Along with ice-skating, extravagant window displays are part of the holiday tradition in New York City, with millions of tourists and locals passing by the big department stores every year (turns out out it might actually be worthwhile – a new study suggests that the best displays do in fact attract shoppers). If you’ll be in New York for the holidays, here’s our rundown of the top window displays:

Barney’s is betting big on its Gaga’s Workshop concept, with a fantasy Lady Gaga Boudoir, Gaga’s Cave of Crystals, and an entranceway that feels like you are walking into a deck of cards.

Macy’s Herald Square has dedicated their windows to the Make-A-Wish foundation, merging the fantastic with the futuristic in a white and navy blue series of windows. On-lookers can also design ther own holiday ornament and take it home on their mobile phone.

Saks is accompanying its windows with a holiday light show projection inspired by the book “Who Makes the Snow,” and will feature dresses by designers Stella McCartney, Marchesa and Alexander McQueen.

Bloomingdale’s is revisting its own holiday shopping bags from seasons past as inspiration for this year’s designs.

But perhaps our favorite is Bergdorf Goodman’s “Carnival of the Animals” theme. Windows include a brass metalwork menagerie, a sparkling undersea world of fish made with rhinestones and sequins, and a white upholstered Arctic scene called “Breaking the Ice”.

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer, where people finally pull out the barbecues, put the coats away, and maybe even road trip to the beach.  It’s also one of the biggest travel weekends of the year. If you are headed out of town, there are lots of essentials to pack with you - tank tops, cardigans, a favorite pair of HABITUAL jeans, a maxi dress, platform sandals, sunglasses, and much more. But one item we won’t travel without is something that can be a part of any look. It’s a lightweight space saver and our very own “Linus blanket”: a quality silk scarf. In addition to wearing it the old fashioned way, a silk scarf can pull off double duty in a pinch. We have worn it as:

a head band
an eye mask (on the plane or for quick naps in the car)
a top (tie it in back to create a simple tube top underneath a cardigan)
a bracelet
a belt
a purse (there’s a great video with instructions for making a purse out of a scarf here)
a sarong

While it doesn’t have to be Hermes, look for a square-shaped, quality scarf made of real silk, which will last longer and will always be appropriate.  Bloomingdale’s has a great selection. We have used one scarf for the past 12 years on nearly every warm weather vacation, from campgrounds to the most cosmopolitan of cities.