New York City’s Holiday Windows 2011

It may be a bit kitschy and the eight stations inside Barneys selling limited-edition Lady Gaga-themed items may strike as Disney World-like, but there's no denying that this season's Barneys holiday display solidifies the retailer's spot as the edgiest luxury department store in New York City,

Barneys images: Architizer

Bergdorf Goodman's windows are never anything short of stunning so it's little surprise that they take two weeks to install and the windows take an entire year to conceive. This year marks senior director of visual presentation David Hoey's 15th year leading the project and this year's theme is “Carnival of the Animals.” Fittingly, the displays include all kinds of animals some of which are dressed in one-of-a-kind, specially created dresses by designers including Naeem Khan and J. Mendel. 

Bergdorf Goodman images: Habitually Chic

Other animals have been upholstered in luxe white textiles and appliquéd with icy crystals, beads, and sequins. 

There's even a "Teacher’s Pets” window featuring a 3-dimensional paper classroom filled with black and white paper animals, including a life-sized paper zebra, ostrich, panda bear, aardvark, and white peacock.

See this year's 3-D windows come to life via this specially created video.

Saks Fifth Avenue image: New York Times

Image: Stylelist

Image: Stylelist

Forget run-of-the-mill designer fashion, Henri Bendel's Statue of Liberty is outfitted in a robe handcrafted with over 3,000 jelly beans. To complement Lady Liberty, there's a Brooklyn Bridge backdrop with a city skyline and a miniature New York City street.

Henri Bendel images: Time Out New York

Lord & Taylor asked kids from local schools and shelters to make drawings for their annual theme, "What is Christmas made of?" Select drawings were then chosen for the inspiration behind the winter scenes, which include moving mechanical figures, in the store's five windows.

Lord & Taylor images: Time Out New York

The New Museum goes sci-fi Christmas for their holiday display designed by MakerBot Industries. It includes miniature props from Back to the Future and Star Trek.

New Museum Store images: Time Out New York

Perhaps the most touching windows come courtesy of Macy’s “Make-A-Wish” windows, which include a “Ship of Wishes” window where real wishes from children from the Make-A-Wish Foundation are featured and an interactive ‘make-a-wish’ window, where visitors can design their own ornaments to take home virtually on their mobile devices.

Macy's images: Time Out New York

This season Bloomingdale's is honoring their iconic shopping bag via their holiday displays which include penguins, ice dancers, Santa, and reindeers to give its displays, which include oversized vintage bags, a holiday feel.

Bloomingdale's images: Time Out New York