On Monday, Saks unveiled its annual holiday window display, showcasing fashion at its finest. Each of the twelve Fifth Avenue windows featured mannequins styled by brands like Prada and Valentino, while a golden curtain of lights emblazoned with the store’s logo framed the building’s doorways.
This year marks the flagship store’s 100th anniversary, and the simple gold lighting around each section of the building highlighted its structural history and longstanding role as a New York City Christmas classic. A different fashion house took over each window, dressing mannequins in their own unique aesthetics, set against a winter wonderland-meets-disco backdrop. Oscar de la Renta put their mannequin in a massive sequined ballgown while fur coats and florals took over Loewe’s window; Thom Browne featured layers of ruffly, cascading fabric and campy collars.
The surrealist design follows the store’s “Gifts of Delight” campaign, asking people to rethink how they approach gift shopping during the holiday season.
“The holiday season is a special and important time for Saks, and we are excited to debut our holiday windows, which aim to inspire customers through a compelling fashion narrative,” said Emily Essner, Saks’ Chief Marketing Officer.
Although Macy’s began the tradition of holiday-themed windows in New York City all the way back in 1883, featuring a steam-powered train display, Saks pioneered the idea of annual unveilings. The store used hydraulic lifts to help artisans work discreetly, assembling the display in secret before its dramatic unveiling to the city. This began the yearly tradition of New Yorkers gathering around to see each store outdo the last, turning Fifth Avenue into a mini North Pole filled with snowflakes, fairy lights and winter cheer behind the frosty glass displays.
Saks itself has had many memorable themes over the years: 2017’s “Snow White” turned the store into the fairy tale’s enchanted forest, and 2019’s “Frozen 2” brought Elsa’s icy fortress onto the city streets. However, one Saks tradition that unfortunately did not return this year was the annual light show, which normally takes place in combination with the displays and involves iconic performances and fireworks. Last year’s showcase, called “Dior’s Carousel of Dreams at Saks,” featured a massive clock with zodiac symbols and over 300,000 LEDs. However, this year’s show was cancelled in order to honor the simplicity of the building and what could be budgetary constraints.
The lack of pomp can’t be conflated with a lack of luxury, however, because Saks is set to showcase a new high jewelry collection starting Dec. 5. A tribute to the store’s centennial, the exhibit will display a 100-carat pear-shaped stone on a diamond necklace and additional pieces that each total more than 100 carats. Ralph’s coffee shop will also open a pop-up in Saks until Jan. 1, with an assortment of warm holiday drinks. There’s even a unique seasonal menu by L’Avenue, the French restaurant inside the store.
Saks’ annual display might have embraced simplicity this year, but there’s still plenty of holiday cheer and new exhibits in-store — continuing on the city’s tradition of festivity on Fifth.
