Lever House
Sies Marjan creative director Sander Lak presented his spring 2019 collection above the public plaza at Lever House, a glass-box skyscraper on the corner of 53rd Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan. Models walked on a square stage installed around the second level's glass walls, and eventually circled the outdoor terrace (with umbrellas in hand to shield from the rain) which was visible overhead from inside the venue.
Tuxedo Dressing
The Dutch designer reworks the tuxedo throughout his collection. A strapless, pinstripe column gown that alludes to double breasted suiting and a violet PVC button-down that mimics ruffled shirts provide a fresh take on the classic dinner suit and its accoutrements.
Lighten Up
Since establishing his label three years ago, Lak — who's worked under master colorist Dries Van Noten — has saturated his garments with vibrant hues. This season, he embraced white, using the crisp color on shirting, dresses, cargo pants, skirt-suits, and more. "When you work with color a lot, it can really overtake [the garment]," he explains backstage. "This was an opportunity to focus more on texture."
Sander Lak's mother Marjan backstage.
Close Ties
The show's cast was made up of people close to Lak including his mother Marjan (the 36-year-old's label bears his parents' first names, Sies being his father). She walked the runway in a gathered, polo-style tunic and a pewter skirt."It was tailor made for her last minute," he says, citing her eternal support and initial critiques about the garments' pocket placement and fit. "Having a moment where I can celebrate what I'm doing with the people I love is really great," Lak goes on. "Instead of just having them look at it, they're a part of it."
Kaia Gerber
Presley Gerber
Stunning Siblings
In addition to casting his family and childhood friends, Lak enlisted models he's long admired (Sasha Pivovarova, Anna Ewers, and Marjan Jonkman), and new favorites Kaia and Presley Gerber. The brother-sister duo's parents, supermodel mother Cindy Crawford and father Rande Gerber, came out to support their Sies Marjan debut.
Lead Image Via Imaxtree / Photography: Sonny Vandevelde
