Berdorf Goodman wins Best Windows...as always.
Since I can remember, or since I came out of the closet, I love cruising the holiday store windows in New York City. The art of window design, especially around the holidays, has become a spectator sport. I just love strolling down the avenue, Fifth Avenue, to see who has been naughty or nice. As always, Bergdorf Goodman wins Best Windows. So elegant. Actually, they may in fact be the best windows ever, or at least tied with the Swarovski season a few years back. Macy’s is having a banner year, as is Lord & Taylor. But Saks and Bloomingdale’s are just OK.
The Illy window at Barney's looks like a cross-marketing hagfest.
My least favorite this year, which I am sad to report, is Barney’s, whose theme is “Have a Foodie Holiday”. The crowd that populates the food industry, the “food group”, screams downmarket and Snuggies do not correlate with the preeminent upscale retailer. I mean…Rachel Ray, Emeril Lagasse, Paula Deen? Attention K-Mart Shoppers, is more like it. I adore Simon Doonan, with his distinctive style. He is the brilliant, witty leader in the field. But I can’t help feeling that the Illy Coffee window display is a blatant sell out and everything wrong with the cross-marketing of Christmas. As the holiday shopping season kicks off, my true hope is that every one of these stores experience an uptick in business and that 2011 proves to be a better year for retail overall. Let’s drink to that.
