One of my favorite things about the holiday season in New York is the unveiling of the window displays of Bergdorf Goodman, the poshest and fanciest of all the posh and fancy department stores in the world. Every December I would rearrange my post-work commute so that I could swing by the BG store on 57th and 5th and spend hours parsing all the details of the installations. Bergdorf’s holiday windows are the best there are: year in and year out, they never fail to amaze in originality, creative interpretation of a seemingly straightforward concept, quality of execution, attention to detail and overall impact. They are magical, alluring, dazzling, delicious.
A few years ago, Bergdorf’s rendered all Seasons of the Year in a million shades of white with amazing depth. They then took the Travel theme beyond the realm of planes, trains and automobiles, and into celestial navigation and Age of Exploration.
This year’s theme: Holidays on Ice. All-American celebrations get a frosty treatment.
Holidays on Ice, 2013: Valentine’s Day Image credit: Ricky Zehavi via blog.bergdorfgoodman.com
Holidays on Ice, 2013: Halloween Image credit: Ricky Zehavi via blog.bergdorfgoodman.com
Some of my own photos of Bergdorf’s windows through the years:
For more on Bergdorf Goodman’s amazing displays — holiday and otherwise — I highly recommend that you check out these portals:
Bergdorf Goodman’s Windows Blog
Home & Away 
Oh ny goodness, I love! Love!! Love it!!!
LOL I am glad – and then you DEFINITELY want to check out the links at the bottom! I still cannot get enough!
WOW! They don’t do things by halves, do they?! 🙂
It’s even more overwhelming in person! The best EVER!
I like the cake one 😉
Of course you do. The Valentine’s Day installation, btw, used 200 cakes, 300 cookies and approximately 500 pieces of candy!
Oooooooooh, keep going….
Are you in the room, alone, with your lights dimmed? Maybe some cake-scented candles burning…?
I am in a room alone, quite dim, but not burnt anything yet. The day’s still young.
Wow! What an amazing job designing those windows would be!
It would! But I, for one, would not be nearly creative enough to live up to this standard
I’m going to NYC this weekend. I will DEFINITELY have to check that out! Beautiful!
Absolutely! It’s best really early in the morning or after-hours, when the stores are already closed, so you can get close enough to take in the details and also can get a full shot without people obstructing the view!
Thanks for the advice! I can’t wait now. The city is SO beautiful during Christmas. I’m going to be one of those psychos waiting in line to ice skate at Rockefeller Center. Haha
In that case I strongly recommend that you check out 1-musical lights in the Time Warner center (they will be in post closer to Christmas), 2-the tree in the Museum of Natural History (one year they did a full origami one, covered in origami animals!), and 3-windows at Barneys – they are usually less Holiday-y and festive but more quirky, surreal and ‘with a message’!
Ahhh thank you!!!! All of those sound wonderful!!
Notes taken. I am too excited!
Ooh – great tips! I keep promising myself I’ll take the kids to NYC in December just to see all the great stuff – in fact if we hadn’t just gone back in September, I’d probably pack them up for a quick weekend just to see those B-G window displays alone — they’re amazing 🙂 Maybe next year…
NYC has so much to see and do, you can make plans for every year 10 years out!
Just beautiful. I love Manhattan at this time of year!
I’m actually flying there this coming Tuesday for a job interview. Not sure I’ll have enough downtime to get to Bergdorf’s but you’ve given me incentive to see if I can squeeze it in!
Best of luck, and enjoy your short visit! At least have the company take you somewhere fabulous for lunch!
they’re located on 8th, between 38th and 39th, so we may be stuck to midtown. Just being in the city at this time of year makes me happy. It’s been 2 years since my last visit. Looking forward to it, even though it’s just a quick day trip!
Amazing. Feeling the Christmas spirit. I feel like being in New York City! Here in Portland it’s freezing but it doesn’t snow 😦
Seriously? Wait, is that Portland, US? Where it’s really wet all the time? Why wouldnt it snow in the winter?
Exactly, right? It gets really dry in the winter, there were a couple flurries but they didn’t even stick to the floor. At least we can see from a distance Mt Hood and Mt St Helen’s are super snowed in.
Wow beautiful
Thank you!
Oh these are lovely. I don’t know what stores in LA even do this. SF it was Macy’s and Joseph Magnums, when they were around. Gumps does some lovely windows s well, just smaller.
I needed a little Bergdorfs today, thank you.
You are always welcome. I think you and BG’s are a fine match!
so decadent! sheesh. i’m can barely see the gorgeous gowns that belong in my closet through the clutter..ahem decor.
LOLOLOL
Welcome back – you were missed around here!
The gowns in these settings take on a particularly glamorous aura.
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