Saks Fifth Avenue Transforms Into "The Winter Palace" This Holiday Season

NEW YORK, Nov. 4, 2015 /CNW/ -- On Monday, November 23, luxury retailer Saks Fifth Avenue will wondrously transform its flagship into The Winter Palace with the unveiling of its historic holiday windows as well as the premiere of a new theatrical light show, with three-dimensional elements, to the front facade of the iconic store. With towering light icicles, crystal palace spires, and snowy magnolia arches, The Winter Palace is a completely new concept for Saks Fifth Avenue and is certain to leave audiences mesmerized.

At 7 PM, 200 choir members from The Oratorio Society of New York and the Cathedral Choristers of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine will flood Fifth Avenue to celebrate the grand unveiling with an exclusive, chilling rendition of a favorite holiday carol as The Winter Palace lights up in spectacular fashion for the very first time. The captivating windows and electrifying light show, including the choir's recorded vocal performance, will then continue throughout the holiday season until early January.

"I am constantly amazed with the creativity and talent of the Saks Fifth Avenue team," commented Marc Metrick, President, Saks Fifth Avenue. "Utilizing new technology and with a fresh take on the winter wonderland concept, Saks Fifth Avenue has created something legendary with The Winter Palace."  

THE LIGHT SHOW  
With the integration of networked lighting and video devices, this year's stunning light show will be the first of its kind for Saks Fifth Avenue. Notably, the show requires:

• 225,000+ individual points of controlled light
• 10,000+ hours to produce
• 250+ individuals involved both internationally and domestically

In addition to the light show on the facade of the building, Saks Fifth Avenue will allow the audience to become a part of the show with the use of wearable Xylobands. The Xylobands interact with the controlled elements of the light show, creating a block-wide light extravaganza!

THE WINDOWS: WINTER WONDERS OF THE WORLD 
For the 2015 holiday season, Saks Fifth Avenue reimagines the earth's most spectacular wonders and transforms them into remarkable wintry fantasies. Whether it's the Empress of China sliding alongside her Great Wintery Wall, the mighty Gladiatrix battling above her Ice-Cold Colosseum, or an Icy Mermaid marveling at the beauty found within the frozen Great Brrrier Reef, each window depicts a winter marvel with exotic fashion to match.

"New York during the holidays is quite a magical experience, filled with excitement from visitors all around the world. Yet, the most breathtaking and wondrous sights are the holiday windows showcasing the creations from retailers' imaginations," commented Mark Briggs, Executive Vice President, HBC Creative. "New York would not be the same if it weren't for the whimsical lands and twinkling decor of the holiday windows. I am excited for sightseers to see our very unique creations this year."

The remaining Saks Fifth Avenue windows will host The Winter Palace banquet, featuring a wintry-white feast of elegant fashion and holiday attire.

THE WINTER PALACE 
This season, Saks Fifth Avenue stores nationwide will become a Winter Palace. The holiday theme will trickle into each department with icy chandeliers, frosted decor, and wintry, exotic fashion. Additionally, Saks Fifth Avenue will launch Gifts of Wonder, its unique holiday gifting assortment, within each Winter Palace. Customers may view and shop Saks' Gifts of Wonder in-store as well as within the new, and first, Holiday Magalog on saks.com.

LIVE STREAMING 
Audiences from around the world may view the unveiling of The Winter Palace via live streaming. Please contact the Saks Fifth Avenue location nearest you for the closest live streaming event or view the grand event at saks.com on Monday, November 23 at 6:45 PM (EST).

SAKSHOLIDAY.COM
This year, Saks Fifth Avenue has created a designated, interactive social media driven content hub, SaksHoliday.com, from which customers may download exclusive Saks' holiday emojis, join The Winter Palace experience by sharing photos of their favorite icy destinations, and participate in holiday contests, polls, and quizzes. The site officially launches on Thursday, November 12, 2015.

• Saks Holiday Hub:  http://www.SaksHoliday.com  

Saks Fifth Avenue welcomes viewers to connect via its social channels, listed below, and to follow #saksholiday for SaksHoliday.com insider access.

• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/saks
• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/saks
• Instagram:  http://instagram.com/saks

ABOUT SAKS FIFTH AVENUE
Saks Fifth Avenue, one of the world's pre-eminent specialty retailers, is renowned for its superlative American and international designer collections, its expertly edited assortment of handbags, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics and gifts, and the first-rate fashion expertise and exemplary client service of its Associates. As part of the Hudson's Bay Company brand portfolio, Saks operates 38 full-line stores in 22 states, five international licensed stores and saks.com, the company's online store.

CONTACT:        
Katie Majeski
Saks Fifth Avenue
Office: 212.451.1931
Cell: 646.647.5279
[email protected]

Russell Howe
Saks Fifth Avenue
Office: 212.940.5272
[email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151103/283598

SOURCE Saks Fifth Avenue