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”.

We just returned from a trip to Paris, where we spotted (and took home) one of the new aluminum Coke Light bottles designed by Karl Lagerfeld. There are three designs, each complete with Lagerfeld’s name and famous silhouette on the side. This is the second Coca Cola collaboration for Lagerfeld, after he designed a single bottle last year. Talk about a brand advocate – when Lagerfled lost 90 pounds in 2001, he reportedly consumed nothing but Diet Coke and stewed vegetables, and he still says “I drink Diet Coke and nothing else, night and day”.  The bottles went on sale in June, and are also part of an advertising campaign for Coke, featuring Coco Rocha, Jeneil Williams and Heidi Mount. You can also find Diet Coke versions here in the States. 

In addition to designing for Chanel, Fendi, and his own label, Lagerfeld has been keeping quite busy; he just announced he’ll be doing a capsule collection for Macy’s.