No other word but FANTASTIC.

It's that time of the year again. Whatever little is left of my colonial mentality as handed down / inherited from my Baby-Boomer parents, naturally drained, thinned & filtered out by my years at Maryknoll & UP (or so I thought), go in into FULL THROB & THROTTLE at the sight of Bergdorf-Goodman's HOLIDAY WINDOWS 2011. 

It has been unveiled & it looks MIGHTY FANTASTIC!!!  The time of year I wish I lived in the States, on 5th Ave so I could stare & marvel at these windows EVERY single day!

My all-time favorite so far has always been BG's 2009's "Compendium of Curiosities" and  Macy's 2004 "Polar Express" windows...and then THIS. It just tops them all. 

HOLIDAY 2011 unveiled: "CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS"

"Artists & Models"

 “Artists and Models,” a diverse collection of wood and leather folk-art animals from all continents gathers together. The setting is a sculptor’s studio out of a folk tale, with an enormous assemblage of wooden creatures. A mannequin, dressed in a mélange of designers, assumes the role of sculptor, assisted by several antique wooden artists’ models and by a quartet of antic leather monkeys."- from prweb.com
photo by Ricky Zehavi


all photos below are from Habitually Chic: 

"Breaking the Ice"

“Breaking the Ice” invites viewers to a mid-afternoon arctic garden party whose guests include “couture plush” animals such as polar bears, a moose, an arctic mountain goat, a seal, and a of pair wolves. All the animals have been upholstered in luxe white textiles and appliquéd with icy crystals, beads, and sequins. A Baccarat chandelier adds luster. The party hostess is the focus of attention in her specially designed dress and one-of-a-kind cape, all by J. Mendel. Photo by Ricky Zehavi.

above photos are from Habitually Chic

"Brass Menagerie"

Built around a vintage collection of mixed-metal birds and jungle animals, “The Brass Menagerie” is set in a stylized tropical forest of metal and mirror and glimmers with leafy foliage of brass and steel. Within this forest is a fantasy recording studio, with vintage microphones and a brass "primate" jazz combo. A giant brass birdcage houses a surprise tenant, and the floor is covered several inches deep with a secret quantity of copper pennies. For this window, a special dress was created by Naeem Khan. photo above by Ricky Zehavi

"Testing the Waters"

Completely encrusted with hand-cut Italian mosaic tile, this intensely blue window is truly an undersea fantasy. A single mannequin, in a seashell dress from the Alexander McQueen Spring 2012 collection, appears to be floating amid a massive collection of mosaic sea creatures. Everything is highly patterned, with swirling textures and oceanic colors. “Testing the Waters” is quite the aquatic triumph as its production was 10 months in the making and is the most labor-intensive single window display in Bergdorf Goodman history.-frm prweb.com

"Teacher's Pets"

“Teacher’s Pets” takes viewers inside a 3-dimensional paper classroom filled with black and white paper animals, including a life-sized paper zebra, ostrich, panda bear, aardvark, white peacock, and more. As the “students” pose within a cascade of zoological textbooks, the teacher - dressed in a black and white lace Marchesa gown - presides over the paper bestiary. Noted New York calligrapher, Bernard Maisner, provided hand-lettered labels, in Latin, for all the animals.

Have you caught your breaths yet, ladies & gentlemen? I am absolutely palpitating from all the colors, textures, and visual overload that these holiday windows offer.  A much needed feast for the eyes for the tired & bored designer.  Ice crystals, sequined whale sharks, a "secret quantity of copper pennies"...leather monkeys....and ooooohhh ALL THAT PAPER!!! AMIDST "the Teacher" WEARING A MARCHESA GOWN!?!? *shakes head 100x*faint*

it's simply.....FAN.TAS.TIC.