Sies Marjan S/S 2020 New York Fashion Week Women's

Backstage at Sies Marjan S/S 2020
Sies Marjan S/S 2020
(Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)

Scene setting: Sies Marjan's creative director Sander Lak gave showgoers a peek at a lesser known New York by using the sumptuous lobby of the Surrogate's Courthouse as his venue of choice this season. The Beaux Arts municipal building in lower Manhattan dates to 1907 and boasts elaborate marble interiors, including a statuesque double staircase that models paraded down.

Mood board: S/S 2020 was a bit of a departure for Lak, whose usually buoyant and fantasy-filled creations feel as light as air. Lak opted to experiment with texture this season, particularly the look and feel of a variety of animal skins, leading to crocodile-embossed satin and reptile-embossed silks that were effortlessly draped across the figure. Paired with a punchy, jewel-toned palette inspired by make-up and nail polish colours, the collection marked a new level of sophistication and elegance that was carefully considered.

Sound bite: ‘This collection is a rejection of irony, bad taste, satire, reality TV, and kitsch,' says Lak. ‘It celebrates the beauty of having the time and freedom to create and consider your choices – the antithesis of rushing.' 

Sies Marjan S/S 2020.

Sies Marjan S/S 2020


(Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)

Sies Marjan fashion week


(Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)

Sies Marjan S/S 2020 Show


(Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)

Sies Marjan S/S 2020. 


(Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)

Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.