It's This Time of The Year...

... when the windows at Bergdorf Goodman get at their peak.

This Christmas the work of American designer Tony Duquette inspired the people behind the windows display at Bergdorf Goodman.

Duquette was discovered in Los Angeles by one of the greatest pioneers in interior design, Lady Elsie de Wolfe Mendl, under whose patronage the designer was able to meet people in the movie industry (who knows who worked at the time too).
He created costumes and set designs for directors such Vincente Minelli and was a regular in designing for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (although not credited, he designed costumes for the famous film Ziegfeld Follies).

Tony Duquet designed interiors for actress Mary Pickford (she was her "matron of honor" at his wedding), for the Duchess of Windsor, Elizabeth Arden... and he was the first American to exhibit at the Louvre in Paris. Not bad, huh?.

Christmas 2007 at Bergdorf Goodman ...





/// Navidad es la época del año en que los creativos detras de los escaparates de Bergdorf Goodman se ponen de gala creando los escaparates más espectaculares y los que más atención acaparan. Este año ha sido el diseñador americano Tony Duquette el que ha servido de inspiración.
Tony Duquette fue descubierto en Los Angeles por la gran pionera del diseño de interiores Lady Elsie de Wolfe Mendl con la que tuvo oportunidad de entrar en contacto con lo mejorcito de la industria cinematografica.
Duquette trabajó como diseñador de vestuario y escenógrafo en diversas producciones para la Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (aunque no fue acreditado, el desarrollo diversos trajes para la famosa
Ziegfeld Follies) y trabajaria con directores de la talla de Vicente Minelli.
Tony Duquette diseñaría interiores para la gran Mary Pickford (quien fue dama de honor en su boda), para la Duquesa de Windsor, o para Elizabeth Arden... y fue el primer Americano en exhibir su trabajo en el Museo del Louvre en Paris... nada mal, no?.

More Bergdorf Goodman For You

I went to the MET this morning to see the amazing exhibition Tapestries in the Baroque: Threads of Splendor, which I hope to speak about very soon and if you are in the city please DO NOT MISS.

Coming back home I passed by Bergdorf Goodman and saw they were removing the windows displays of the front side of the building.

They weren't as spectaculars as the ones I posted before- they showed the Cruises collections and everything was too Spring-y (butterflies, birds...) for the season.
But I had the pictures taken anyway (at the same time as the others) and decided to dig up in my computer to find them and show them to you, considering the success that these windows have among us. They are some piece of "history" now...

PS: In the last trio of pictures, the first one is the only one that don't feature a cruise collection: it's Harper's Bazaar 140th anniversary and Bergdorf Goodman pays homage to it featuring the most famous covers of their history.

Brett Day Windham for Bergdorf Goodman's Windows display

I feel a little like miss Holly Golightly approaching Tiffany's in the morning every time I leave my house late at night to go to Bergdorf Goodman to take pictures of their windows. I stick my face in the glass and it's hard for me to move: I'm in awe.

Now you wonder why on Earth I do go at night instead of choosing anytime during the day I might be passing by. The reason is very simple: at night there's no one blocking the view and the reflections in the glass are none whatsoever. It's the perfect time.

The right side of the building is always the most creative one and it's always the last I choose to photograph (I like to keep the good things for the end).

The artist Brett Day Windham is the person behind the great soft sculptures that surround the mannequins in the current displays. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find any information about her anywhere.

If I'd be ever known...

... when I was 19 years old that i would eventually meet the woman behind one of the first books i bought about fashion: Secrets of a Fashion Therapist, the great Betty Halbreich...
I bought that book just because i felt in love with the illustrations that Sally Wadyka did to portrait the ideas of this grand dame of the personal shopper's world. But then, once in my house and tired of looking at the images over and over again, i started to read the actual words in it. And it took me a while to really get into, as i am a defensor of the Do This Don't; i dont quite understand the reason of a fashion style guide, evey single person in this world has a style, it's a matter of time and imagination to show it at its best, isn't it?. And you need to find it by yourself unless you want to be someone else's clone.
But for some reason this fashion style guide hooked me. It had something, two things, that i appreciated the most: respect for women and sense of humour.
Eight years later, absolutely by chance, i met Betty while looking for a coat i needed for a music video i am styling the next weekend.
She was the person in charge of Studio Services at Bergdorf Goodman, she said Hi, I'm Betty Halbreich, and I knew who she was right away... I asked her about her book and she smiled.
If there is something I love of NY is this everyday chance of meeting someone you have been thinking of forever... ^_^

Animals Go Wild In Bergdorf Goodman

Zebras, Bears, Crows.. animals go wild and rock&roll in this Spring 07 Bergdorf Goodman window shopping spread in New York..

JPG 30th Anniversary in Bergdorf Goodman

Last September, the luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman celebrated the 30th Design Anniversary of Jean Paul Gaultier featuring five windows with his creations.
Under the supervision of David Hoey, senior director of the BG windows design, the creative team recreated five scenes with the most popular moments of the French Designer.
As always, Bergdorf Goodman creative team didn't disappoint a bit.

Stage, Film and the Red Carpet.




The Corset



Gender Bending



The Trench Coat



The Ethnic Influence