Vintage Christmas Wrapping

I've always been drawn to vintage graphics and colors. I came across some of these swatches of old Christmas wrapping papers as I have been rummaging through my home and old belongings. They remind me of happier times as a carefree tot when my parents and grandparents would get great joy from watching me open my gifts at family gatherings. Now, it's me who gets the feeling of happiness when I can give to others. The bright colors of these bold vintage papers stay with me as I try to incorporate these themes into my own artwork and greeting cards.

Collecting (and Reminiscing) - Silver Snowflakes

Every Christmas, as a little girl, I used to receive sterling collectible snowflakes from Reed and Barton as gifts from an aunt on my dad's side. With Lawrence Welk on television in the background, the family would be gathered around my grandparents' living room before Christmas Eve dinner, and we would exchange gifts. As the only child on this entire side of the family, everyone watched me with delight as I opened my presents.

After a few years, I learned to recognize the small decorated package, and groaned with expectant boredom at what the predictable frosty configuration might look like this year. Then, I would quickly offer thanks, put it aside, and go back to tearing colorful wrapping paper hoping that something pink and Barbie-related would appear.

Year after year, the silver designs were hung on hooks on the underside of a shelf in my bedroom. Over time, they have developed a nice patina rather than the shiny, polished look of the perfect mirror-like silver. They now resemble the colorful oil bursts found on asphalt after a rainstorm.

By the 1980s, my protests must have been heard, because there was never another small box among the gifts. Since then, I have become intrigued by their varied beautiful designs. As I look at them now with wistful nostalgia, they remind me of past holiday seasons, and an era that occurred seemingly a lifetime ago in the front room of a rowhouse in Philadelphia.

(-written 12.31.2015)

Celebrating the Horse - Chinese Lunar New Year 2014

Horses of a Different Color - Atlantic City, New York, France, and Chicago

New York City's Annual Christmas Window Display Extravaganza

If you haven't been to see New York's Christmas windows, there's still time. I'll start off with Bergdorf's since they are always a treat. I work a block away, and even put off taking a sneak peek at these beauties until I had my camera in tow. Never disappointing, this year's theme was "Holidays on Ice" translating a few notable days on the calendar throughout the year into visual theatrics.

My favorite was the spectacular Halloween corner window featuring a custom made feather dress by Naeem Khan and entirely Alice in Wonderland in scale. The mannequin's stretched limbs popped through the windows of a replica of the original mansion of Cornelius Vanderbilt which stood on that very corner from 1883 to 1928. 

April Fool's Day - inverted here for ease of viewing

In a stark contrast to the Gothic pageantry, Valentine's Day brought sweet pink treats; the 4th of July, a regal and stylish parade marshal; and April Fool's Day defied gravity in a fully upside down window. Lesser-celebrated Arbor Day showed us an underground cross-section revealing tree roots and all. 

The larger-than-life diamond wrap-around snake necklace sparkles at Bulgari

Tiffany's voyeuristic city vignettes displayed their baubles dangling like Christmas decorations. An enormous outside building wrap gave us a glimpse of silhouetted families enjoying the season mimicking the smaller shadowy and glowing windows within the windows - all offset with that little blue box, strategically placed, of course.

Gucci's mid-century modern star bursts

Bendel's salutes illustrator, Al Hirschfeld with three-dimensional celebrity caricatures

Midtown decadence at The Peninsula

Anthropologie in Rockefeller Center never disappoints either. Known for clever installations using common objects throughout the year, this Christmas season, passersby were lured by spools of thread and 1970s string art that were transformed into a Russian Fairy-tale Forest. Gigantic colorful Matryoshka dolls, sleeping wolves and bears all nestled among the latest on the clothing racks. The mammoth tree in Rockefeller Center was brought to us by the residents of Sandy Hook in CT in a memorial to last year's December tragedy.

Oh, Barneys.....Huh? Why would you take a chance on subjecting an unsuspecting public to a seizure? For sure, this store is off on some sort of bizarre tangent. I didn't really get anything suggesting "holiday" or "Christmas" out of the flashing and radiating Star Wars-style windows (or large metallic angular entryway either).

And in the corner ring....some pom-pom bedecked elf (?) who will take photos with anyone willing to wait in line and venture into a side door. The photos are then digitally posted on a screen just outside on the street for all to see. I'm not sure who she's supposed to be exactly, but the whole setup appears to be Barney's answer to "an outer-space convertible too".

Not to be outdone, Grand Central Terminal has its own modern light show that silently changes in a grid formation in the rear windows of the main terminal. It's not particularly Christmas-y in theme, but can certainly help grumpy commuters lessen their stress-levels nonetheless.

Finally, there's Saks with its friendly snow yeti as the star of its windows and a short video display on the side of the building. 

Enjoy!

Manhattan's Christmas Windows - The 2012 Tour and Review

The magic of the holidays in Manhattan has begun. Come hither, and peek behind the curtain into Bergdorf's cabinet of fabulosities....

The girl with the wild eyes and her poodle act (left); and

the guardian of the miniature mannequins (right).

Composed of different "acts" this year's theme was Vaudeville shows and performers of the 1930s and the Art Deco era. Bergdorf Goodman never disappoints when it comes to their holiday windows. Never. Always over the top and full of visual drama, this is what a storefront in New York City during the holiday season should be. 

Icy glass reflections of the Jazz Age. 

An odd couple out for a night at the theater.

I can't say that for all of them this year though. The windows at Bloomingdale's featured these odd microscopic dolls in a setting with a lot of spare space. Only after seeing an ad on television with similar imagery, did I figure out that there was a Cirque du Soleil theme. Tiffany's was equally disappointing with staid dollhouse-looking rooms. They were nicely done, but didn't grab me. Maybe it's the economic environment, but shoppers and tourists alike need something to lift their spirits. Even in bleak times, people come to New York to see a spectacle. Overall, Fifth Avenue let me down this year. (I haven't made it to Macy's or Lord & Taylor yet.) 

 Feathers and crystalline light of the Roaring 20s.

The finesse and flair of the visual department is evident by the birds' eye perspective of these bawdy ladies enjoying music and playing instruments in this black and white window.

But wait....there's more!
_________

Barneys opted for the easy way out this year- a video in collaboration with Disney called "Electric Holiday". It is a loop of the story of Minnie Mouse's love for a Lanvin dress with a side ruffle (a girl after my own heart). She becomes bewitched by the dress and consumed in a starstruck Parisian Fashion Week daydream featuring stylish heavyweights like Lady Gaga, Daphne Guinness, Sarah Jessica Parker, Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz, and other well-known stylists, designers, photographers, and magazine editors.

In a clever merge of haute couture with adorableness, Minnie's dream continues with familiar and beloved Disney characters elongated for the Paris catwalk. The crowd on the sidewalk in front of Barneys cheered with laughter at an expressionless Goofy in his hipster gear as he marched to the hypnotic electronic beat. In the end, Minnie gets a surprise Christmas gift from her longtime beau, Mickey - guess what was in the big box?! It was disappointing that Barneys didn't have their usual window outlandishness, but the animation and story line were really cute.

Anthropologie's usual stunning displays made from simple, everyday objects and materials.

The Saks windows tell the story of the deconstruction of snowflakes and the science behind them. The bulk of the display consisted of lame kinetic figures. I've honestly seen better moving figures on front lawns in the outer boroughs and suburbs. By far, the most appealing part was the kaleidoscope imagery above and the digital chalkboard-like drawing of the reindeer below.

The view that everyone in Midtown is clamoring to see.

Bendel's celebrates with a golden Miss New Year floating from the rafters in a giant glass of champagne. 

Happy 2013, everyone!