Confessions of a Window Dresser

Last fall, I was drawn into an unforeseen line of freelance work dressing windows and photographing windows at night for the downtown department store, Bergdorf Goodman. It was a bit like blindly falling in love with a lot of things all at once: an elegant old store, a team of creative people, an art director and his assistants, long and heated conversations in small and intimate spaces, and daily rituals that include ladder-climbing, painting, hanging, lifting, tiling, glueing, decorating, shopping and gazing at people on 5th Ave. and 58th Street.

The greatest efforts go into producing windows for the Christmas season, and this year's Christmas windows celebrate the late Tony Duquette, an eccentric and visionary artist and interior designer. Tony Duquette, like Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, began his career dressing windows for department stores. He later designed sets for Hollywood movies, Broadway musicals, ballets and operas, as well as interiors for commercial and public spaces. His Beverly Hill's estate, DAWNRIDGE, still serves as a design headquarters and was part of the inspiration for Bergdorf's DuQuette windows.

A book about this legendary figure written by Wendy Goodman and Hutton Wilkinson, his design collaborator and business partner, was recently released, and limited edition copies are currently on sale at Bergdorf Goodman for a mere $250. I have included some images from the book-signing party on November 14th depicting just a few of the many artists in the visual department whom are responsible for creating these magical windows, along with details of the windows themselves.


Hutton Wilkinson signing Tony DuQuette books


5th Ave. Window: "Earth"


Brandon


5th Ave. Window: "Light"


David, Dmitri and Shane


5th Ave. Window: "Light"


Jay and Donna


5th Ave. Window: "Light"


Kevin and Florent


5th Ave. Window:"Light"


Randy, Maureen and Rubin


5th Ave. Window: "Water"


Hutton, David, Wendy and Linda


5th Ave. Window: "Water"


Ron and Shane


5th Ave. Shadowbox


Linda


5 Ave. Window: "Air"


Johanna and Ryan


5th Ave. Window: "Air"


Douglas and Shane


5th Ave. Window: "Fire"


Rubin and friend


5th Ave. Window: "Fire"


Ron and Jay


5th ave. Window #8


Brandon and J.J.