*Bergdorf Goodman Holiday Window Installation* November 2012

For the past 7 years the season finale of my fall production season is always inevitably the installation of the Bergdorf Goodman holiday windows. This years theme was The BG Follies of 2012, with windows inspired by Ziegfeld Follies, Vaudeville revues, old Hollywood, Art Deco style and vintage show girls. (YAY!!!) This year my assignment was to install a window on 5th avenue entirely covered in meticulously patterned feathers. Thousands of feathers. Ostrich, peacock, rooster, I was in heaven! The window was designed by window director David Hoey in collaboration with Johanna Burke of Burke and Pryde design studio.  My co-worker Rory and I spent an entire week installing and doing last minute production for the feather window. This window is a true masterpiece, I'm grateful to have been apart of it.

"Called Naughty and Nice, Act II Window is a tribute to burlesque performer Sally Rand, inventor of the risque fan dance... Our visual team’s obsessive artistry: it’s covered in thousands (if not millions) of white feathers. The feathers are used as a mosaic and was constructed feather by feather.”- Window director David Hoey quoted on BG's window blog.

                 Rory put forth an impeccable attention to detail while installing the feather window.

Johanna is schooling Rory on her stellar rigging techniques.
Its perfect that we cant see what she is doing. You are not supposed to. That's what makes it so good!!

Sparkles werrrking in an Alexander McQueen hat.

Inside one of the greatest shows on earth

                                        BG Follies 2012 "Naughty and Nice" Holiday Window
                                      Fashion by Marchesa, Accessories by New York Vintage

          Bergdorf Windows are on display at 58th Street and 5th Ave until January 3rd, 2013


 

*Bergdorf Goodman Holiday Window Production* October 2012

The fall is the time of year I call art boot camp while spending weeks at a time doing holiday window production out at the Bergdorf Goodman warehouse. This season I worked with the Bergdorf visual team on gold leafing and aging dozens of metal props and the prosceniums that frame the 5th avenue windows. Painting for days, leafing for days, staining and aging for days. Boot camp style. The BG visual team has so much heart. The freelance team consists of highly talented artists who are all unique and bring  a variety of experiences to the table from working multiple job. The backbone of the team is our managers Shane Ruth, Demetrios Argyropoulos and Randy Gunderson who have been working for BG for the last 10-20years. I am so grateful for the experience of working on such an amazing team. :)

Here is a short behind the scenes video shot by Coveteur about the 2012 Bergdorf holiday windows production with footage from artist studios around the city, and the BG warehouse.

                                            photo of Sparkles gold leafing by Coveteur

                           
                                         Liz Flores paints the base coat for a prop
                          that will then be gold/silver leafed. Not bad for a base coat! :)
          

                              The BG visual team gold leafed all of the 5th Ave prosceniums.

                         
                                         Sean Slaney uses his advanced painting techniques
                                                            to help age the prosceniums.          

                                    This mannequin styled by Ron Salva remained sequestered
                                                    in the studio in the days before install.
          

TADA!!! "BG Follies" Holiday Window 2012 Act IV, the Daredevil Act, featuring fashion from  Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2013 runway collection. “Our windows are a practice in making the impossible possible — in twisting complexities to new levels by using old-world craftsmanship and artistry."- Window Director David Hoey