Designer 'Christmas trees' sold at Paris auction

PARIS: The fashion world gathered around 44 designer Christmas trees at the annual "Les Sapins de Noël des Créateurs" charity auction in Paris last week.

From Louis Vuitton's golden metal cone forged out of hundreds of LV emblems to Stella McCartney's eco-friendly tiers of cardboard disks and Jérôme Dreyfuss's stripped metal umbrellas stacked one on top the other and adorned with multicolored plastic bags, the "trees" came in all shapes, sizes and styles.

It was the first time that top name artists in the world of design had contributed to the auction. Designs by Norman Foster (which netted €8,500 or about $11,000), India Mahdavi (€8,000) and Jacques Rougerie (€5,100) were among the big bids. But it was the white column of circling shapes from Zaha Hadid that was the top seller of the night at €46,000. For art dealers and collectors at the event, it was a rare opportunity to acquire pieces by artists at a fraction of the price of their other work.

A total of €101,000 was raised for the Sol En Si charity organization that helps children and families living with AIDS. The fashion journalist Marie-Christiane Marek, who started the charity auction 13 years ago, said that the money would be used to create a residence in Togo for children orphaned by the disease. But as the total started to climb, more than tripling the sum raised last year, the charity will be able to build much more than originally planned.

No live Christmas tree was used in any of the designs, making all of the "trees" sustainable luxuries. Perhaps their only drawback is that they just might outshine all the presents tucked below their branches.

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