One of the biggest holiday treats for fashion lovers in New York City are the window displays at all of the big department stores but especially those at the famed NYC clothing store Barneys. This year’s theme is “Chillin Out” and includes real ice castles as well as an installation by Dale Chihuly. While I strongly advise you to take an outside look, this video will take you inside and give you the details behind these amazing creations.
Simon Doonan, the wry and hysterically funny writer, fashion commentator, window dresser king and the current Creative Ambassador of Barneys, calls the annual window displays “the ultimate freebie” and says they are “an insanely democratic form of entertainment”. He likens the holiday windows to street theater. Doonan, during his tenure as window dresser at Barney’s, produced iconic and famous diorama-like Christmas windows called Warholiday, Have a Foodie Holiday, Saturday Night Live and one that featured Tammy Faye Baker standing next to a giant mascara brush in lieu of a tree. To read more about Doonan and his holiday exploits and adventures as a window dresser, read this article in WWD (Women’s Wear Daily). I promise you this is the only reading I am assigning this week as Friday is Christmas and we are all taking the day off!
So although not anywhere near as creative as that done by Doonan, his successor and counterparts, for this post I did a little window “dressing” of my own.
Haha, I love Doonan’s remark about the holiday displays. They are pretty much public art installations at this point.
xo
N
<a href="http://styletomes.com">Style Tomes</a>
Haha, I love Doonan’s remark about the holiday displays. They are pretty much public art installations at this point.
xo
N
<a href="http://styletomes.com">Style Tomes</a>
I find there’s something very exciting about the unveiling of the holiday windows. As it’s my first year in NYC, I wanted to find time to walk around the city and check out all the department store windows, but unfortunately, it proved too overwhelming. Maybe I’ll head to Barneys next year!
Kosta // <a href="http://coolgearcavalier.com">Cool Gear Cavalier</a>
Naturally the best article on Christmas window displays ever! If I was inside Barney’s windows I would be wearing Moncler and a chain saw! @Kosta, if you are reading this, may I suggest you do what we do. Pick a special day and get into midtown about 4AM. If you have a car you can even park it btw 6th & 7th Avenues until 7AM. All the lights and windows will be illuminated and you will have the place to yourself. Great for photos too.
Naturally the best article on Christmas window displays ever! If I was inside Barney’s windows I would be wearing Moncler and a chain saw! @Kosta, if you are reading this, may I suggest you do what we do. Pick a special day and get into midtown about 4AM. If you have a car you can even park it btw 6th & 7th Avenues until 7AM. All the lights and windows will be illuminated and you will have the place to yourself. Great for photos too.
Hello Lyn, My friends and I live in San Diego/Orange County and do not enjoy the bigger city lights much. We are all metalsmiths (art jewelry) with previous/current careers in public education, psychotherapy, design book author, metalsmith teacher. We share a common interest in design, fashion, and art jewelry. Your rich and thought provoking weekly blogs have pushed our communication and self-reflection even further. I would love to know the designer of your beautiful jacket as I am executing a brooch inspired by Thom Browne’s textiles. It has that look to me. If I never comment again, I do wish you to know how much we appreciate your visible presence and the personal and educational connections you share. We will continue to follow although probably quietly…unless we get out to NY 🙂 Kathy Oxford
Hello Lyn, My friends and I live in San Diego/Orange County and do not enjoy the bigger city lights much. We are all metalsmiths (art jewelry) with previous/current careers in public education, psychotherapy, design book author, metalsmith teacher. We share a common interest in design, fashion, and art jewelry. Your rich and thought provoking weekly blogs have pushed our communication and self-reflection even further. I would love to know the designer of your beautiful jacket as I am executing a brooch inspired by Thom Browne’s textiles. It has that look to me. If I never comment again, I do wish you to know how much we appreciate your visible presence and the personal and educational connections you share. We will continue to follow although probably quietly…unless we get out to NY 🙂 Kathy Oxford
Hello Lyn! I’ve just discovered your blog and I love your aesthetic and your thoughtful commentary on the significance of clothes. I’m in the process of working my way back through your archive now. Inside my particular holiday window in Australia, I will be wearing a french navy ‘adjuster’ dress from m.m.sohn which has a modifiable skirt that can be sculpted into different shapes depending how much space I feel like occupying that day. Navy counts as a very festive change from my mostly black clothes, and for me, makes it feel like Christmas.
Red dress + Dame Vivienne Westwood would be my display theatrical outfit. This would take me miles away from my every day androgynous silhouettes and dark colors. First people would just see the red and think ‘blah’ but then they would see the billowy shapes, the rich drapes, the subtle shines, the darkness in these red hues, it would be like a human heart, blood, captivating and alive…or in my head it would be 🙂 Happy Holidays!!!
Red dress + Dame Vivienne Westwood would be my display theatrical outfit. This would take me miles away from my every day androgynous silhouettes and dark colors. First people would just see the red and think ‘blah’ but then they would see the billowy shapes, the rich drapes, the subtle shines, the darkness in these red hues, it would be like a human heart, blood, captivating and alive…or in my head it would be 🙂 Happy Holidays!!!
I love the jacket. I tried to see the video but it doesn’t land… oh well.
Greetje
I love the jacket. I tried to see the video but it doesn’t land… oh well.
Greetje
I love Simon Doonan – that’s all I’ll say about that.
If I were in the window they’d have to shut the curtains. Heh.
I love Simon Doonan – that’s all I’ll say about that.
If I were in the window they’d have to shut the curtains. Heh.
Your jacket is so cool…and I always love the pictures! Happy New Year!
Your jacket is so cool…and I always love the pictures! Happy New Year!
What I’d love to wear in a window is a burnt orange silk dress in a 1930s style. At the moment it’s my dream dress 😛 no idea if I’ll ever find it but it’s nice to dream
https://matchamilady.wordpress.com/
Never stop dreaming especially about clothes.
What I’d love to wear in a window is a burnt orange silk dress in a 1930s style. At the moment it’s my dream dress 😛 no idea if I’ll ever find it but it’s nice to dream
https://matchamilady.wordpress.com/
Never stop dreaming especially about clothes.