Just Because...: Mall of Millenia - Someone Needs to Buy You A Clue...

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Mall of Millenia - Someone Needs to Buy You A Clue...

The Stage Is Set For Orlando Fashion Week

While Jimmy Choo may have stole my heart, the Mall of Millenia stoked a fire they may not enjoy. Grab your coffee and, if you so desire, a biscotti and relax while I rant please. Jimmy Choo gets the love in a big way, the Mall of Millenia Management - notsomuch.

Prior to attending the Jimmy Choo reception, I remembered I must RSVP. In talking with the gal at JC, I was clued in as to the mall event. Apparently the mall event was now taking place at 6 and JC would start at 6:30. The gal at JC told me to RSVP to the mall management ASAP. OK - thanks for thinking of me.

I call the mall and talk to this *cough* receptionist with a 'tude. I told her that the gals at JC told me to make sure that I call to RSVP for the mall thing Thursday night and asked nicely, "What is this about" and told her that this is the first I heard about it. Apparently Receptionist/Gate Keeper aky Witchy thought I was "uncouth or something" because Witchy snorted and said "Oh the event tonight is for V.IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.P. only. You can attend the events for the public on Friday and Saturday". OK, thanks but I can't attend those - I have to work on Friday during the day but whatevs. Then I asked how my client X was left off the list as his publication gives press to a number of Millenia stores and he uses their clothing in photo shoots. Her response "Well, he would not qualify as VIP". The venom from her was thick. First Public and now my client. WTH?? OK, fine. Whatever - I'll make a mental note to tell him later about Witchy. Then, Witchy added fire to the mix when she said "But you can attend Friday and Saturday and I'm sure you will have fun at your little Jimmy Choo event tonight". WTF - Little Jimmy Choo event?? What is with this witch's holier than thou attitude. Even worse, did this Mall of Millenia EMPLOYEE think that she's a pseudo Kelly Cutrone (publicist who cut an interview with Anna Wintour). Kelly at least knows how to act - this one is a total perpetrator. She MUST be kidding. Whatever - I decided to just go the JC event and I would deal with everything later.

This is a pic of the "VIP Reception" that was so "V.IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.P." held in the center court of the mall, in front of Victoria's Secret, across from Tommy Bahama, Brios and the Cheesecake Factory. Yes, right where Santa will be appearing in a month. While I do love the layout for the mall, I think perhaps they could have made it more "memorable" and less "Tiffany does a Mall Tour". While I don't want to come off as an uber snob, but I'm about to - we have some super stylish people in town and, apparently, the Mall of Millenia forgot that those that are in the fashion know need to know about Fashion Week (not necessarily me -but my client's mag should have been notified). As is often the case with Orlando, locals need not apply and it seems that the event or the "VIP List" was strictly for those who seem to have no idea of what fashion or fashion week entails (Hell - go to the 'net people - check out LA Fashion Week, NY Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week - you get the picture). It was like some of those boring social events you might see in Orlando Magazine. I saw more "Mother of the Bride" fashions than I can count and perhaps 5-10 true fashion forward folks were in attendance (and to quote a friend of mine - they must have been from the City (aka NYC)). Here's a question - who the hell wears a FULL LENGTH GOWN to a Fashion Week event. Someone call the Go Fug girls, please.

Now here is why the gate keeper was so snotty apparently. She wasn't guarding Anna Wintour but apparently Nina Garcia. Nina Garcia - the Fashion Director of Elle Magazine an Project Runway Judge. Sorry for my un-up close photo, but I wasn't V.IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.P. and could only view on the 2nd floor.

Whatever - I laughed about it - talked to a couple mall employees about earlier who told me that the management office is normally great but they do have this witch answering phones and she's an uber snot apparently. (You don't say!) They told me to call the mall management to discuss my concerns and were in agreement that this event was being handled badly. (Again, you don't say!). Then, I see someone go to the podium and it's Nina Garcia speaking. So, not only is she signing books on Friday from 1-2 (don't most people work during the day who actually READ her book - Mall Mgmt??? DOH), but the mall is making sure they got the most for their $$$. In addition, they are making her tour the mall to the various high-end boutiques AND *gasp* she is hosting the "Afterparty" at the *wait for it* Blue Martini - A MALL BAR whose main claim to fame is it's Ladies Night on Wednesday and various radio station events. Nothing memorable and most of my friends tend to favor the real clubs downtown, not at a club at the Mall.

I hope to God that Nina Garcia got paid VERY well, because seriously - an afterparty at a Mall Bar? I can see her going back to NYC recounting the details of her trip to the Land of the Rat and the socialites gasping in horror "You had to host an afterparty at a mall bar - how horrid". Seriously - the Mall of Millenia took tacky to an entirely new level.

On my way to the JC reception, I dropped by Chanel (but that will be a different post), and then I decided "Fug it all - I'm just gonna relax and laugh at the tackiness of it all" and trotted down to JC. As I'm heading down to the reception, across the way I see a posse of people flanking someone in a gray dress - yup - it's Nina Garcia. She seems adorable enough, but she was flanked better than the President. She had security, an assistant (evident by holding her mineral water), a publicist (evident by clipboard), a Mall employee in a black suit with name tag (aka tour guide), and the daggone Mall Shutterbug. NO other media allowed apparently. Nina swooped into Dior and then her people flanked the door while she held an audience with the manager in there. Then it was off to St. Johns, Chanel & all the other high end boutiques for her. Now, from what I observed and know, apparently there wasn't a media presence on Thurs. night outside of a shutterbug from the mall. I'm sure that was an oversight of the publicist who handled that but I could be wrong. They could be controlling the media on this. Perhaps I'll see the selected pics in Orlando Magazine and other publications, but their people should have been there for accurate reporting. Nothing in the Orlando Sentinel outside of the announcements (but again - I question that because their fashion writer was extolling the virtue of a fanny pack - no, I'm serious. Again - horrified)

This is my annoyance. Orlando is already portrayed in a sad light - we have the most murders, we're full of tourists who can't drive, we have an influx of crime and the malls now are apparently the "go-to" place. IMO, this could have been done SOOOO much better and with a touch of class. However, apparently the Mall team has not a clue of what a real fashion week entails. For them to put together such a tacky event made me ashamed to admit that I live in Orlando let alone that I shop at what was supposed to be a classy establishment. And, apparently not everyone got the memo re: the receptions because JC told me that they were all required to have them. Tiffany's kept their doors closed like they do at 8:00, Gucci apparently wasn't conforming to mall orders and the Chanel reception was "ok" but their salesgirls need to tone it down a bit.

I still love the Mall Stores, however, Mall of Millenia Management can kiss my be-hind. And next time, the Mall should watch a video or three of how things REALLY are done during Fashion Week. Or hire a real team who knows how to execute something so grandiose.

*Photos courtesy of Lys' Blackberry*

Labels: Fashionista, Orlando, Random Mess, Shopping, Soapbox

Posted by Lys :: 1:19 PM :: 0 comments

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Just Because...

Saturday, October 27, 2007