In the Macy’s window, silvery marionettes take center stage alongside “designer” ornaments. (Rahav Segev/Photopass.com)
Tough times call for cheery windows — and this year’s holiday displays have gone to great lengths to sparkle. Once more, windows meet Windows for interactive family fun, albeit with the occasional glitch: Nothing says the Grinch stole Christmas like a blank screen reading “active desktop recovery.” With luck, the gremlins will be gone before you arrive.
Along with the major displays described here are flourishes up and down Fifth Avenue: the crystal buckles on Fendi’s facade, the witty Rockettes tribute at Bendel’s and the carousel-like awnings, dripping with fresh greenery, topping the windows of Tiffany’s. Prepare to be transported.
MACY’S
34th Street at Herald Square
THEME: “Make a Wish!”
DRAWS: To benefit the charity of the same name, Macy’s asked fashion designers and other boldface names to design an ornament, then invites you to do the same, virtually. Touch screens let you pick designs and colors, though prompts like “Start over” recall memorable moments spent renewing your MetroCard. Check out the silvery, sexy marionette riding a long, bucking missile. Fun for all ages!
DON’T MISS: “Yes, Virginia . . .,” unfurling along 34th Street, where “Miracle on 34th Street” used to be. “Virginia,” which answers the pivotal question “Does Santa really exist?,” was Macy’s main attraction last year. But only a Scrooge would carp about recycling it.
BARNEYS
660 Madison Ave., at 61st Street
THEME: “Gaga’s Workshop”
DRAWS: Barneys was destined to go Gaga, and it has. Along with a fifth-floor workshop filled with cookies, candles and tchotchkes in the diva’s likeness, the windows reflect her as well. There’s “Gagamachine” (the diva asamotorcycle), “Constellation” (amini-planetarium), “Crystal Cave” (Gaga the mermaid) and the most drop-deadwindow in town: “Gaga’s Boudoir,”aMarie Antoinette-like salon in which every element—vanity, chaise, drapes, the singer herself—ismade up of . . . hair. Kudos to Gaga’s hairstylist, Bob Recine, who must fancy Cousin Itt.
DON’T MISS: Thewindows at night, when the laser light showfills the “Constellation” windowand the green and blue cones of “Crystal Cave” turn into a mesmerizing field of color.
LORD &TAYLOR
424 Fifth Ave., at 38th Street
THEME: “What Is Christmas Made Of?”
DRAWS: Good night, “Nutcracker”! L&T, longtime purveyor of Victorian elegance set to recorded Tchaikovsky, has gotten current this year. Artwork made by disadvantaged children—much of it, like 6-year-old Zikiel’s “Santa Jump,” is terrific—borders each window; the recorded music is sung by the Young People’s Chorus of NewYorkCity. The nominative story line follows a girl named Taylor—apparently, no one names their daughters Lord—in the days leading up to Christmas. Though the clothing is contemporary, the windows still pop with exquisitely timeless little details: a carousel of gingerbread reindeer, a snow-dusted convertible, a beagle nosing Santa’s big red bag.
DON’T MISS: The tree-trimming scene with its menorah, Star of David ornaments and “Happy Everything” banner. Conflicted Jews, rejoice!
BLOOMINGDALE’S
Lexington Avenue, at 59th Street
THEME: Untitled (let’s call it “The Bags of Bloomingdale’s”)
DRAWS: The windows along Lex are filled with giant mock-ups of vintage shopping bags, which open to reveal animated holiday scenes: a scuba-diving Santa Claus, a Victorian shoe-shopping spree (always a festive occasion) and, parading out of the store’s cheery bag from 2001, a posse of sunglasses-wearing penguins. It’s better than “Happy Feet Two”!
DON’T MISS: Getting interactive. Stand in the stars along the sidewalk, press a star on the window — it helps to have long arms — and smile, you’re on Bloomingdale’s camera! Your image will appear briefly above the window before languishing for all eternity on the store’s Facebook page, “Like” it or not.
SAKS FIFTH AVENUE
611 Fifth Ave., at 49th Street
THEME: “The Snowflake and Bubble Spectacular”
DRAWS: No, you don’t have déjà vu. Saks was so pleased with last year’s “Snowflakes and Bubbles” that it’s doing it again, only this time with one-of-a-kind designer dresses. The window text follows the adventures of Holly, a girl in pink Converse sneakers who passes a parade of beautifully dressed mannequins—one of them a dead ringer for Shaft — all of whom aremaking bubbles. But the couture’s the real story here: that wine-colored, ostrich-feathered Alexander McQueen gown comes from Kate Moss’ personal collection.Agirl can dream. . .
DON’T MISS: The bicyclist who, in Saks’ wildest engineering feat to date, cycles past five windows along Fifth Avenue and 49th Street, clad in vintage Helmut Lang and stilettos.
BERGDORF GOODMAN
754 Fifth Ave., at 58th Street
THEME: “Carnival of the Animals”
DRAWS: Who needs high tech when you’ve got taxidermy — and obsession? Here, animals faux and stuffed are featured in every window, the five biggest of which revolve around a single material: wood in one, textiles in another, as well as metal, paper and shells. Look for the bejeweled porcupine in one window, a full-metal monkey jazz trio in another and — in “The Blue Lagoon”-ish tableau “Testing the Waters” — the mosaic tile, beading, sequins, coral and shells that line every inch, extending even to the Alexander McQueen dress on the mannequin. Oh, look — the Little Mermaid’s all grown-up and she’s going shopping!
DON’T MISS: The smaller Men’s Store windows along 58th, east of Fifth, with animal heads on beautifully dressed male bodies. Check out the bench-pressing lion on his desk and the grinning feline/man walking a passel of dogs — it’s the cat’s meow.