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Archive for the ‘Events’ Category
I had the pleasure to meet Argentinian jewelry designer Maria Rivolta at her namesake store at Mall of America today. She’s engaging and chic—in a gray and black, Calvin Klein-inspired, understated way you might not expect from someone whose jewelry is known for color. But Rivolta loves a pop of color or shine. And she likes her jewelry to be fun, fashionable, and delightfully affordable. Meet her at the store (first level, outside Bloomingdale’s) from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, and save on two of her favorite enamel designs.
Tags: argentinian jewelry designer, Mall of America, maria rivolta, MOA
Posted in Accessories, Events, Mall of America | No Comments »
Tonight, I got to preview Diana, A Celebration, the exhibit opening Saturday, Feb. 4 at Mall of America. I was totally impressed. So much of the advance talk has been about Princess Diana’s 1981 royal wedding dress, with its 25-foot train–that I had no idea how much more the exhibit had to offer: a look at Princess Diana’s childhood, her charity work around the world and a collection of 28 dresses she wore through her years in the public eye. Fascinating to see how the fashions changed and her sophistication evolved. Sad to recall how abruptly it all ended.
Mall of America campaigned hard to get the exhibit, which travels to just a couple of cities each year, and always returns to Diana’s family estate, Althorp, in England for a summer display. (William walked Kate through these very artifacts before their own wedding.) Tune in to myTalk107.1 at 11:15 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, when exhibit handler Nick Grossmark will talk about Diana’s impact on fashion and share more behind-the-scenes tidbits with me on Shop Girls.
The exhibit is on the fourth floor (across from Hooters). Once inside, you’ll forget where you are, and remember where you were for a couple of the most-watched events in modern history. Tickets start at $23.50 for adults and $13.50 for children. Purchase them at guest service desks throughout the mall and the exhibition box office. Diana: A Celebration will be at MOA through June 10.
Tags: Diana, Diana: A Celebration, Mall of America, MOA, myTalk107.1, Princess Diana exhibit, shop girls
Posted in Events, Mall of America | No Comments »
 Trench coat, $54.99, by Jason Wu for Target Step aside–the black trench is mine. Jason Wu’s capsule women’s collection is scheduled to debut at Target stores and Target.com on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5. It’s the perfect follow-up to Target’s web-crashing Missoni frenzy: Tons of positive buzz, but more manageable scope. (Pleated skirts and tie-waist shirts alone, no matter how pretty and affordable, are probably not enough to bring down target.com). At 53 pieces of women’s apparel and accessories, Wu’s Target collection is considerably smaller than Missoni for Target, which included everything from tumblers to journals.
And yet, on the heels of Target’s smash success with Missoni, which blew out of stores in hours, there is heightened anticipation for Wu. Now we know: snooze, and lose out on designer fashion–this time, for $60 or less. Wu is a hot, young designer who skyrocketed to fame when First Lady Michelle Obama wore his dress to an inaugural ball in 2009. Last week’s New York launch party for Wu drew plenty of star power, including actresses Blake Lively, Emmy Rossum and Jaime King (all dressed in Wu for Target, of course).
It’s worth noting that Missoni hit Target on a Tuesday, as opposed to the more typical Sunday launch cycle, like for Wu. I pressed Target’s publicists to find out if pieces might trickle in early…particularly at a store like downtown Minneapolis to capitalize on weekday traffic…but the answer was a firm “it doesn’t arrive in stores until Sunday.”
Fine by me–I’ll take chips and dip for the big game to go with my new coat.
Tags: Blake Lively, Emmy Rossum, Jaime King, jason wu, Jason Wu for Target, Jason Wu party, michelle obama, Missoni, Target designer collections
Posted in Events, Shopping with celebs, Uncategorized, Women's Fashion | No Comments »
Kare11 Chief meteorologist Belinda Jensen was one of the first “notables” I called for a quote on her favorite thing about a Minnesota winter when we were putting together our January cover story. She skis. She has a million coats. She stands out in the cold every night delivering the forecast with a smile. That quote turned into a cover photo of Belinda…and a fun photo shoot with her family. What with the forecast, we had to truck in our own snow. The January issue of Mpls.St.Paul magazine hits newsstands Dec. 29. Here’s a peek behind the scenes:
Stylist Elizabeth Doyle and I were feeling the metallics and fur trim for our cover photo. Bel…not so much. We assured her that this skea jacket from Hoigaard’s (also available at Sun & Ski Clothing Outfitters) was extremely flattering and totally chic. She’s a good sport.
White on white? Why the heck not! That’s makeup artist Rhonda Jackson touching up Belinda and family. (We had to keep stopping to pick fake snow out of Belinda’s hair…the photographer told her kids to throw it. Man, that stuff sticks.)
Yes, she does look familiar! That’s Katherine Gerdes, Minnesota’s first Project Runway contestant. She’s also featured in our Winter Hot List story, modeling snowboarding gear. That’s right, Gerdes has set aside her apparel design work to become a pastry chef and snowboard instructor. We were glad to bring her worlds back together.
Tags: Belinda Jensen, Kare 11, Katherine Gerdes, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Project Runway, Rhonda Jackson
Posted in Events, Photo shoots | 1 Comment »
Look, I love to be in the stores at Christmastime–the hustle, the bustle, the gift wrap and free-flowing cider. It’s lovely to stroll a city street, or even a mall, and peer in the shop windows full of possibilities.
Except when it isn’t. I’ve been out and about almost every day, but honestly, I’ve accomplished much of my gift buying from home, late at night, online. I’ve taken advantage of online-exclusive offers to get deals better than I could have in-store, and I haven’t paid for shipping.
