Simon Fashion Now Event at Fashion Valley

Posted on 09/16/2008 By:Christiana Gauger

Five years ago if you wanted to buy a great pair of shoes you had to head north to Los Angeles.

Oh sure, you could find an interesting pair of Marc Jacobs heels at Neiman's or Nordstrom, and Mint has some great styles for those whose shoe budget hovers around $80 as opposed to $600, but a smattering of chic boutiques was just not enough selection for fashion conscious locals.

Lately however, San Diego has been going through something of a style renaissance. We've always had great vintage shopping, and the last few years have seen the emergence of small quality specialty boutiques showcasing smaller designers and local clothing talents. Now completing the fashion landscape is Fashion Valley, which has been aggressively courting larger, more exclusive retailers in a move that puts San Diego on the fashion map - literally.

Mark your calendar: October 24-25 is the Simon Fashion Now event at Fashion Valley - the first-ever inclusion of San Diego in the Simon Fashion Now tour. Expect two days of runway shows, street-side beauty stations, in-store events, and exclusive in-store sales to tempt even the most jaded of San Diego shoppers.

Fashion Valley's New Stores

We've always loved Fashion Valley for Tiffany's, Neiman's, Saks, and the occasional pair of cords from Old Navy, to name just a few. (Don't front, you know you paired those $12 pants with your Chloe shirt!) And now the mall is welcoming the likes of Henry Bendel, Tory Burch, Custo Barcelona, CH Carolina Herrera, Jimmy Choo, Just Cavalli, and M. Missoni to the fold.

The exciting part is that many of these lines are the lower priced siblings to bigger names (i.e., Just Cavalli maintains the quality and style of the main Roberto Cavalli line, but at a lower price point) and they are arriving at the valley of fashion as stand alone boutiques - many of them making their west coast debut in our own city. That means San Diegans can choose from a line's entire fashion forward collection rather than an edited version for sale in a larger department store - although the latter is still where every cutie with a booty can find her Gucci.

These lower priced lines also don't necessarily have the name recognition of Dior or Prada, which makes it especially exciting that they're opening up here; if San Diego has the consumers to support these boutiques, that means a fashion contingent has established itself among the beaches and flip flops, and if that isn't reason enough to celebrate, I don't know what is.

The Party...

Fashion Now

Mark your calendar: October 24-25, 2008 is the Simon Fashion Now event at Fashion Valley. Two days of runway shows, beauty stations, in-store events, and exclusive sales to tempt even the most jaded fashionista. Center Court at Fashion Valley will be transformed by Smith & Hawken where interactive Simon “Style Stops” will offer makeup demonstrations by Sephora and others. Hosted by Robert Verdi, the event will highlight Fashion Valley's newest retailers as well as boutiques such as Betsey Johnson who have kept us visiting the mall for years.

The Friday night fashion show is part of the invite-only charity event benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure, with all of the money raised in San Diego staying to support the local community. Saturday's runway shows are open to everyone however, so if you can't score a Friday ticket, get to the tents early to score your front row seat on Saturday.

Fashion Now Lineup

Friday, October 24: 7pm - Luxury Runway Fashion Show
Robert Verdi, stylist to the stars and host of E!'s "Fashion Police," presents the opening night runway fashion show featuring such retailers as: Betsey Johnson, CH Carolina Herrera, Custo Barcelona, Henri Bendel, Jimmy Choo, Just Cavalli, M. Missoni, Tory Burch. On Simon Fashion Now Stage at River Plaza.

The hottest ticket in town will be the invite-only cocktail reception and after party at the Ivy Hotel following the runway show on Friday night.

Saturday, October 24: All Day

2pm: Robert Verdi hosts a special runway fashion show featuring styles from: Arden B. Jewel, Banana Republic, Cache, Guess, Lilly Pulitzer, Max Studio. Simon Fashion Now Stage.

2:30pm: Robert Verdi autograph session at Simon Fashion Now Stage.

4:00pm: "Project Runway" wining celebrity host Christian Siriano presents a special runway fashion show featuring: Betsey Johnson, CH Carolina Herrera, Custo Barcelona, Henri Bendel, Jimmy Choo, Just Cavalli, M. Missoni, Tory Burch. On Simon Fashion Now Stage.

4:30pm: Christian Siriano autograph session at Simon Fashion Now Stage.

6:00pm: Macy's Runway Fashion Show featuring this season's best looks presented by Macy's. Simon Fashion Now Stage.

The Simon Fashion Now event is coming to San Diego October 24 and 25, 2008, and bringing with it a sense of fashion excitement to America's finest city. Francine Miley, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Fashion Valley, notes there is a strong fashion community growing in San Diego and she hopes to have more fashion-oriented events in the future, in the plaza and around town.

And just in case you need a bit more persuading in order for you to rouse yourself from your downtown condo and make the journey to the Valley, let me leave you with a few parting words: Kate Spade, Anthropologie, H&M. Get more Fashion Valley updates here.