On Monday, November 20, Saks and Dior hosted a spectacular event to celebrate the launch of Dior’s Carousel of Dreams at Saks and the unveiling of Saks’ iconic holiday windows and light show in New York City. The evening kicked off with speeches by Saks CEO Marc Metrick and Chairman and CEO of Christian Dior Couture Delphine Arnault, followed by heartfelt remarks by Academy Award-winning actress and Dior Ambassador Jennifer Lawrence. The event also featured a special performance by the world-renowned Martha Graham Dance Company on Fifth Avenue, including 60 dancers dressed in costumes designed by the Creative Director of women’s haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories collections for Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri. Following the unveiling of Saks’ holiday windows and light show, VIP guests moved inside the store to cap off the evening with a cocktail party at L’Avenue at Saks.
Saks and Dior have partnered to launch an exceptional holiday campaign titled Dior’s Carousel of Dreams at Saks, marking the first time Saks has collaborated with a luxury fashion house for its annual holiday initiative. The campaign kicked off on Monday, November 20 with the launch of an exclusive World of Dior digital pop-up on Saks.com, and the unveiling of Saks’ iconic holiday windows and ten-story-tall theatrical light show at the Saks Fifth Avenue New York flagship.
As a key component of the partnership, Saks has launched a World of Dior pop-up on Saks.com for a limited time, marking the first time that all categories of Dior merchandise are available online anywhere other than on Dior.com. The Dior pop-up on Saks.com features a rich assortment of Dior collections, including women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, shoes, leather goods, accessories, Dior Maison, Baby Dior and La Collection Privée Christian Dior.
The unprecedented pop-up also features new discoveries through exclusive products. Timeless Dior classics including the Saddle and Dior Book Tote bags and the Walk’n’Dior sneakers have been recreated in a revisited toile de Jouy print covered with butterflies, emblems of the Dior cruise 2024 collection and a key visual element of Dior’s Carousel of Dreams at Saks. Among men’s merchandise appears the recently revealed Dior Icons capsule by Kim Jones, including tailoring, sportswear, knitwear and denim for every occasion, available exclusively for pre-order on Saks.com. Additionally, a new Dior Maison collection that echoes the inspirations of the Dior cruise 2024 collection is featured, including a candle, tray and decorative pillow, perfect for holiday gifting and only available at Saks.
SAKS FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK FLAGSHIP TAKEOVER
Saks and Dior collaborated to transform the Saks Fifth Avenue New York flagship this holiday season with a spectacular installation and light show on the building’s historic, ten-story-tall facade. The iconic store will feature the most extensive holiday window display Saks has ever created in collaboration with a brand partner, on display now through January 5, 2024. For the fourteenth consecutive year, Saks’ holiday windows and light show are presented by Mastercard.
Dior’s Carousel of Dreams at Saks comes to life on the store’s legendary facade with the most ambitious installation in Saks Fifth Avenue history. The captivating installation draws inspiration from the Dior cruise 2024 collection and other distinctive Dior symbols featured in the Saks.com pop-up, with intricate botanical icons and a profusion of flowers surrounding a magnificent celestial tableau punctuated with Dior House codes such as the star, the clover and the signs of the Zodiac. By day, the facade stands as an elaborate sculptural work of art, with detailed watercolor effects and three-dimensional metallic elements applied by master artisans from around the world. By night, the facade is illuminated by a dazzling light show experience inspired by the beauty of creation, nature and the magical moments of winter. The light show features nearly 300,000 LED lights and a musical medley of songs that capture the same sense of organic beauty as the installation.
This year, Saks’ holiday windows tell an enchanting story of Monsieur Dior’s dream journey from Paris to Saks’ hometown of New York City, featuring quintessential scenes and iconic landmarks from both cities, along with playful elements inspired by the Dior’s Carousel of Dreams at Saks theme. Parisian landmarks featured in the windows include the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Jardins du Luxembourg and Dior’s historic flagship on Avenue Montaigne. New York icons that make an appearance throughout the display include the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, Rockefeller Center and the Saks Fifth Avenue New York flagship. For more details on the window designs, click here.
The enchantment continues inside the store with an extravagant carousel installation on the main floor displaying one-of-a-kind Christian Dior haute couture dresses. Upstairs on the beauty floor, guests can discover a captivating Christian Dior Parfums pop-up featuring Dior makeup, fragrance and skincare holiday offers and services only available at Saks Fifth Avenue New York through December 10, 2023. Peter Philips, Creative and Image Director of Dior Makeup, has notably created four dazzling holiday makeup looks, available exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue New York.
AR EXPERIENCE
Saks and Dior have added an extra dimension to their holiday partnership with an augmented reality (AR) social media experience. Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook users can launch an interactive AR filter to transform their content with design elements from Dior’s Carousel of Dreams at Saks, available now through January 5, 2024.
QUOTES
“We are thrilled to bring our iconic holiday initiative to life in partnership with Dior and introduce the first-ever World of Dior shopping experience on Saks.com,” said Marc Metrick, CEO of Saks. “This exciting collaboration is a testament to the power of the Saks Fifth Avenue brand and the strength of our partnerships with the world’s leading luxury fashion houses. For decades we have presented our holiday windows and light show as our gift to New York City, and this year we are honored to do so in partnership with Dior to further elevate the unique and inspiring experience we deliver to our customers. We look forward to welcoming our customers to the magical World of Dior across the Saks Fifth Avenue ecosystem this holiday season.” – Marc Metrick, CEO of Saks
“The traditional holiday celebration at Saks, inaugurated by its marvelous Light Show on the iconic Fifth Avenue, is one of the most keenly awaited, spectacular and enchanting in the world. I am particularly proud that Dior, our ‘kingdom of dreams’, the incarnation of excellence and elegance, is able to take part in the magnificent event this year, sublimating it with its exceptional savoir-faire and the virtuoso inventiveness of our teams. The unique alliance between Saks and Dior – initiated over 70 years ago by Monsieur Dior himself – has a highly symbolic value for our House, bringing together the unwavering history we share with the United States and our perpetually reinvented heritage. An ode to the magic of creation in all its forms.” – Delphine Arnault, Chairman and CEO of Christian Dior Couture
“It has been such a great honor to collaborate with the Martha Graham Dance Company for this special event at Saks. Through my work as a designer, I have cherished the creative dialogs I have had with dancers and choreographers. Martha Graham’s legacy, the way she redefined bodies in motion and especially those of women through clothes is truly an inspiration. I was thrilled to revisit it with my own point of view and interest in contemporary textile innovations and developments.” – Maria Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director of women’s haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories collections for Dior
WHO
Guests included Rachel Zegler, Alexandra Daddario, Maya Hawke, Tracee Ellis Ross, Nina Dobrev, Lola Tung, Ashley Park, Caleb McLaughlin, Eli Brown, Amelie Zilber, Chase Hudson, Hannah Bronfman, Xenia Adonts, Lily Chee, Anna Sitar, Leandra Medine Cohen, Derek Blasberg, Andy Baraghani, Fern Mallis, Leyna Bloom, Yesly Dimate, Amy Lefevre, Tanner Reese, Charlotte Groeneveld, Moti Ankari, Colin King, Madelynn Furlong, Jenny Cipoletti, Deon Hinton, Alexander Roth, Coco Bassey, Serena Goh, Adam Bartoshesky, Casimere Jollette and more.
WHERE
Unveiling Event: Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Avenue, New York
Cocktail Party: L’Avenue at Saks, 8 E 50th Street, New York
