not in richness and ornateness but in the absence of vulgarity. Vulgarity is the ugliest word in our language. I stay in the game to fight it."

However, I do feel I want to see this again before it closes the week of 26 September to fully soak in everything and see the gorgeous Haute Couture room again.

Have you seen the Chanel installation at Harrods? What do you think?

A Sweet Teatime at Harrod's Laudrée

Why can't the Help Wanted section have an ad for an Afternoon Tea Taste-tester? It might be the job for which I am best qualified, unless the Kardashian-rerun-Marathon-on-a-Rainy-Day-Watcher position is available. Do you know how much it rains here? (HINT: everyday) I'd be PAID. Anyhow, no one would have to pay me to partake in afternoon tea at Laudrée.

The macaroon champions of the universe come from France, but we are lucky enough to have three in London. While my family was visiting last month, they let a charming flat just behind Harrods. My mom and I snuck out for traditional tea, but ended up going to Laudrée instead of the Harrods terrace. That last minute decision was totally worth it. Instead of the louder balcony inside the shop, we were sat in the cosy back room: a black-texuture-wallpapered S&M re-imagining of the Belle Époche.

We chose our gorgeous flavor-infused teas: my mom choose the violet and I went with the Thé au caramel (caramel & flowers). The teas came out in individual silver pots that had monogrammed napkin cosy to protect our precious fingers from burning. I spent some time trying to figure out how I could convince my husband to use this lovely blue and pink Laudrée china everyday, but he is firm believer that tea should be from a MUG (gross).

In place of the traditional afternoon tea, it is a french high tea menu. There were still dainty finger sandwiches, but also chocolate & almond croissants, passionfruit & raspberry tarts, chocolate cake and a GIANT macaroon. I find the usual Victoria sponge a complete bore, so these were very welcome additions to afternoon tea. This is when things start to get a bit blurry:

1. Because of the giant macaroon and tea induced Sugar/Caffeine high and
2. I forgot the rule of high tea: "one does not bring a camera you spilled wine-in-a-can on during NYE in Philly to tea if one wishes to blog about it later"

Sticky camera lenses aside, Laudree is perfect for an afternoon tea (and pretty reasonably priced at £22) or a cuppa and a croissant. It doesn't hurt that you are just a few floors away from browsing at the Harrods pet shop, either.