For the last few years, Jocelyn Meintser, former style editor of Flaunt magazine, has been hand making papier-maché animals for the holiday windows at luxury retailer, Bergdorf Goodman. She literally sculpts them, first by creating a wire skeleton and then giving the bodies heft with paper and starch. In the past, she’s made monkeys—monkeys in velvet coats, hanging in various and precarious positions throughout the spanse of the windows. But this year, monkeys were not present. Instead, Jocelyn gave life to rabbits and frogs for the theme, Compendium of Curiosities. One rabbit wore a ruffled shirt and coat, as he stepped from a tree doorway extending a key; another was seated, wearing a flouncy shirt and court jester collar. The frog wore a bow tie.
There was an obvious underlying literary theme: the frog with the quill, a crow at a typewriter, stacks of books, letters, and paper roses made from pages of text. There was so much happening amidst this wintry color palette of creams and minty greens. It was a multitude of stories layered on top of each other so that it felt like everything might topple. When looking at the windows again…and again…a new character or object was sure to catch the eye.
In all, the windows, as they always are, were fantastic visual wonderlands. Each window echoed moments from Alice in Wonderland, though Alice herself wasn’t present. Perhaps the mannequins, dressed in couture (Marc Jacobs, Monique Lhullier), were grown-up versions of the little girl. So many artists and assistants were employed to make these creations happen. I’m glad I live here to experience the beauty first hand.
Jocelyn is the coolest woman ever! And her closest second, that’s right…Tami Mnoian! What a great thing to read Ms. Mnoian’s words again and to find them written about my old friend Jocelyn! The Windows are beautiful, yet again!!