Saks 5th Avenue Showcases French Couture + Art With Its “No Taste For Bad Taste” Display

When it comes to splashy window displays showcasing the best of fashion, nowhere does it like New York. Saks Fifth Avenue, in particular, is constantly upping its game by visually showcasing the department store‘s support of art, culture and current events through its windows.

Following an homage to Netflix blockbusters, a tribute to Dominican Carnival and a capsule window for The New York Times supporting freedom of the press from now through August 6 in celebration of the global exhibition Le French Design: No Taste For Bad Taste.

All five of the Saks 5th Avenue store windows are highlighting a curated selection of French fashion from couture brands Givenchy, Céline, Chloé, Balenciaga and Saint Laurent paired with five exhibition “tents”—Elegance and A Hint of Luxury, Panache, Balance, Heritage, and Savoir-Faire—from the exhibit. Viewers of this fashion and art collaboration will experience the cultural heritage and creativity that is French ‘art de vivre’ through a colorful display of accessories and ready-to-wear pieces from said leading French fashion maisons.

Le French Design: No Taste For Bad Taste is a joint project of l’Institut Français and VIA (Valorization of Innovation in Furnishings) featuring iconic 21st century French furnishings and art curated by eminent figures from the worlds of design, fashion, and architecture such as Christian Liaigre, Pierre Yovanovitch, Charles de Castlebajac, Noe Duchafour Lawrance, Paola Antonelli (MoMA), designers Chantal Thomass and Gunjan Gupta and many more.

Additionally, each of the exhibition pieces has been designed by and for leading French brands such as Ligne Roset, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Philippe Starck and Hermès to commemorate 40 years of VIA’s support for future design.

After its run in New York, the Le French Design: No Taste for Bad Taste exhibition celebrating what is “so Starck, so Bouroullec…so le French Design” will continue to travel the world with stops in over 25 destinations including the Museo Nacional De Arte Decorativo in Buenos Aires in October 2018 the National Design Center in Singapore in March 2019. It will continue to travel through Asia and the Middle East before ultimately returning to Europe in 2020.

All photos courtesy of Beowulf Sheehan