And so it begins: the turning of November to December marks the start of the festive season, as advent calendars are opened and halls are decked with gleaming displays and stacked-up Christmas trees (for inspiration, see this year’s Claridge’s Christmas tree designed by Paul Smith, or for the less traditional, Kengo Kuma's minimal wooden displays in Tokyo’s two Edition outposts).
Here, in our own annual tradition, the Wallpaper* style team has selected a line-up of Christmas baubles from fashion’s best-known names, providing the perfect festive adornment for the fashion fan this holiday season. From Bottega Veneta’s surreal, undulating ornaments to Loewe’s fantastical collaboration with Suna Fujita, or some truly luxurious cashmere pom-poms from Loro Piana, they will accessorise your tree in style.
Christmas baubles for style fans
Bottega Veneta
Matthieu Blazy’s gourd-like tree ornaments are satisfyingly surreal – all the more so in this vivid banana-yellow and black colourway (an alternative to the usual green and red Christmas fayre). Crafted using a traditional Polish technique, the glass ornament’s undulating texture is inspired by the Italian house’s ‘intrecciato’ woven leather.
Available from: bottegaveneta.com, £140 for two.
Loewe x Suna Fujita
‘Childhood dreamscapes’ inspire a new collection of clothing, accessories and trinkets from Loewe in collaboration with whimsical Japanese ceramicist Suna Fujita released in time for festive gifting. Alongside, a menagerie of animals to decorate your Christmas tree – like this colourful dotted octopus with Loewe-branded ribbon tie.
Available from: mytheresa.com, £75 for one.
Celine
An elegant line-up of the house’s motifs – from the ‘Triomphe’ logo to a perfume bottle and handbag – make up this selection of gilded baubles from Celine. In an expression of Parisian savoir-faire, each one is handpainted by Celine artisans, and come encased in a gift-worthy white Celine box.
Available from: celine.com, £270 for three.
Prada
These sleek Prada baubles take their geometric designs from the flooring of Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, where the Italian house’s first-ever store was opened in 1913 by Mario and Martino Prada (back then, it was called ‘Fratelli Prada’ – 'Prada Brothers' – and sold luggage). Available in red and white or black and white, each set of four is hand-crafted from glass and stamped with the Prada logo.
Available from: prada.com, £380 for four.
Hermès
This sweet leather charm, depicting a horse in flight, was crafted using the near-unparalleled expertise of the Hermès artisans (in particular, those who usually make the house’s leather gloves). And, while a fittingly festive adornment for the tree, it doubles as a bag charm for a sprinkle of year-round magic.
Available from: hermes.com, £660 for one.
Saint Laurent
Part of the house’s Rive Gauche line – a collection of Saint Laurent-branded ephemera, from travel mugs to ski helmets – this heart-shaped decoration is crafted from silver-coloured metal and engraved with ‘Saint Laurent’. The heart motif was a particular favourite of house founder Yves Saint Laurent, whose ‘coeur fétiche’ (‘heart luck charm’) necklace – created by jewellery Roger Scemama – would appear in almost every runway show from the early 1960s to his retirement in 2002.
Available from: saintlaurent.com, £130 for one.
Gucci
Add a touch of Italian glamour to your tree with this set of Gucci baubles, made from traditional mouth-blown Murano glass and completed with the house’s signature webbing-stripe ribbon. They are part of a luxurious line-up of gifts designed by creative director Sabato De Sarno, spanning fantastical luggage sets, animal-shaped bag charms and a pair of shimmering crystal-adorned pumps.
Available from: gucci.com, £485 for two.
Loro Piana
We first glimpsed these ultra-chic baubles at Loro Piana’s festive takeover of Harrods, which opened last month with a series of transporting displays along the department store’s Brompton Road facade. Crafted from the house’s signature cashmere in a series of warm, natural hues, they will add a textural flourish to any Christmas tree.
Available from: loropiana.com, £1080 for six.