Christmas on Fifth Avenue

“…by night it becomes festive, chic, expensive, for in this season Fifth Avenue is the quintessence of Christmas for adults…it is a scintillating sight, alive with bright movement. And in its own way, it is full of Christmas peace, the peace which makes such elegance possible…The shops of Fifth Avenue are mostly elegant shops offering elegant Christmas gifts for or from elegant people. But a stroll down Fifth Avenue at night is within the reach of everyone. The decorations are so lovely that a man can imagine owning everything, owning all of Christmas. A man can stare at this piece of jewelry, at that fur hat, can imagine his wife wearing them – and can acquire a glow that will last him all the way home.” – from an article by Robert Daley for The New York Times, December 14, 1964.

Pictured here, from an undated slide, is E.J. Korvette’s flagship store, which opened in 1962 at 575 Fifth Avenue, adjacent to some of New York's most prestigious retailers. Korvette's beautiful decorations were in league with them, while the “elegant gifts” referred to in Mr. Daley’s article were a bit more affordable there.