The "Surrealist" Windows

September windows are in, featuring gowns from a young Turkish designer, Songül Sarpbas...


Shoes by Martinez Valero...


Headpieces by Erica Koesler...


Headpiece by Enchanted Atelier and jewelry from Styles by Sophie...


The concept behind Kleinfeld Visual Director, Jacques Vigneault's latest windows is so full of creativity and detail that I asked him to explain to me his vision and the process he went through to construct it. What he had to say was so fascinating and insightful; I wanted you to hear it straight from him! Here is what Jacques has to say about his latest window masterpiece:

"The dream-like quality of Songül Sarpbas' dresses is what inspired me to create this surrealist window. With my concept in place, I pulled elements from famous surrealist artists René Magritte, Paul Delvaux, and Di Chirico to create the theme I was envisioning."



"In the left window, the top of the dress features laser-cut organza which imitates feathers. This seemed perfect for a surrealist theme of crazy wound-up birds, flying cages, and a bride wearing mechanical wings, so we went to work and made the birds out of Styrofoam, white felt, feathers, and clay. I didn’t want a friendly little bird, just an impossibly tall, crazy little bird with very skinny legs."



"Next step, we need a big tree, a very big sideway tree. But we can't suspend a real 12 foot tree from the ceiling—it would collapse. So, we decided to make one out of foam core, paper, aluminum foil, and lots and lots of paint. It looks heavy, but it weighs nearly nothing."




"The floor is a checkered pattern, receding into a vanishing point to accentuate the space. On it, we scattered porcelain lettered balls, some which deliberately spell out ‘Ceci est’ meaning ‘This is’ taken from a famous Magritte painting, ‘Ceci n’est pas une pipe’ meaning ‘This isn’t a pipe.’ Add little clouds in the back and ‘et voila.’"


"Let’s move to the next window..."




"Here we have a bride in a very dramatic pose, holding a peacock with its tail made out of veils (a tail of veil). On her head, she has a green apple. This apple, like the others on the floor, is to represent the green apples Magritte used in so much of his painting."



"A foreground column with a checkerboard floor reminds me of Di Chirico’s extreme vanishing point paintings."


"On the ground and suspended in the air, I hung white picket fences with a little tree in the center of each—the concept of a trapped unicorn in a closed gate, representative of the bond of love between bride and groom that once found, can lift to new heights."



"In the background, windows perforate the sky as a play on the positive and negative used so often by Magritte.

Then add more clouds, ‘et c’est tout.’"


"Enjoy." –Jacques Vigneault