Hi friends, welcome back! Every year, Saks Fifth Avenue is known for their spectacular holiday light show and decorated windows, but this year is unique because it’s the first time they’ve ever partnered with a brand. They teamed up with Dior to create the theme “Dior’s Carousel of Dreams at Saks” featured in the light show and store windows. In October they put up a zodiac calendar on the Fifth Avenue façade and I was very intrigued by how they would incorporate it into their holiday décor.
Per their website, “Monsieur Dior’s dream trip from Paris to New York in 1947 serves as the inspiration for the windows, which are intricately designed by a collective of artisans sourced from all over the world. Monsieur Dior is seen going on a journey from Paris to NYC within the windows, with each one serving as a stop along the way.”
The scenes take place in September 1947 when Dior visited New York for the first time. I was amazed by all the intricate details in each scene. Per the press release: “The journey begins with Monsieur Dior receiving an invitation from Saks to visit New York. He prepares for his trip against a backdrop of iconic Parisian landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Jardins du Luxembourg and Dior’s historic flagship store on Avenue Montaigne.”
“Once Monsieur Dior arrives in New York, window projections and animations show him zipping along the Hudson River in a boat shaped like a J’Adior slingback pump and gliding across the famous Rockefeller Center Ice Rink in a sled shaped like a Miss Dior perfume bottle.” I don’t think the skyline looked like this in 1947, but I’ll let it slide.
“The Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Saks Fifth Avenue New York flagship are among the New York icons that make an appearance in the windows.”
“One display features intricate miniature trunks showcasing special moments in Dior’s history, including the luxury house’s Spring-Summer 1972 presentation at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York and the Christian Dior exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1996.”
I can only imagine how many hours went into each window! I am happy the windows tell a story instead of being an obvious advertisement for Dior.
Saks said the light show is their most ambitious yet and “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.” The light show starts at 5pm and runs every ten minutes. The show will run until January 5th. You can watch a replay of the full light show here.
Sadly, the light show didn’t do it for me this year. I just don’t think this Carousel of Dreams is very festive. It was a beautiful light show, but it felt more loke something that should be shown in the spring. It also had half the number of lights (300,000) compared to last year’s show.
Compared to other years, I think the windows are incredible, but I prefer the more traditional and festive light show from prior years. What do you think of this years display?