Fantasy Fashion Festivities

There are few occasions in the fashion calendar when the industry actually comes to a standstill – but thankfully, in spite of the eternal omnipresence of e-commerce and social media, Christmas is one of those rare times. Beyond its religious connotations, the festive period offers an opportunity for us all to retire to those we love most and cozy up for a board game, stick on our favourite films and (even for the sveltest of us) eat ourselves into a coma. But what are our favourite designers up to? Who will be attending Rick Owens’ Christmas festivities? What is Mrs Prada’s favourite boardgame? Here, we place our best bets...

Rick Owens
When a few months ago, Owens wailed to Jo-Ann Furniss that “sprawling suburban domesticity” has taken over his Paris home (previously the French Socialist Party’s headquarters), his comments might have stood contrary to his brutalist aesthetic – but they set the scene for a Christmas Day filled with bizarre brilliance. “Michele is like Christmas” proclaimed Rick Owens to Susannah Frankel back in S/S14 of his beloved partner in crime – and combining Owens' predilection for Art Nouveaux with Lamy’s famous aptitude as a hostess presumably makes for the dream festive scenario... plus, their eclectic mix of fashion family members would result in a fabulous post-dinner game of Guitar Hero.

The guestlist: Michele’s daughter Scarlett Rouge and her beagle E.D (stands for Eating Disorder), Rick and Michele’s Bengal kitten Gaia, A$AP Rocky, Gareth Pugh and Eska.
The décor: A huge slab of concrete for a table, covered with animal fur in lieu of a tablecloth.
Christmas dinner: Some sort of very raw meat… think paleo, before it was trending.
Board game: Guitar Hero (with Eska and A$AP in attendance, what else?)
On the telly: The Cyclops – the 1957, B-Movie version.
Stocking filler: A curious ancient artefact to match the excellently-sourced antiques on display. Dinosaur bones or a fossil would make for a very on-brand gift.

Mrs Prada
Mrs Prada’s dedication to a fully immersive occasional experience results in industry-favourite fashion shows – and we can only presume that her renowned attention to detail permeates her personal affairs. While she is fairly tight-lipped about her private life (can you imagine her personal Instagram feed? Neither can we), we imagine that Christmas is truly a time for her to shine: her S/S16 collection offered plenty of decorative inspiration and her encyclopaedic cultural knowledge would be perfectly exhibited in a game of Trivial Pursuit. 

The guestlist: Amber Valetta, Gary Oldman, Willem Defoe, and some as of yet unheard-of young actresses set for success in 2016.
The décor: A tree decorated with the bauble earrings and pailettes of S/S16, with the bunny rabbits of Resort 2016 printed on wrapping paper.
Christmas dinner: Strange-but-brilliant canapés courtesy of Corrado Calza: think, lilac egg and soldiers or anchovy and lemon sandwiches.
Board game: Trivial Pursuit.
On the telly: John Waters followed by David Lynch.
Stocking filler: Feminist favourite The Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen.

Phoebe Philo
One must presume that Phoebe Philo's Christmas is the ultimate in understated modernity – but when Marc Jacobs published an Instagram selfie starring Raf Simons and Phoebe, the industry was thrown into a bizarre frenzy with everyone questioning what they might be chatting about over dinner. Jacobs later revealed to Ashley Heath of Pop Magazine that "We were all talking about whether it is possible to stay sane doing what we do” and, following Simons' recent departure from Dior, we think the trio might reunite in festive support. 

The guestlist: Raf and Marc – plus, of course, Phoebe's London family.
The décor: Natural light, and plenty of ceramics. And the little bells attached to Céline's A/W15 shoes would make for the perfect decorations...
Christmas dinner: Philo once told The Gentlewoman that "a bucket of KFC would be her death-row meal." It would make for a great subversion of yuletide tradition, too: very Céline.
Board game: Mah Jong: both elegant and cerebral.
On the telly: Gogglebox (always expect the unexpected).
Stocking filler: Fur-lined slippers, in homage to the fur-lined sandals we all wish we owned.

Simone Rocha
Presumably this Christmas will be a particularly special affair for the Rochas, who have just welcomed baby Valentine into their midst – and the tight-knit dynamic of their family (Simone's fashion designer father helped her get set up with the brand, her mother works on the distribution and her partner often curates her show music) would presumably make for a very festive affair. Renowned for her twist on classical tropes, we anticipate the traditional turkey alongside some subversive sculptural elements and plenty of Louise Bourgeois, the artist whose work fascinates her: "It’s magical – grotesque, beautiful and sensual too," she once told us.

The guestlist: The full family.
The décor: Organic sculptures designed by Janina Pedan, an abundance of florals and Louise Bourgeois Christmas cards on the mantle. And if they can manage to transport the giant, pastel pink onyx counter from her flagship store to eat at, they definitely should. 
Christmas dinner: Turkey.
Board game: Monopoly – surely the only choice in light of the store opening.
On the telly: The Royle Family.
Stocking filler: A family heirloom of some sort; maybe another Francis Bacon triptych, or the giant antique mirror resting against the wall at Mount Street. Hard to fit in a stocking, but worth the effort.

Rei Kawakubo
In Japan, Christmas is more about general merriment rather than the birth of our lord and saviour – and thus we assume that Rei Kawakubo will be celebrating it in her own style. We imagine that her extended Dover Street Family will be joining her and Adrian Joffe in a lunch courtesy of Rose Bakery (Joffe's sister-in-law owns the British-meets-Parisienne restauraunts), and later competing in some sort of highly cerebral speed-Sudoku: a game that would transcend Kawakubo's famed predilection for silence.

The guestlist: Gosha Rubichinsky, Phoebe English, Kei Ninomiya, Chitoise Abe, And Re, Molly Goddard, etc...
The décor: Following S/S16, we're hoping that there would be plenty of blue velvet.
Christmas dinner: Mini quiches offered alongside assiettes of assorted seasonal salads: Rose Bakery specials.
Board game: Sudoku
On the telly: The Twilight Zone, for something beautifully brilliant but distinctly uncanny.
Stocking filler: You're not going to be able to beat the Gucci x Comme christmas collaboration – so don't even try. Create something homemade and hope to charm her with your effort.

Riccardo Tisci
Famously devoted to his #family, Riccardo Tisci's festivities are sure to be filled with his Insta gang: Kimye, Marina Abramovic, Erykah Badu, Jessica Chastain et al – and, if anyone is prepared to go all out, they can always borrow one of Pat McGrath's facemasks for S/S16 to transform themselves into otherworldly spectacles. With his most recent collection for Givenchy devoted to love, we assume there will be plenty of that abounding – as well as lots of gothic accoutrements typical to Tisci's style.

In attendance: The beloved #gang
The décor: We envision a thoroughly decadent gothic aesthetic, with only candlelight illuminating the familiar faces.
Christmas dinner: A Pig’s head for ultimate opulence, with some sort of elaborate blamange in place of a Yule Log for dessert.
Board game: Cluedo
On the telly: Episodes of The Addams Family interspersed with Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
Stocking filler: A selfie stick.