In spite of a soaking rain, Bergdorf Goodman brought some holiday cheer to Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue on Monday evening with the much anticipated unveiling of their holiday windows. This year’s ceremony also included the annual lighting of the UNICEF Snowflake, which hangs majestically over the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street throughout the holiday season.

David Hoey Photo: Rhonda Erb

David Hoey, Bergdorf Goodman’s Senior Director of Visual Presentation, officially begins working on the store’s holiday windows with his team in January. Although, in actuality, for David, the work begins even sooner, “When we pull the curtain on these (windows), if I don’t know what we’re going to do next (year), I get very agitated and depressed” He and his team of six are never at a loss for inspiration and these days they can consider a broader range of ideas for their annual holiday display, “The themes over the years have become more and more unconventional so we have more freedom”, he says. It doesn’t always have to be a trip to the North Pole. It doesn’t always have to be The Twelve Days of whatever…” it does, however, have to be a theme that can be built upon to create variations for all fourteen store windows (the five main ones face Fifth Avenue).

Window Displays Photo: Rhonda Erb

“This year, according to David, “ back in January, there was a theme for the whole store that was decided upon — it was the word ‘inspired.” Thus, David seized the opportunity to create this year’s windows around a theme that he has wanted to do for years: “The Arts.” It is, in his opinion, “…a sort of manifestation of inspiration…we could have easily called it ‘Art Appreciation’, which would have been a little bit wittier.”

Photo Rhonda Erb

Each of the store’s five main windows features a different area of the performing, applied or fine arts: literature, architecture, painting, theater and music. The theme continues in the smaller windows with sculpture, film, dance, etc. Some of the windows proved to be more of a challenge than others. “One of them is the most labor intensive window we have ever done, says David, …it’s a window that’s made entirely out of soft sculpture and needle work and needle art. We calculated and there were at least 7,000,000 stitches that went into making it. It’s the red window (literature).”

Photo Rhonda Erb

What makes the holiday windows so special for David and his team at Bergdorf Goodman is the challenge of trying to go further each year. “The glass practically shatters on our holiday windows, there is so much going on”, he says. He feels that each of this year’s windows is special in its own way, but does he have a favorite? He does, but he won’t say which one it is. “You can hear people on the street talking about which one is their favorite, because they’re all so different, and which one they didn’t like. So I don’t want to put any ideas in anyone’s head.”

Photo: Rhonda Erb

After the 2014 holiday windows were unveiled, it was time to light the UNICEF Snowflake. That honor went to actor, UNICEF Ambassador and U.S. Fund for UNICEF National Board Member, Tea Leoni. Tea’s involvement with UNICEF is actually a family tradition. She represents the third generation of her family to work with the organization. Her grandmother Helenka Pantaleoni started the U.S. Fund for UNICEF in 1947 and served as the volunteer president for almost 30 years.

Photo: Getty Images

The Snowflake was designed by Ingo Maurer and consists of 16,000 Baccarat crystals. It is one of New York City’s most visible holiday symbols, “…And I get to flip the switch”, said Tea, “It’s exciting.” As she posed for photos with U.S. Fund for UNICEF President and CEO, Caryl Stern, Tea said that her daughter, West, told her to “get lots of pictures’.

Caryl Stern, Dena Kaye, Tea Leoni , David Hoey and members of Broadway Kids Care, who performed during the ceremony Photo: Rhonda Erb

Also in attendance at Monday night’s festivities was Dena Kaye, daughter of actor Danny Kaye, UNICEF’s first Goodwill Ambassador. This year marks the 60th Anniversary of his classic film with Bing Crosby, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. Bergdorf Goodman and select Neiman Marcus stores will be selling the Diamond Anniversary Edition of the film from Paramount Home Media Distribution throughout the holiday season. The proceeds will benefit the U.S. Fund of UNICEF.

– Rhonda Erb

Better Bets “Daily Bet”

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas Anniversary Celebration

It is a dream come true for fans of the 1954 holiday classic film, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas.  Fathom Events and Paramount Home Media are celebrating the movie’s 60th Anniversary by returning it to the big screen in select U.S. Cinemas on December 14th and 15th (in some theatres you will even be able to enjoy stars Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen in all of their splendor on the IMAX). In addition to the film, additional features including backstage stories, original trailers, and a retrospective of the title song will also be included in the event. Tickets are on sale now.

