DESTINATION EXTRAORDINARY

I sure hope everybody had a nice weekend! Yours truly was busy out of town with shopping and attending to a holiday soiree up in Harrisburg at the Capital Street Duo's fabulous place. If I recall correctly, I do believe a good time was had by all.  And yet again I told the Dame her place rivals that of department store display which I shall show later.  But last week brought about our annual Christmas trip with work to check out the infamous windows of New York. And as you guessed, to me, the elegance and opulence of Bergdorf's won out yet again.

Though they draw different audiences, museums and department stores have many parallels: Items are typically displayed in sensible patterns, just like items for sale, and exhibits and shop windows are both constructed to engage viewers. This year, Bergdorf Goodman took the connection one step further, decking its iconic holiday windows in flora, fauna, and bejeweled primates in delirious remakes of the classic dioramas seen in natural history museums. David Hoey, senior director of visual presentation for the New York department store and his team, did it again. He also cited the paintings of Henri Rousseau and 12th-century Chinese watercolor mountainscapes as inspiration for the larger-than-life scenes.There are five fantastical still lifes depicted under the theme "Destination Extraordinary"—The Book Club, The Scenic Route, The Winter Garden, The Hitchhiker, and Bird's-Eye View—which range in design from a dense green jungle to a deep-blue lagoon complete with a tightrope-walker mannequin dressed in CD Greene. Nine months in the making, the displays showcase the work of specially commissioned artisans, who created hand-painted backdrops, highly embellished objects, and unique set pieces.

This Bird's Eye View was incredible as the whole display was basically on the back wall, to appear as if one is looking down on the scene.

Loved the giraffe.

I went absolutely nuts when I saw this display. I'm obsessed with chandeliers.

The trees inside were quite spectacular in whites and greys. Very elegant with florals, taxidermy and musical instruments.

The past year Bergdorf did a huge renovation of the whole first floor. Hard to believe it could get any more elegant.... but it did!!!

A gratuitous shoe shot for RJ!!!!!! The Mistress would gladly have worn any of them!

After spending two days in New York last week, you can imagine how mentally exhausted I was after viewing so many details.