WHITE CHRISTMAS: While holiday sales may prove to be tough, it will still be snowy at Saks Fifth Avenue this winter. The retailer, which typically emblazons its shopping bags and the facade of its Manhattan flagship with snowflake motifs during the holiday season, has been at work on some snowflakes that have no chance of melting away. Saks tapped 11 brands including Graff, Gurhan and Marco Bicego to interpret artist Marian Bantjes’ snowflake illustrations. Each of the one-of-a-kind brooches features gemstones and will travel through the chain’s network of stores this month. Prices range from Roberto Coin’s red enamel snowflake with diamonds at $12,500 to Chopard’s gold and diamond pendant for $77,200.
DEFYING GRAVITY: Auction houses may be struggling to off-load some works of art in these dark days, but there’s one sector where demand is thriving. Christie’s recent vintage clothing sale, “Resurrection: Avant-Garde,” raked in a total of 270,925 pounds, or $449,738 at current exchange. The star lot was a Paco Rabanne tunic dress in the designer’s signature aluminum that went for 15,000 pounds, or $24,900 — more than double the estimate. The designer garb, including rare items by Versace, Dior, Courrèges and Vivienne Westwood, was part of the private collection of Katy Rodriguez and Mark Haddaway, owners of the L.A. and New York boutiques Resurrection.
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FURLA’S FINEST: Accessories’ rising stars joined Thursday night at New York’s New Museum to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Furla Talent Hub, the Italian house’s program that enlisted young designers to create guest collections under the Furla name. Michele Furlanetto, president of Furla USA, greeted guests alongside co-hosts Lindsay Price and Kelly Rutherford. “Today’s market is such that people want to know what’s next, who’s next and these designers breathe new life into our brand,” Furlanetto said.
DANCING MANNEQUINS: It will be dancing with the mannequins at Ralph Pucci International, which is creating a surreal tableau for performances by the Buglisi Dance Theatre. Ralph Pucci is known for his eclectic showroom juxtaposing furniture, art, fashion and photography with the Pucci-made mannequins, but for BDT, “We are going to clear out all the furniture and art and will have one big gigantic white exhibition space to create a journey,” Pucci said. Aside from the mannequins — a sassy gaggle called Girl to be dressed in contemporary styles by Frank Tell — the dancers will intermingle with big round plaster sculptures by Michael Evert. “My dancers will be integrating themselves in kind of a synthesis with these oversize giant craters and these very delicate mannequins,” said Jacqulyn Buglisi, BDT’s artistic director. “There’s a wonderful dynamic, a dreamlike world, a kind of metaphor for our time right now.” There will be two performances, a Dec. 8 fund-raiser for the dance troupe and an open house Dec. 11, during the market week for the visual display and fixturing industry. The shows will be staged in Pucci’s Gallery Nine space at 44 West 18th Street in Manhattan.