What do Madonna, Cinderella, Santa`s elves, a Venetian gondola and the Adler Planetarium have in common? As it turns out, they all play a prominent role in this year`s Christmas displays.
Chicago is getting its first look at Christmas according to Barneys New York, and Norman Rockwell is nowhere in sight. Instead, Madonna, clad in her book, strategically placed, and some garlands, shares the store`s ”Hall of Fame” windows at Rush and Oak with Tammy Faye Bakker, Sophia Loren, Margaret Thatcher, Ivana Trump, Martha Graham and Joan Rivers, all of whom sport not their regular clothes, but clothes made of holiday garlands. They are caricatures, and it`s all in good fun, meant to elevate spirits.
Giving the display an unmistakable Chicago accent are the windows devoted to a traditionally clothed Mayor Richard M. Daley and a similarly attired Oprah Winfrey. And in the same vein, Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert get equal billing in their debut ”performance” as a two-headed jack-in-the-popcorn-box.
Providing the finishing touch are quotes from each of the celebrities. While some, like Mayor Daley`s Christmas message, were written specifically for the occasion, others were not. Sophia Loren`s ”Everything I have I owe to spaghetti,” may not at first or even second glance seem to have much bearing on Christmas, but Tammy Faye`s ”If you pray for a camper, tell God what color” certainly adds a new wrinkle to the ”wish list” format.
The windows, and their unique perspective on the holiday season, are the result of a collaboration between Simon Doonan, Barneys` vice president and creative director, and artist Martha King. Since 1990, the duo have featured caricatures of celebrities ranging from Dolly Parton and Bette Midler to Jesse Helms, Norman Schwarzkopf and Boris Yeltsin in their Christmas displays.
Inside the store, the ambience is far more subdued. Stylized mini-trees are used throughout the main floor, but their decorations are as conservative as the windows are flamboyant.
Artist John Rombola`s cover for Neiman Marcus` 1992 Christmas Book shows a guitar-strumming Santa Claus making his seasonal deliveries in a Venetian gondola, propelled by a gondolier dressed in the pointed shoes and tassled cap of a medieval ”fool.” The scene is repeated in several of the Dallas-based retailer`s signature gift items and appears, in one form or another, in virtually all of their holiday windows. Candace McGarry, visual director for the Michigan Avenue store, points out that each display is nevertheless unique.
”Everyone was encouraged to develop their own interpretation. Window manager Tom Swanson and I both felt that the main figures had a rather marionette-like appearance, and we decided to capitalize on it. We handpainted the backdrop-making it look a little like a puppet stage-and then did 7-foot- long metal cutouts of the gondola and its passengers. These were painted in the same rich jewel tones as the original watercolor and then suspended on ribbons, marionette-style, from the ceiling.”
As in years past, Neiman Marcus` interior decorations are both festive and sophisticated. Christmas trees are hung with colorful balls and swagged with metallic fabric and French ribbon, and handpainted designs decorate the elevators. A mix of taffeta and handpainted metal bows gives the well-placed wreaths and garlands a distinctive panache, as does the repeated use of muted colors in shades of peach, blue, maroon and antique gold.
Saks Fifth Avenue`s windows celebrate the city, as well as the season, by paying homage to Chicago architecture. In each scene, a 36-inch-tall mannequin dressed like a follies showgirl wears a headpiece depicting one of the city`s world-renowned buildings. Included are the Planetarium, the Carbon and Carbide Building, the Chicago Theatre, the Water Tower, the NBC Tower and 311 South Wacker Drive. The stylized mannequins stand atop three-tiered revolving platforms. Designed with a lavish hand, their glittering costumes would elicit praise from the great Florenz Ziegfeld himself.
Children and tradition occupy center stage on State Street. The animated windows at both Marshall Field`s and Carson Pirie Scott are in the second year of their projected three-year cycle, but their appeal remains undiminished.
Carson`s windows take viewers on a visit to Santa`s North Pole workshop, where myriad elves are hard at work filling orders from good little girls and boys the world over. Of all the complex machinery used by the elves, the miraculous Cracker Popper Snapper (an acronym for Carson Pirie Scott) is the most interesting. Unassembled toys travel via conveyor belt from the Cracker to the bellows-powered Popper. Emerging fully assembled, they move on to the Snapper, where the finishing touches are applied.
