You can’t fool me–
There ain’t no Sanity Claus!
Fiorello (Chico Marx)
What era would I love to relive? Take a guess from my favorite holiday windows at Bergdorf Goodman. The BG Follies of 2012 are inspired by the Ziegfeld Follies, Vaudeville revues and Hollywood classics. Imagine spending more than a year (never mind the $$$) of letting your imagination run wild, making your fantastic visions come true? I say “That ain’t work!!!”
Bergdorf’s blog shares behind the scenes video and photos of the art process of their obsessive old world craftsmen at http://blog.bergdorfgoodman.com. Click on “Leave a Comment” to share: What would your daughter do if she saw mom kissing Santa?
Act I. By Request An all girl orchestra (in Marc Jacobs, Philip Lim, Elie Saab, etc) pays homage to Bill Wilder’s Marilyn Monroe and her silver ukelele in “Some Like It Hot.” This window is my absolute fave with its bird’s eye view of glamorously dressed women having a grand old time practicing their craft.
Act II Naughty and Nice is a tribute to burlesque performer Sally Rand, inventor of the risque fan dance, covered in thousands of white feathers meticulously constructed into an all white mosaic.
Act III A Cast of Thousands showcases a collection of mid-century miniature American mannequins (once used for display merchandising and sewing practice) as 1920s Ziegfeld Follies girls on fifteen miniature stage reproductions made from replica 18th-Century wood moulding.
Act IV Daredevils Inspired by cartoonist Rube Goldberg is Fifth Avenue’s novelty act featuring a runway look from Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2013 collection. Every surface is covered in gold and silver leaf while 24 plaster dogs perform every trick under the sun.
Act V Finale Approximately 1,000 individually beveled mirrors create this kaleidoscope set into motion by 7 separate rotating motors. A homage to Busby Berkeley’s overhead kaleidoscopic camera shot seen in Footlight Parade, complimented by Naeem Khan gowns that mimic Berkeley’s famous waterfall number.
ps Bergdorf’s fabulous windows are on display through January 3 if you’d like to join their Instagram contest.
© Sharon Birke
201 697 1947
PowerfulGoddess@me.com
Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
Powerful Goddess Portraits 
Dec 09, 2012 @ 15:05:24
My daughter might think “Santa is going to very tired by the end of this night”…;)
Holiday memories and personal traditions are things that I hope we all have in corners of our minds. For me being a youngster in the early sixties. One of my first traditions was waiting for “White Christmas” to come on TV and that mom would let me stay up late enough to watch. We were not Jewish but we also would light the candles on a Menorah. I was brought up to be respectful to all and I liked to light the candles. There are other traditions that have come through the years and some still continue. For the second year we have been treated with photos of the beautifully crafted and decorated windows at Bergdolf Goodman being photographed by an artist. I think that should be a tradition! What do you think, Goddesses?
Thank you, Sharon