Kristin Scott Thomas, Alber Elbaz & Lanvin @ Printemps (Paris, France)

Printemps in holiday mode, plus a few spotlights for the event (source: Getty Images).

These days, you can't really eavesdrop a conversation or surf the web without hearing/seeing the word 'Lanvin' somewhere - particularly when it comes to collaborations. So when I heard that there would be yet another partnership with Lanvin, I wasn't sure if I liked the idea despite my love for the French fashion house... until I realized what it was: Parisian department store Printemps requested Alber Elbaz to curate four of its main store windows for the holiday season. Last year's windows, which I featured here, came courtesy of Lagerfeld (Chanel) and Galliano (Dior). As with previous displays, the current ones showcase a large number of dancing marionette dolls, representing Mr. and Miss Lanvin as they make their way through various rooms of a Chateau (the windows are aptly titled "Noel au Chateau").

The marionette dolls Mr. and Miss Lanvin, wearing... Lanvin of course (source: Vogue Paris).

To spice things up even more, the windows were unveiled during a grand ceremony on Wednesday (Nov 10). In attendance: British actress Kristin Scott Thomas (also a Parisian resident), Alber Elbaz and the CEO of Printemps. While I was clever enough to make it to the event on time, I was also stupid enough to bring a camera with a missing battery which was being recharged, so unfortunately I'll be presenting a few borrowed photographs and my partially blurry phone pics.

Alber Elbaz and Kristin Scott Thomas (in Lanvin) getting cuddly with Mr. and Miss Lanvin after unveiling the main window (top image: Dominique Maitre via WWD, bottom images: Richard Bord/WiredImage).

Kristin Scott Thomas on her way to the next window - she looked incredible by the way.

Kristin Scott Thomas checks out the Nina Ricci Christmas display (left) and joins Alber Elbaz for another Lanvin window.

But I did have a blast. While Kristin Scott Thomas and Mr. Elbaz were already on the red carpet, models dressed as French royalty in the style of Louis XVI/Marie Antoinette appeared in a horse-drawn carriage, along with another couple posing as Mr. and Miss Lanvin. A marching band accompanied this procession as they made their way to a very gracious Kristin and an Alber who seemed to get a kick out of seeing his creations come to life. After the first window was unveiled, the party moved on to the next few, then went in the store, where the celebrations continued in the Laduree corner.

More window gazing with Kristin, Alber and Printemps CEO Paolo de Cesare. This window also featured the most treats courtesy of Laduree (and yes, that's the back of Alber's head at the top).

French royalty and the Lanvin couple.

The entire group posing for a pic (top image: Getty Images), and my blurry artsy pic of Louis & co. passing me.

The models on their way to Laduree inside Printemps.

I won't post the actual windows yet, but stay tuned, as they will be featured on this blog soon. Until then, here's a short video clip of the event I found, courtesy of Printemps: