“They’re
here!” squealed the throng outside New York’s Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store.
They had just caught their first glimpse of Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, who
star in the popular television series, “Outlander”, as they arrived on
50th Street. Loyal fans
of the Starz television series, many of them from out of town, had been waiting
patiently for hours on a rain soaked Thursday afternoon, to see this TV couple
that they so adore (as if on cue, the sun started to peak thru the clouds when
they arrived). The occasion was a collaboration between Saks Fifth Avenue and
Starz to celebrate the “Outlander” Season 2 premiere. To mark this highly
anticipated event, Saks unveiled six window scenes; featuring “Outlander”
curated looks, in their 50th Street store
windows.

Costume Designer Terry Dresbach Photo: Rhonda Erb

Balfe and Heughan were accompanied at the event by “Outlander”
Executive Producer, Ronald D. Moore and his wife Terry Dresbach, the costume
designer for the series, as well as Saks executives Mark Briggs and Tracy
Margolies. “Outlander” is based on a series of books by Diana Gabaldon.
It’s a time travel saga in which the character that Balfe portrays is
transported from post World War II Scotland to the 1700’s. The elaborate period
costumes worn by the show’s characters have created such a sensation with
viewers that designer Dresbach has her own following of fans as well.

Mark Briggs Photo Rhonda Erb

Briggs, Saks Executive Vice President, Creative Center for
Excellence, spoke about how the partnership between Saks and Starz came
about:

“For many years, Saks has always been known for its
experiences. The idea of actually bringing fashion with experience together,
theater, is really what Saks is about. This collaboration came along about a
year ago. It was a perfect fit, especially from the point of view of the
fashion fit. So mixing the traditional values of what you see beautifully
recreated here, with the more modern fashions, you can start to see them being
seen and the influences of these gowns in today’s fashions. So that’s a
wonderful story to tell. It worked perfectly for our Magalog. It worked
perfectly for the trends and the designers that we wanted to feature in the
Magalog as well and that’s where I think that marriage was a perfect fit.”

Saks “Outlander” window (Click window images for larger views) All window photos: Rhonda Erb

The publication that Briggs is referring to is Saks Fifth
Avenue’s Spring 2016 Magalog which features Balfe and Heughan on its covers.
Tracy Margolies, Chief Merchant at Saks Fifth Avenue, talked about the
issue:

Front cover featuring Caitriona wearing Gucci

“We’re so proud of our front cover, here we have Caitriona
wearing Gucci, Alessandro Michele’s collection; and on the backside we have Sam
wearing Gucci as well. So this goes to all our stores and all our customers.
We’re really proud of this collaboration; we’re really thrilled that they look
fantastic in Gucci.”

Saks window

As Balfe and Heughan walked the red carpet, they smiled and
waved at the predominantly female crowd and even posed for pictures with some of
their lucky admirers. Balfe reflected on her role as Claire, in “Outlander” and
the positive relationship that she has with her fans:

“You hope as an actor that you get a role with some substance
and some complexity and I think Claire is that and more. As a woman it’s
wonderful to play a woman that resonates with people and inspires people and she
is inspirational to me. So, I think it’s very important and the more we have
strong female characters on TV or in film, you know, the better for
everyone.”

Balfe then looked at her costar, Heughan, and said, “Right?”
“Absolutely” he replied with a smile.

Saks window

Balfe, who was wearing a Dior Dress and Jimmy Choo shoes and
carrying a clutch by Dee Ocleppo, also gave hints as to how her character’s
wardrobe will evolve from the heavy fabrics of a hard working nurse in Season 1
to the “sumptuous” clothes of the French court of Louis XV in Season 2. Costume
designer, Dresbach gives more details on the costume changes:

“Well they are way more outrageous. The colors, the embroidery,
the embellishment, I mean the 18th Century in Paris is
the center of fashion for the world. So we just went for broke in every
possible way. I think the most interesting thing is that for Claire’s costumes,
we really wanted to keep her attached to the 1940’s. So I went to what was going
on in 1945 and 1946 in Paris, which is Christian Dior and “The New Look” and so
we used that as our jumping off point. At the very end, you’ll see our
recreation of the most famous garment ever made, which is the Bar Suit. The
first time we see Claire, she is wearing that, and that was our inspiration for
season 2, so you’ll see tones of Balmain and Balenciaga and all these designers…
so she’s a little bit a stranger in a strange land. She never quite feels like
she is from the 18th Century.  That’s
where we had a lot of fun.  That’s really exciting.”

Season 2 of the Starz Original Series, “Outlander” premieres on
April 9th, at 9:00PM (EST).
The Saks Fifth Avenue “Outlander” curated windows will be on display at Saks New
York and Beverly Hills until April 11, 2016.