New York department stores get into the holiday spirit with festival window displays

Record ID: 75713

  • Title: New York department stores get into the holiday spirit with festival window displays
  • Date: 1st December 2016
  • Summary: VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF LORD AND TAYLOR STORE VARIOUS OF FINISHED BEAR WINDOW VARIOUS OF OWL WINDOW VARIOUS OF SQUIRREL WINDOW
  • Embargoed: 16th December 2016 20:37
  • Keywords: New York holiday windows department stores Lord and Taylor Macys
  • Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
  • City: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA0025B1VYAH
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: For New York department store window designers, the holidays are more than a season.
    "Right when they start coming down we start thinking about what's going to be the vision for next year? What's going to stop the costumer? What's going to make them happy? What's really going to define the moment at Lord & Taylor that makes them have an emotional connection to our store and to the holiday season," said Roe Palermo, divisional vice president, store visual Lord & Taylor.
    Palermo and her team of five started brainstorming with the marketing, advertising and digital team 11 months ago to figure out how to translate their ideas into a three dimensional display.
    This year's theme is "a whimsical winter journey through an Enchanted Forest" and features five animated windows with 34 hand-sculpted spirited holiday animals and over 350 square feet of LED walls.
    Each of the windows was constructed at Spaeth Design's Queens facility by a team of craft workers.
    "It's over a nine-month production of building. We build it here, we take them all apart and rebuild them inside of 5th Avenue," explained Palermo.
    While the process of creating the displays is stressful with loaming deadlines and delicate pieces to move, Palermo said there is no competition between the stores: "It's everyone with great ideas having an amazing time making their stuff the best."
    Considered a gift to New York and its visitors, Lord & Taylor has been creating holiday displays since 1937.
    The store estimates one million people pass by the windows daily during the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
    Macy's flagship store celebrated the unveiling of its windows with fireworks and confetti, sending a message of "Believe."
    Six windows were created using elements of technology and nostalgia with the hopes of bringing back childhood memories for adult spectators.
    Eighty-five dancers helped high-end retailer Saks Fifth Avenue debut their windows with the theme, "Land of 1000 Delights."
    Six windows are filled with colorful candy inspired displays titled "The Nutcracker Sweet," with recreations of scenes from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet.
    Festive fashions are displayed between rock candy, large lollipops and cotton candy.
    Bergdorf Goodman found inspiration from warmer climates for its windows, displaying cacti, palm leaves and gorillas.
    Barneys New York hopes to bring Love, Peace and Joy to the holiday season by teaming up with various artists to produce windows that unite. Among them are Comedy Central's "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who filled one window with characters from their show.
    Bloomingdale's included a charitable element into their windows. The store invited artists to create one-of-a-kind chandeliers for its "Lights Up a Young Mind" theme. Each of the creations will be auctioned off to benefit the Child Mind Institute.
    Eight chandeliers were created and will have a starting bid of $2,000 each.
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