For a complete list of theaters go to: fathomevents.com


For more holiday Better Bets visit: http://betterbetsny.tumblr.com/ 

The post Holiday Windows Unveiling & UNICEF Snowflake Lighting appeared first on lookonline.

Bergdorf’s ‘Ice’ Capades

One of the holiday windows (Click on images for larger vews) Photos Courtesy of Bergdorf Goodman

Nothing reins in the holiday season quite like the unveiling of Bergdorf Goodman’s storied Holiday Windows. And because it happened last night, in high (and highly unusual style I might add), I guess we can say the holiday season is now officially under way. The invitation for the event (which was open to the public), noted the windows would be revealed between 6 and 7 (“6:30 sharp”), and the crowds began forming early on (in front of the store and across the street, where the BG men’s store is).Hot chocolate was kindly provided to help ward off the chill; and it WAS
seasonably cold and windy, which was perfect for the evening, the time of the
year, and particularly, the windows’ theme, which this years is Holidays on Ice
(the focus is on holidays like July 4th, April Fool’s Day, Arbor Day,
Valentines’ Day, Groundhog Day, etc., visually re imagined in the snow).

But as my fingers began to freeze (and of those around me), waiting outside, I started thinking a more apt name would be, ‘Bystanders on Ice’. Regardless, it was obvious we were in for some sort of unusual treat this year, as ropes were suspended from the iconic store’s 5th Avenue façade, and several guys, clad in red work uniforms, tended to the ropes on the ground. Who was coming down? Did Bergdorf’s actually procure the real Saint Nick for the festivities? (Maybe they offered him a hefty gift certificate at the men’s store?) Would it be Linda Fargo dressed to the nines? (Nothing she does could surprise me, and I mean that in the best way possible). Someone next to me joked that it might be Miley Cyrus twerking all the way down in her 5th Avenue best (or would it be her birthday suit?)

At around 6:30, Linda Fargo, clad in a holiday perfect gold coat, made her appearance. With loudspeaker in hand, she welcomed everyone and noted that Bergdorf Goodman has become known for many things in its storied  history; among them, fabulous fashion (“check!”), and their unrivaled windows (“check!”), and she welcomed everyone to what she referred to as Bergdorf’s “first time ever window unveiling event”. She gave special thanks to the brilliant David Hoey, BG’s famed Senior Director of Visual Presentation, who was naturally, on hand. She then introduced Bravo’s Andy Cohen who spoke about his love for New York, especially during the holidays, specifically, the city’s magical holiday windows, the most incredible of which are Bergdorf Goodman’s. He promised that our wait would be well worth it and said that what we were about to see would be mind blowing.

Soon thereafter, with headlights illuminating the store and pointing to the sky, we could see the first of 5 acrobats emerging from the windows high up. Suspended from thick ropes and dressed in red second skin ensembles that festively glowed in the dark, they were all members of the gravity defying Brooklyn based troupe, Streb,  led by award-winning choreographer Elizabeth Streb. Known for their extreme action, their routines always combine a mixture of slam dancing, human flight and wild action sport, and have been aptly described as  “part circus, part sporting event, part theatre, part student recital, and part scrupulous time motion energy investigation.” They slowly descended while performing a choreographed mind blowing routine to the beat of an energetic sound track and once on the ground, the curtains to the windows were finally revealed. It was pretty spectacular (what will they do next?)

No matter how much of a risky high ‘wire’ act retail is, nothing could top Steb’s hijinks. Speaking of which, it IS all about retail and shopping, after all. And this year, in addition to the window revealing ceremony, Bergdorf Goodman and New Yorkers for Children (NYFC), hosted a ‘spirited’ (champagne was flowing) and jam packed charity shopping event from 7 – 11, with 10 percent of the proceeds going to the non-profit organization that aides the child welfare community and children in foster care. Among the designers who were on hand: George Malkemus of Manolo Blahnik, Carly Cushnie & Michelle Ochs of Cushnie & Ochs, Eddie Borgo, Wes Gordon, Jana Matheson of Judith Leiber, Michelle Smith of Milly.

The post Bergdorf Goodman’s Holiday Windows appeared first on lookonline.