Carson`s Trim-A-Home shop on the fifth floor is more lavish than in years past. Delicate white branches are used in key places to give the appearance of archways and to provide visual unity. Decorations are clustered thematically, so that one area has a definite ”country” feel, while another leans heavily on romance.
Visual manager Ted Georgiou has made several other changes in his first Christmas on the job. Display areas throughout the store are more
concentrated, and far more attention has been paid to detail. Even though the trees used on the first floor are of varying sizes, their tops are similarly shaped. The exact number and placement of the ornaments on the trees was plotted out far in advance, with assembly beginning in mid-October.
Marshall Field`s animated windows once again tell the timeless story of Cinderella. Although most viewers would have a hard time pinpointing the changes, there have been several. Jamie Becker, visual merchandising director for the State Street store, explains, ”Changing the windows every three years gives us an opportunity to work on details, such as facial expressions and movements. For instance, when Cinderella is introduced to the Prince, she now does a full curtsy rather than simply nodding. And in one of the early scenes, she`s actually stirring the contents of the pot instead of standing motionless. There are also some new figures. Not only has the Prince acquired a pet afghan hound, but Cinderella`s cat appears more frequently.”
Field`s interior decorations are totally new, and the traditional red, green and gold color scheme represents a startling departure from last year`s hot pink and purple. Instead of avant-garde Zandra Rhodes` gowns, doll-like figures based on illustrator Tomie de Paola`s drawings line the center aisle, and even relatively young children will have little trouble recognizing Cinderella, the Prince, the evil step-sister and the effervescent fairy godmother. The 5-foot-tall figures are mounted on stacked turntables and each display is topped with a fully decorated, 14-foot-tall Christmas tree.
Assembling the three sections of the 45-foot-tall Walnut Room Christmas tree took Becker`s 24-person staff more than 15 hours. Eight more hours were spent stringing the tree`s 10,000 lights, and another eight were required to hang its 5,000 ornaments. In keeping with the over-all Cinderella theme, the tree`s base looks like a castle. And for the very first time, moving figures appear on the base.
Also on the seventh floor is the new ”Marshall Field`s Is Chicago”
display, a collection of vintage photographs highlighting the store`s history. One section is devoted entirely to Christmas, and older shoppers may well find themselves taking a trip down memory lane.
With the Christmas season in full swing, Becker and his staff finally have a chance to catch their breath. ”December is actually our down time,”
he sighs. ”By the beginning of January, we`re busy getting the store ready for spring and putting together some ideas for next Christmas.” After pausing for a minute, he adds, ”As always, we`re determined to make the next holiday season bigger and better than ever.”
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Not intended to be all-inclusive, this guide provides information about some of the holiday displays in local store windows and malls. For information about viewing times, please call the individual stores and malls.
Barneys New York, 25 E. Oak St., 312-587-1700. New to the Chicago scene, the store takes a hip, cutting-edge look at the holiday season.
Carson Pirie Scott, 1 S. State St., 312-641-8000. ”Santa`s Workshop” is the theme of this year`s animated displays.
Marshall Field`s, 111 N. State St., 312-781-1000. The animated windows recount the timeless tale of Cinderella.
Neiman Marcus, 737 N. Michigan Ave., 312-642-5800. Like the cover of the store`s 1992 Christmas Book, the windows show Santa making his rounds aboard a Venetian gondola.
Saks Fifth Avenue, 700 N. Michigan Ave. at Chicago Place, 312-944-6500. This year`s windows offer a salute to Chicago architecture.
900 North Michigan Shops, 900 N. Michigan Avenue, 312-915-3900. A 45-foot-tall tree dominates the main lobby.
Water Tower Place, 835 N. Michigan Ave., 312-440-3165. Tuxedo-clad snowmen greet shoppers in the main lobby, while large multicolored ”jewels” decorate the elevator well.
Northbrook Court, Lake-Cook Road just west of Edens Expressway, Northbrook, 708-498-1770. Linked by ribbons, netting and lights, 43 doves signifying peace are hung throughout the center. Reindeer marquees decorated with live poinsettias are at each entrance, while a ”giving” tree with tags for donations occupies the central Lord & Taylor court.
Hawthorn Center, Milwaukee Avenue and Town Line Road, Vernon Hills, 708-362-6220. Manzanita branches bent into holiday shapes are used throughout the mall, while animated snow babies frolic next to Santa`s ”consultation”
area.