One of my most favorite things to do every year with my visual display career with Bloomingdales was to go with our team into New York every holiday season to view all the department store windows. If I wasn't in the mood for Christmas by then I would be by the end of the trip. Seeing the windows and the city finery was always fun and mood setting. Of course, last year was a wipe out, with the pandemic, and many of the stores cut way back because of time constraints being closed for several months. Last year was the first year I hadn't featured any windows on the blog. Two weeks ago, I had my first holiday party to go to in Weehawken Nj, so the next day I went into the city to meet up with MM#1 Fan... to just get some hot chocolate, walk around and take in the city. And If I need to see one store because of time, I knew it would be Bergdorf Goodman. It did seem weird to see so many stores and department stores now gone, since 2019, including my beloved Henri Bendels. But as always David Hoey, Bergdorf's senior director didn't disappoint. For decades, Bergdorf Goodman has done these spectacles, and have been New York staples. This year's theme was In The Present, which were a sense of triumph after a year of separation and struggle. Each window celebrates a different mood, including adventurous, harmonious and frisky. If you haven't seen their windows, they are truly amazing. The level of detail and all the elements in such a small box is mind-blowing, as they have made all these items. The longer you stand there, you notice more and more little surprises. They have returned to their usual maximalism windows, which is their trademark. These windows are generally worked on starting in February and take about the whole year to complete. My visual nerd self just goes nuts over this place. And the inside was as magical as ever too, and I may have blown a little fortune on a pair of burgundy velvet pants. Wait till accountant sees that!!!!
Holy smoly, Batdude. Those are eye-popping.
ReplyDeleteI bet yours would've been positively orgasmic!
I miss seeing these displays.
ReplyDeletecan we talk about an explosion of rainbow colors! Wow!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've been near a Christmas store window for about 25 years....not that I miss it or the city. What I would find irresistible is the food halls of these shops because, au fond, I am a glutton.
ReplyDeleteBergdorf has a restaurant, but historically these department store don't have the food halls anymore. But back years ago here in Philly, the legendary John Wanamaker has a fabulous food emporium. I remember my grandmother used to get me the best Turkish Delight I ever had. You could say glutton. I surmise the food hall there would be like that of Harrods or Fortum and Mason.
DeleteStunning as always!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous windows; it's like seeing great works of art, I'd want to stand there for hours searching every inch.
ReplyDeleteif you go with the mistress, you will be there two or three hours....
DeleteAbsolutely fantastic.
ReplyDeleteLiterally art installations. I love, love, going window gawking during the holidays.
XOXO
You wouldn't believe all the Marshall Field's bags I still have.
DeleteWow, what gorgeous displays. I've only window shopped at Bergdorfs..
ReplyDeleteIm the same JM. This time I did buy a pair of velvet burgundy pants. Even on sale they were pricy, but they fit so nice, and I rewarded myself a treat after two years. When the salesmen gave me the sale price, I wanted to ask if they would also blow me!!!!!!
DeleteBut they are very well made and will have them for years.
Very neat stuff!
ReplyDeleteThat first window is my favourite! [And not even slightly Christmassy, which makes all the difference...] Jx
ReplyDeleteI like the old time Christmas windows from my youth... but it is nice when stores go outside the box. Bergdorf's seldom ever do a very Chrismtassy window. If anything, it might be more like wintery glam and glitz, like a few I recall in the past. But their attention to detail and execution is what blow my mind.
DeleteKnocked it out of the park. It took me awhile. That first one? I thought there was a giant upside down revolver in the background of the display. (It was a reflection of something in the window.) I remember when Dayton's / Donaldson's went all out during the holidays. Nothing nearly as sophisticated, but fun still. Kizzes.
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to get good pictures of windows in the city...it drives me nuts.
DeleteBergdorf's always blows me away even last year as simple as the windows were. You got some great pictures. It's nice to get out and do even simple things like this. How did you find the store? Was it safe and very busy? When I went once since the pandemic started it was by appointment only at that point.
ReplyDeleteOh how you have made me long for a trip to the city and Bergdorfs. Nothing like NYC at Christmas. I often wonder if my sales lady is still at Bergdorf's. I haven't been in or needed anything sice I do go many places at the moment. But she's send me anything I needed. The interior tree is awesome as always, but your right, the windows are staples of the city.
ReplyDeleteAnd velvet pants!!! We many need pictures! They sound decadent.
I could LIVE in a couple of those windows!
ReplyDeleteI have often said the same every year myself.
DeleteWow, I've always known of Bergdorf's legendary status, but these window displays take my breath away! Though not remotely in the same league, I always enjoyed the huge street-level window displays of Eaton's and Hudson's Bay Company at Christmas time in downtown Winnipeg. As a young, broke university student almost 40 years ago, I was particularly impressed by a life-sized marble Greek Goddess statue in one window. As I stood there in the falling snow in my admiration, she waved to me, I jumped out of my skin and almost tripped in my scramble to get away. Then I realized she was a mime and snuck back... as I peeked around the window edge, she was sitting on her pedestal and laughing like hell. When she spotted me again, we both laughed, she mouthed "I'm so sorry!" and I mouthed in reply, "That's OK. Merry Christmas!"... good times...
ReplyDeleteThat is an amazing story!!!! Imagine if that had been caught on camera. When I was at Bloomingdales our windows were always very nice and creative but nowhere near the budget Bergdorf's has. I remember Eaton's well. We made many a pit stop in them when on Canadian excursions. I recall getting a Yves Saint Laurent sweater for a great sale price. Are they still around up there??
DeleteSadly, Eaton's went out of business in 1999. Sears Canada bought out Eaton's assets, but the also went bankrupt in 2018. Hudson's Bay Company (The Bay) is hanging on by a thread and I expect its demise any day now. Both Eaton's and The Bay had huge flagship stores in downtown Winnipeg, each being 7 or 8 floors. I could easily spend a whole afternoon just browsing in Eaton's! They specialized in high quality merchandise at reasonable prices -- stuff that lasted years not months! Suburban malls killed off the department stores, and on-line shopping and big box stores have now killed off the malls. Makes me wonder what it'll take to eliminate Amazon, Wal-Mart and Costco, LOL!
DeleteSame here with Suburban malls. Very few flagships hang on anymore. And it seems here Macy's takes over everything, ruins it and kills it. They too are now floundering. I was never a huge mall shopper, except for maybe a store or three, but also had luck with the huge departments stores myself. And I'm so not an online shopper either. When my beloved Henri Bendel's and John Wanamaker's closed it was sad days.
DeleteI have missed this post last year. They are always so inspiring aren't they. I'd love to go with you and har you critique them and show me things I'd miss.
ReplyDeleteThose are spectacular!!! And I love the view fron NJ. I have been to see them in years past when in New York, but have always been to intimidated to go in.The inside looks as nice as the windows.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen a more elegant and cleaner store. I can't stand shopping in crowds store and look a slop. It's nice to see a store with high standards and put money back into their properties.
DeleteThe Birds & Bees (and other insects) is my favourite! Although the fish one is also wonderful.
ReplyDeleteEvery year Mr DeVice, they leave me breathless.
Delete