Harry Medina

Harry Medina, Bloomingdale's window display director, has always appreciated his New York hometown as a crossroads of world culture and education. “There was an abundance to be picked up from the museums, art galleries, libraries, schools, stores and neighborhoods,” he says.

Such city treasures also provided a creative and inspiring foundation for Medina as a budding young artist. He attended the High School of Music and Art and the New York Phoenix School of Design, where he studied illustration, graphic design and fine art painting.

Upon graduation, Medina took his creative talents to the fondly remembered B. Altman & Co. on 34th Street, organizing and maintaining the company's collection of props for window and in-store displays, under the direction of visual icon Robert Benzio. But after two years, Medina decided to trade props for a painter's palette and create murals for private homes, businesses and department stores.

Eventually, retail would call him back. In 1977, another visual icon – Candy Pratts – hired him to create visuals for Bloomingdale's interior and, eventually, the window displays.

Every year, Medina says he looks forward to pulling out all the stops for the retailer's holiday window show. In past years, he's recreated scenes from “The Phantom of the Opera,” the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular and The Gifts of Christmas.

And 2005 was no different. Medina turned the department store's windows along Lexington Avenue into scenes from popular fairy tales, such as Aladdin, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Little Red Riding Hood.

“Holiday windows entertain, inspire and intoxicate,” he says. “They are the most compelling windows of the whole year.”

Describe your earliest memory of a window display.

I remember as a child being enchanted by the gift shop windows in Chinatown with all of their porcelain and jade. Each window looked like Aladdin's treasure trove.

What was your favorite Bloomingdale's holiday window?

The ones I just designed! I'm flying on Aladdin's Magic Carpet.

Someone once said: Store windows are the key to the soul of retail. Are they?

Store windows provide a glimpse of style and fashion and they compel the viewer to come into the store and see so much more.

How do you relax once your holiday displays are finished and unveiled to the public?

I try to rest and take time off, but I find myself preparing all the windows that we will need to replace the holiday ones.

What do you like most about working in New York?

The diversity of people, races, professions, styles, attitudes and economic backgrounds. Also, no matter how obscure an item you might be looking for, you can find it in some tucked-away little shop.

If you could go somewhere you've never been, where would it be?

Tahiti.

What are three things you couldn't live without?

People, music and art.

Name one thing on your nightstand.

A sketch pad. When I get an idea in the middle of the night, I draw it out.

What tune gets you going?

“I've Got A Life,” by the Eurythmics.

What's your favorite romantic movie?

“Doctor Zhivago.”