Store windows take forever to put together. Especially when you work at places known for their innovation, like Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, or very clever specialty boutiques.

For example, Bergdorf Goodman's current windows, showing a vast array of vintage and miniature mannequins, hat-display heads, and Rebecca Martinez's pictures of vintage mannequins, took six years to plan and assemble.

"We always have projects on the back burner, so gradually, over time, we accumulate," David Hoey, director of visual presentation at Bergdorf Goodman, tells StyleList.

"It's not that simple, but one of the things we specialize in is putting together unusual collections -- antique toasters, vacuum cleaners, ventriloquist dummies, all kinds of crazy stuff."

Martinez's photos are from a series called "Beauty Challenged," and the mishmash of material conveys all sorts of challenges -- the shifting standard of beauty, the changes aging brings about, how a little peeling paint isn't the worst thing in the world.

Hoey pulled it all together by dressing the mannequins in gorgeous new bits from Libertine, Badgley Mischka, Gucci, Miu Miu, Carolina Herrera, and more.

Hoey's past efforts will be celebrated this fall with the release of the Assouline book "Windows at Bergdorf Goodman." And someday in the future, we can look forward to seeing his collection of vintage Barbie clothes.

"We've been collecting for two or three years," Hoey says, adding, "we're going to pin them together to make curtains."

We can't wait.

In other window-display news, see what Keds, Bloomingdale's, and the Whitney Museum are up to.