Saks window displays dedicated to Fern Mallis

After giving us a whimsical wonderland with the window displays for the Cinderella shoe collection, Saks had some very big window displays to fill. Finally, they have given us something equally spectacular. The luxury department store has dedicated 16 of their storefront windows, including all of their Fifth Avenue windows, to Fern Mallis in honor of her new book "Fashion Icons." The book draws from inspiration that Mallis got from her conversations at 92Y with some incredibly prominent designers, including Diane von Furstenburg, Tom Ford, Donna Karan, Vera Wang, and Marc Jacobs.

The book is published by Rizzoli, and features mannequins dressed in designer attire from each subject she writes about. The upcoming book signing party on Monday will be the first event hosted by Saks' new president, Marc Metrick, and is expected to include designers Calvin Klein, von Furstenberg, Ralph Lauren, Norma Kamali, Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, Kenneth Cole, Betsey Johnson, iconic fashion editor André Leon Talley, Barney's Creative Director Simon Doonan, and fashion photographer Bill Cunningham. Mallis knew that there was an audience for her book because people love to idolize iconic designers, but would like a better understanding of who they are and what they do.

"People walk out of there not understanding the designer’s collection or why they do something one season to the next, but they learn who they are as people. I love hearing about their homes, where they grew up and what their childhood bedrooms were like — all of that. And none of them just started with big businesses — each of them started from nothing, so to speak, and worked their way up. Tom [Ford] talked about picking up [garment] bags for Chloé and I didn’t know Donna Karan got turned down for an illustrator job at WWD," Mallis was quoted saying to Women's Wear Daily. The book may have taken her a lot of conversations and research, but it is sure poised to be worth it. Saks doesn't just give anyone sixteen windows; she has certainly earned them.