In the Window: Bergdorf Goodman's Curious Holiday Compendium

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Bergdorf Goodman uncovered its holiday windows today to reveal an Alice in Wonderland-inspired series called "A Compendium of Curiosities." It starts, appropriately, in a library scene. In this chapter, Illogical Lexicons and Convivial Characters," A strangely bridal Alice in Marc Jacobs is surrounded with a flurry of books and loose pages. Some of the animals, a curly dog, a dodo and a flamingo, are made of curled paper. There's even a raven on the writing desk.

Next up is a gravity-defying tableau of "Chapter 18: Afternoon Amusements and Sovereign Gambits", with a bird's-eye view of Alexander McQueen and Marc Jacobs-clad royals playing chess. The dark, black-and-red palette makes this one really hard to take pictures of during the day, but we're game for anything. (Especially that exceedingly dramatic McQueen in the window. Purrrr.)

"Chapter 12: Potions Imbibed and Perspectives Re-Arranged"'s all-wood display of contrasts nicely with the houndstooth Alexander McQueen ensemble on the redhead mannequin, who is a giant in a too-small setting of tiny doll furniture, and stairs in every size from normal to teeny. She's the only mannequin in the scene, but she has several mini-me's scattered around in the form of porcelain dolls in dramatic dresses to keep her company.

A flowery Victorian Alice encounters the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat in "Improbable Lodgings and Feline Mischief", which is dreamy and almost excessively pretty, like the Monique Lhullier gown she's wearing. We love the way it's almost entirely in a dusty, feminine palette, except that the Cat's corner is encroaching with some more vibrant foliage and an enormous red grin.

Finally, we think Bergdorf Goodman's artists are messing with us by filling the last of the windows entirely with mirrors, making it very hard to get a good picture. A vampy Alice climbs the mirrored fireplace, full of mirror flames, to go through the looking glass. We think that with her gorgeous Pamela Rowland gown she has more than enough mirrors already.
· In the Window: Barneys is Having a Witty Holiday [Racked]