Father's Day

Some of the windows of Saks Fifth Avenue and Rizzoli Bookstore in midtown Manhattan feature a Father's Day theme. This year, Saks is donating 5% of the sales of ties and pocket squares from June 14 through 16. Rizzoli displays the word Dad in different languages together with a selection of books for fathers. Saks Fifth Avenue is located at 611 Fifth Avenue. Rizzoli bookstore is located at 31 West 57th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.

Top Designs from Parsons the New School for Design Class of 2012

Saks Fifth Avenue is showcasing the designs of the top of the Class of 2012 from Parsons the New School for Design in its flagship store windows in midtown Manhattan. The new designers show their fresh points of view, interesting use of fabric and impeccable construction.

Bergdorf Goodman And Saks Fifth Avenue Celebrate The Opening Of "ALEXANDER McQUEEN: SAVAGE BEAUTY" Exhibit At The Metropolitan Museum Of Art

Window art of both Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman feature creations of the late designer Alexander McQueen in advance of a major exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty" runs from May 4 through July 31, 2011 at the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Exhibition Hall, 2nd Floor, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Organized by the Costume Institute, the exhibit celebrates the late designer's extraordinary contribution to fashion. About 100 pieces from the archives from 1992 to 2010 will be on view.

BLACK FRIDAY

Bloomingdales at Third Avenue between 59th and 60th Streets

Shoppers at Saks Fifth Avenue

From wikipedia:

Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States, where it is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season. Because Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States, Black Friday occurs between the 23rd and the 29th of November.

Black Friday is not an official holiday, but many employees have the day off, which increases the number of potential shoppers. Retailers often decorate for the Christmas season weeks beforehand. Many retailers open very early (typically 5 am or even earlier) and offer doorbuster deals and loss leaders to draw people to their stores. Although Black Friday, as the first shopping day after Thanksgiving, has served as the unofficial beginning of the Christmas season at least since the start of the modern Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, the term "Black Friday" has been traced back only to the 1960s.

The term "Black Friday" originated in Philadelphia in reference to the heavy traffic on that day. (see Origin of the name below) More recently, merchants and the media have used it instead to refer to the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a profit).

The news media frequently refer to Black Friday as the busiest retail shopping day of the year, but this is not always accurate. While it has been one of the busiest days in terms of customer traffic, in terms of actual sales volume, from 1993 through 2001 Black Friday was usually the fifth to tenth busiest day. In 2002 and 2004, however, Black Friday ranked second place, and in 2003 and 2005, Black Friday actually did reach first place. The busiest retail shopping day of the year in the United States (in terms of both sales and customer traffic) usually has been the Saturday before Christmas.

In many cities it is not uncommon to see shoppers lined up hours before stores with big sales open. Once inside, the stores shoppers often rush and grab, as many stores have only a few of the big draw items. Often many fatalities may occur in the process. In 2008, a worker at a Wal-Mart on Long Island, New York was apparently trampled to death by shoppers just minutes after the store's opening at 5:00 am; a pregnant mother was hospitalized and claimed miscarriage from injuries in the same human "stampede". There even one case in Palm Springs, Calfornia in which two people shot each other at a Toys R Us to obtain an item.

Electronics and popular toys are often the most sought-after items and may be sharply discounted. Because of the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, many choose to stay home and avoid the hectic shopping experience. The local media often will cover the event, mentioning how early the shoppers began lining up at various stores and providing video of the shoppers standing in line and later leaving with their purchased items. Traditionally Black Friday sales were intended for those shopping for Christmas gifts. For some particularly popular items, some people shop at these sales in order to get deep discounts on items they can then resell, typically online.

SAKS AND THE CITY

Although the holidays are over, creative and eye-catching window art displays remain part of the street scenes in Manhattan’s 5^th Avenue shopping district. One of them is a simple yet colorful window art captured in the above photo which I took at SAKS FIFTH AVENUE a couple of days ago. Saks Fifth Avenue is a prestigious department store located along 5^th Avenue, between 49^th and 50^th Streets, just across the street from Rockefeller Center. Founded by Horace Saks and Bernard Gimbel, the flagship store opened in 1924. Since then, the store has been providing New Yorkers and tourists with the finest quality clothing and program of services. The store is also known for its elegant, themed and animated window displays during the holiday season.