Paris <3 Christmas Trees

Behold “Fusion Glacée”, the winning entry of the third annual Fashion Christmas Trees competition which took place at the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand. The acrylic creation gives an illusion of snowflakes (each with a tiny tree implanted inside) falling into the shape of a larger tree.

Over 30 students from design school Ecole supérieure des Arts appliqués Duperré entered, many opting for a theme of white and silver – check out the pictures of some of our favourites. A wide range of materials were used, ranging from cloth and Perspex, to wire and even books! The trees were judged by a prestigious panel of big names in French fashion such as designers Franck Sorbier, Jean-Claude Jitrois and Gaspard Yukievich and renowned artisan embroiderer François Lesage.

The competition, “Sapins de Noël fashion”, is fast becoming a standard on the Paris fashion calendar. All trees will be on show in the hotel’s lobby and winter garden until January 4, so check it out if you’re passing by.

And it’s not only the Parisian students who are taking part in festive Fashion this month. A-list designers and fashion houses including Hermès, Gucci, Jean Paul Gautier, Louis Vuitton, Sonia Rykiel and Paul Smith will also be creating their own Christmas trees (though past entries have rarely resembled trees!) for Les Sapins de Noël des Créateurs.  You can see the designs at the Cité de l’Architecture from 8-14 December, after which they will be auctioned to raise money for Solidarité en SIDA, a charity which helps young people affected by AIDS.

Here are last year’s entries: