FIRST PLACE: Macys Flower Show Windows 2022

Submitted by: Macy’s Inc. | Photography: Bill Waldorf, Knoxville, Tenn.

Published

3 months ago

August 31, 2023

Carly Hagedon VMSD July-August 2023

2023 International Visual Competition Awards

Non-Holiday Windows

FOR DECADES, MACY’S iconic Flower Show has entranced shoppers each spring.

For 2022’s Flower Show windows, Macy’s wanted to celebrate “the start of spring and all the beautiful elements that it brings with it,” explains Manuel Urquizo, Director of Storewide Visual Campaigns & Windows, Macy’s.

“My hope was to create a dramatic and lavishly romantic landscape taking the viewer from dusk, where Zephyrus, the Greek god of the west winds, brings in the cool spring winds, parting the clouds in the night sky and revealing a golden crescent moon,” continues Urquizo. “Night turns into dawn, where spring has finally arrived, [with] soft clouds made of flowers all around. The grand finale [is] a golden sun rising from the horizon, bringing with it the start of spring.”

Macy’s Flower Show Windows 2022 Were an Explosion of Spring Color

The windows representing “dusk” featured dark, dramatic hues like purples, magentas, reds, pinks and blues, with touches of orange. The “dawn” windows featured brighter colors like light blues, pinks, whites and pastels. Larger sculptures, like Zephyrus and the sun, anchored the windows on either end. The design was extended onto the building’s façade and awnings through graphics.

One of the biggest challenges was keeping the interior window temperature around 68 degrees Fahrenheit, with humidity evenly distributed, so the petals of the many hydrangeas used throughout – including Star of Bethlehem, Azaleas, Spiraeas and more – wouldn’t dry out. Sourcing the right mannequins was important too, says Urquizo, as they were to represent muses in the overall window narrative and needed to be fairy like or ethereal.

The end result wowed our 2023 judges, who felt last year’s windows were a standout for the retailer’s coveted, annual displays.

“It is always a pleasure to see the customers enjoying the windows, it’s the best part of the job,” says Urquizo. “You know it’s a hit when you see people taking photos with each window; I always stand in the back and enjoy watching.”

PHOTO GALLERY (11 IMAGES)
📷 Bill Waldorf, Knoxville, TN

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Carly Hagedon

Carly Hagedon is the Editor-in-Chief of VMSD magazine. She is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, where she studied Journalism—Magazine Writing and American history. She also currently serves as a board member for the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).

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