This past Tuesday evening, a black carpet was rolled out on the corner of 5th Ave and 49th Street in New York City, to celebrate the reveal of Saks’ new window display.
On display were costumes featured in many of Amazon’s original series, including “Mozart in the Jungle,” “The Man in the High Castle,” “Patriot,” “Transparent,” and “Z: The Beginning of everything.”
Original cast members, producers, costume and production designers cheerfully strutted down the black carpet on the corner of the world famous Saks 5th Ave. Fortunately, we were able to capture some of the reactions of the attendees as they soaked in the surreal moment.
Cast members of the eight time Emmy award winning show “Transparent,” Trace Lysette and Alexandra Billings shared that it was a “thrilling” experience. Lysette, who is transgender, explained that as a New Yorker, “to have marginalized people represented in the window is really a big deal.” The show is about a divorced dad who attempts to hide that he is transgender from his self-absorbed daughters, until one day he discovers that one of his daughters had been hiding a similar secret. This leads to the continuous unraveling of secrets among the family. When asked about the upcoming season, they shared that there will be a flashback to the 80s – which means some more really cool fashion!
Speaking of fashion! Costume designer for “Mozart in the Jungle,” Katie Riley accompanied by actor Malcolm McDowell, discussed how 80s and 90s fashion influenced her festive costume design choices for the show. Katie explained how she seeks her inspiration from people walking around the streets of NYC, cast members, even taking pictures of people’s fashion on the train. McDowell, added that costume design is one of the most important roles on a production set because “what the audience sees … has to really help with the character.” He even went on to say how sometimes it’s like “no acting required, just look at the costume.”
“Mozart in the Jungle” is a popular show inspired by the memoir of famous oboist, Blair Tindall. Actress Saffron Burrows shared that what she loved most about the show was “learning something new every week.” She shared that she has to learn a new piece of music every 5 days.
Before the carpet was rolled up we also got the chance to talk to Saks exec, Mark Briggs. Mark explained that this window display is a “fusion of creativity that’s come together to deliver something that [he] thinks is really inspiring for the consumer.”
Proceeding the window reveal, all of the cast and crew members like Gael Garcia Bernal, Caroline Baron, Will Graham, Tommaso Ortino, Joel de la Fuente and Brennan Brown headed up the the 2nd floor of Saks 5th Ave for a private party. Guests socialized while drinking and jamming to music spun by DJ Nicole Rose. All-in-all it was a great evening filled with fashion, creativity, and champagne!
The windows are on display until Friday, June 30. Mozart in the Jungle stars Bernal and Burrows will appear on the front and back covers of Saks Fifth Avenue’s Fall 2017 Fashion Book, which drops in September.
