We visited over Thanksgiving weekend. An annual venture into the city just to see these windows, with the girls – Fallon and my mom. They were spectacular. There is so much more to experience in real life versus what the lens can capture, especially with the glare of the glass. To be there is very special. We make the train ride in, then subway uptown to catch Bergdorf Goodman and Barney's, then make our way down 5th Avenue for more visual delights at Tiffany's and others, stopping in at Anthropologie at Rockefeller Center….spy the tree being strung with lights, then head over to Bryant Park for the seasonal pop-up shops. A great kick off to the holiday season.
The theme this year at BG is Inspiration: The Arts. Hero shots of the windows by photographer Ricky Zehavi. To learn how she creates these photos see 5th/58th blog post from 2013 HERE. For a really generous look behind the scenes, in case you missed it, see the Wall Street Journal article HERE. Works-in-progress and sketches! Swoon.
I realize many of you may have never been to the city to see this retail marvel, so here is how the windows appear in context from across the street.
First from the left is Literature. The monochromatic color palette is so strong, which actually allows you to notice all the textural details within – everything is made from fabric and thread. All the portraits are embroidered or needlepointed! Rich and luscious velvets everywhere. Books are fabric with threaded words. Crochet and felted busts and creatures keep the lady company, next to a gigantic typewriter.
My favorite…the Architecture window. All paper. Blueprints. Models. Tools. Dimensional and inventive. The phrenology twins make their appearance in this one. (It's a search every year to see where they will surface.) Fabulous structures in every scale. Two composite figures that made me swoon, reminiscent of Nicolas de Larmessin but in 3-D. The juxtaposition of all the various elements makes you want to stay a while until you think you've caught every detail. Then you want to stay longer.
The Theater window was colorful and dynamic. A terrific tribute to the city and Broadway. Flashing, strobing, moving neon. My online friend Demetrios, Production Manager Windows, was involved with this one and wrote that he enjoyed learning what can be done with electric lights. I know he is a prolific paper artist so it must have been a blast to venture into new materials. Making shapes with color and glass and light? Fun!
Painting. An entire window of white washed props, tools, artist's models….then a painting brought to life with color. But Look again. It's a canvas painting of a canvas being painted. And tucked behind is another miniature artist. Massive articulated man and horse…small ones too. So much depth and so many secrets hiding in this one.
Music. Shiny sparkley silvery. You can imagine the finesse it took to assemble this one – likely with white gloves. They HAD to have rehearsed this off set to get the symmetry just right. Amazing!!
This offers a visual narrative of the five main windows. The side windows included Photography, Film, Calligraphy, Gastronomy, Cartography, Dance, Sculpture. They thought of everything. The Arts – very Inspiring. Thank Bergdorf Goodman for another array of delicious windows to rev up the excitement and stir the spirit leading up to the holidays.