This Christmas, Selfridges is inviting customers to a theatrical extravaganza loaded with festive drama and delight – Showtime! The best gifts, partywear, services, destinations and experiences for 2023 are inspired by the glamour of the stage, in anticipation of the most spectacular Christmas in Selfridges history.
It’s curtains up for Selfridges world-famous Christmas windows, which have taken over 100 hours to install by a team of more than 50 people. The idea of true stagecraft and artistry is spotlighted here by the work of creative collaborators, including artist Max Allen, costume designer of the Christmas cast. With Selfridges, Allen has created an “ensemble” of Christmas characters who have become A-List performers in Showtime! The 10 characters, who each feature in an Oxford Street window, include Santa Claus himself as ‘Stage Director,’ a Christmas Tree Diva and a Stand-up Comedy Snowman. Every costume has been handmade in North London by Max and a team of product designers and embroiderers, working with fabrics from local haberdashers across the city. Characters wear hair by legendary hairstylist, Sam McKnight.
Selfridges has commissioned specialist painter, Queenie Ingrams who has hand-painted dazzling, decorative set-pieces, and prop artist Matilda Greenwood to create larger-than-life crackers, moons, snow mounds and stars. On Orchard Street, Benjamin Pollock’s Toyshop, one of the oldest toyshops in London, has shared archive imagery, reimagined using photo collage to create a series of dioramas that celebrate the fantasy of stagecraft. Visitors to Oxford Street become the audience to Selfridges OTT and high-octane Showtime! production, and the window at the corner of Oxford Street and Orchard Street invites them to applaud it, featuring moving curtains that open and close, a neon-flashing ‘Applause’ sign and gold roses that shower the stage.
In store, showstopping gifts and partywear for every personality – new, pre-owned, rented and refillable – have been carefully curated across all categories. Santa and his troupe of bow ballerinas and gift boxes are in-store and stage-ready from Friday 24th November to entertain customers. A line-up of DJs, singers and live performances ensure the atmosphere is electric, with bookable experiences and spectacle moments happening in London, Manchester and Birmingham. Link to bookings.
Selfridges has always been a stage for creativity and this year, self-expression and spectacle are at the heart of the Christmas experience. On 29th November, Selfridges London welcomed a scene-stealing world-first from The Kit Kat Club. CABARET: The Kit Kat Club at Selfridges is an immersive destination where visitors can enjoy Champagne cocktails and cuvées from Moët & Chandon, the show’s Official Champagne Partner. Imagined by Cabaret set and costume designer, Tom Scutt, this is the destination for grown-up festive celebrations that are flamboyant and dramatic in the centre of W1. Tickets are now available.
