It Begins...
It's beginning to look a lot like ... Los Angeles' annual attempt at Christmas.
Don't get us wrong — most of us at SSLA are from back East, and some of us would have gladly spent our winters outside playing tennis rather than scraping the frost off of our parents' car windshields. But as much as we love this city, it's hard not to crack a smirk while seeing The Grove try to recreate the opening scene of A Christmas Story, as it appeared to on Sunday night. (Sidenote: Were there Ralph Lauren-clad parents and fireworks exploding above Ralphie's head while he pined over a Red Ryder B-B Gun in the store window?)
With the holiday season always comes a vibrant window display competition, and Rodeo Drive and surrounding department stores in Beverly Hills always put out all the stops. Here's some of what we spied on a recent evening stroll:
Barneys New York
What it says: Perhaps your family can get along this year, for once.
Snark aside, this first round from Barneys (we assume there will be more) is the most refreshing on Rodeo, or technically Rodeo-adjacent. It casts aside all the usual holiday imagery for something warm, quirky, chic yet also homey. For the wealthy or severely debt-prone of shoppers, at least.
We can only hope Barneys puts, let's say, a size 10.5 Lanvin men's black loafer and a Miu Miu sequined clutch on sale for 70% off. Otherwise you may force a 90-mile trek to Cabazon Outlets.
Chanel
We're not sure if this a holiday display or just a pre-holiday Antarctic fantasy for Karl Lagerfeld, who probably plucks all the pine needles off his Christmas tree and replaces them with 17th-century rosaries bought somewhere on rue Cambon.
We do wonder what a Christmas or Hanukkuh celebration would be like if everyone showed up in Chanel tweed. A memorable day for sure, though hugs would likely be out of the question.
Jimmy Choo
It's bad enough that whenever we travel to New York, at least one of our friends asks us why we're not wearing Uggs. As though they're perpetually Krazy-glued onto our calves. We've lamented this Jimmy Choo/Uggs collaboration before, which we'll call Chuggs.
If you insist on something from Mr. Choo this holiday season, may we recommend you walk past the window display. That's it, keep going. Plenty of jaw-dropping specimens beyond the front door.
Burberry
The message is clear: Though Burberry chief creative director Christopher Bailey throws plenty of fantastic curveballs with the Burberry Prorsum collection, holiday shopping at this venerable British label almost always involves some accessory with plaid check. Which is fine with us – who doesn't like opening a box from Burberry?
Pink is apropos: You don't have to be Angelyne to realize that red-and-green motifs for a Los Angeles holiday season don't really work.
Saks Fifth Avenue
What it says: A traditional take on the holiday season, one that reminds us of the Saks back home in Chicago and Minneapolis, without the wind chill.
But if you must wear fur, keep this in mind: The lowest recorded temperature in Los Angeles history is 24 degrees, an anomaly that occurred more than 60 years ago. Normally it hovers in the upper-50s/lower-60s during winter. So save the boots for your trip somewhere truly frigid.
Dolce & Gabbana
We know. Not really a holiday window. Or least it doesn't seem to be, and we're not sure if there's another window going up soon. But how awesome would it be to go home for the holidays with this as your sweet, ridiculously stylish grandmother? Dolce's collections seem to keep getting better with each passing season; this one's worth checking out. You can sing carols elsewhere.