Holiday Windows 2015: Bergdorf Goodman

I mentioned in my post about this year's holiday windows at Saks that as expected, the Bergdorf Goodman windows are the clear front-runner. Every year I've spent the holiday season in New York, the Bergdorf windows have been leaps and bounds beyond all others, and this year is no exception.

This year's "Brilliant" windows comprise millions of Swarovski crystals in collaboration with the company to celebrate their 120th anniversary. My favorite is definitely "Crystal Ball," which features a crystal ball-gazing monkey, tarot cards, spinning wheels and palmistry hands.

In addition to the crystals everywherethere is also an under-the-sea themed window, "Treasured," made mostly of tiny pearls, and an amethyst-mining scene called "Hidden Gem." Bergdorf's packs so much detail into every scene and it's a challenge to see how much you can find in a single viewing. I love the bejeweled hammer and flying bat, and the purple glass stalactites need to be seen in person to be believed.

The "Glitteratti" window features a fantastic party, with crystal cakes, a pin the tail on the donkey game, ice cream cones (the same one I used for my Halloween costume), chandeliers and champagne. I like the birthstone connection, which just adds yet another layer of attention to detail that really is mind-boggling. The strings of thousands of beads that form the hairdo and lion's mane in the "Crown Jewels" window must have taken some intern the entire year to make—and I would take that job in a second.