Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
The next time you walk by Bergdorf Goodman, day or night, you might want to have a pair of sunglasses handy. That's because the department store has just debuted its highly-anticipated (and highly reflective) holiday windows, featuring a profusion of Swarovski crystals — more than seven million of them, to be specific — in honor of the Austrian brand's 120th anniversary this year.
Don't expect to see pine trees decked with ornaments or elves stacking presents into a sleigh here; taking a theme too literally isn't exactly Bergdorf's theme. Instead, the iconic retailer says that its windows and corresponding interior decor is called "Brilliant," and whether or not that jives with your expected holiday notions, that's exactly what these windows are. From a completely crystallized suit of armor accompanied by a life-size lion to a fortune teller's sparkly lair and a lavish party to celebrate Swarovski's birthday, it's hard not to feel some sort of festivity bubbling inside of you upon first glance.
See more than three dozen detailed shots, photographed by Max Touhey, in the gallery above, and be sure to check out these and other holiday windows in person before the season's over.