Neither should you: Friday is Free Shipping Day, one of the many created-for-commerce occasions that’s turned out to be pretty solid in just the past couple of years. More than 2,300 retailers have signed on, promising free shipping and delivery by Christmas Eve. Participants include national chains–Best Buy, Nordstrom, J.Crew, Toys ‘R Us, but also a lot of smaller independents including many based in the Twin Cities, like Creative Kidstuff, Finn Style, Foat Design and Moss Envy. Start browsing–Free Shipping Day begins at 12 a.m. EST. The lights stay on at the online stores all night long, and there’s no dress code. Many retailers will offer special Free Shipping Day deals as well. Gotta love those made up holidays!
Tags: free shipping day, holiday shopping, online shopping
Posted in Events, Shopping Tips | 1 Comment »
Some retail destinations promote their selection or sales this time of year. At Mall of America, all that’s a given. The issue is getting to it. Thus, the “12 Days of Parking” promotion. MOA is reserving 12 front row parking spots for the 12 days leading up to Christmas. I’m giving them away today-Saturday, Dec. 10–on Shop Girls. A dozen listeners will be guaranteed VIP parking for next Saturday, Dec. 17. Each winner will also receive a $25 mall gift card. (And we all know you could spend that thing four or five times over in the minutes you’ll save searching for a parking spot.) Listen to win, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today on myTalk107.1.
P.S.: You’ll get another chance to win Tuesday in our shopping e-newsletter, Swag.
Tags: Mall of America, MOA, MOA parking, shop girls
Posted in Events, Mall of America | No Comments »
There’s no excuse for a generic card or gift wrapped in newspaper (claim eco-consciousness, at least) what with the Twin Cities’ deep pool of design talent. Local Produce is a new collaborative of experienced designers who have worked for major brands including Mara-Mi, Target and Anthropologie. The mission is simple: “create art that delights.” Experience that first hand Saturday at Corazon. Shop Local Produce gift wrap and tags, ribbons and package accents. Then shop the rest of the store (I had a hard time editing down all the great Corzon gifts for our Dec. gift guide in Mpls.St.Paul Magazine), and members of Local Product will wrap your packages in their paper (for a fee). Enjoy cookies and cider while you shop. 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday. 4646 E. Lake St., Mpls., 612-276-0198
Tags: corazon, Local Produce, Minneapolis design
Posted in Events, Gifts & Cool Stuff, Paper, Uncategorized | No Comments »
MNfashion Week is becoming Minneapolis-St. Paul Fashion Week and shifting its calendar to align with the industry. That means showing collections a season ahead, just like they do in New York, with the hopes of getting orders from retailers with time for manufacturing. Basically, moving beyond the fashion show as entertainment to fashion show as launching pad. The upcoming season, announced today, will be held Feb. 19-26, 2012 and will premiere Autumn/Winter 2012 collections. The MNfashion organization, in its quest to professionalize the local design community, is also implementing a review process to improve the caliber of events and streamline the schedule so shows aren’t double-booked. Registration for Minneapolis-St.Paul Fashion Week runs through Dec. 23. The lineup will be announced Jan. 16. mnfashion.org
Tags: minneapolis-st.paul fashion week, minnesota fashion, MNFashion
Posted in Events, MN fashion designers | No Comments »
 Bless you, Kiehl’s, for turning your Mall of America grand opening into a grand clean up of Movember, the national grow a moustache in November movement which has hurt our eyes (and relationships?) with many a creepy patch of upper lip facial hair. On Wednesday, the last day of the month, for one day only, Kiehl’s will offer complimentary moustache shaves for men from 4 to 7 p.m. And for every shave, Kiehl’s will donate $50 to the Minnesota AIDS Project. Ladies, dragging your mustachioed man into the store adds up to another $50 donation by Kiehl’s. A Barbershop Quartet will create the mood and food and drink will be served. The first 160 customers in the store on Wednesday will receive a complimentary full-size product. And participate in raffles throughout the day. Mall of America, first floor, north side, 952-854-9541
Tags: kiehl's, Mall of America, Minnesota AIDS Project, MOA
Posted in Beauty, Events | 1 Comment »
I’ve been up all night and I have a DVD and two pairs of pajamas to show for it. I spent most of Black Friday eve and overnight broadcasting from MyTalk107.1 and the calls from shoppers never stopped–even at 3 a.m. Here’s what we know:
1. Yes, people will shop on Thanksgiving. Mall of America reports 15,000 shoppers showed up for its midnight opening. By 10 a.m., 81,000-that’s right–had walked through the doors, almost halfway to last year’s total of 200,000 Black Friday shoppers, a record MOA expects to break today. Target had 1,500 in line when the Bloomington, Minn. store opened at midnight. In California, a Target line topped 6,000. Retail analysts are already predicted midnight may be the new normal for Black Friday openings.
2. TVs are big. In size, and Black Friday popularity. The prices we’re seeing today are rock bottom, and experts don’t expect them to go much lower, even as the Super Bowl approaches. So if you can still find a deal on a LCD screen, take it.
3. Wal-Mart needs to regroup. Truly, the only negative shopping reports we heard from the front lines were from Wal-Mart. Shoppers did not have to wait outside, since the store was open all Thanksgiving, but that may have actually led to more problems. The “doorbuster” items, which went on sale at 10 p.m. and another round at midnight, were on shrink-wrapped palates in the aisles. So customers gathered around them, leading to pile ups, traffic jams and walking hazards in the crowd. We talked to many shoppers who left empty handed.
4. Speak up. Yes, it’s a crazy day, but that hasn’t stopped some super shoppers from asking for price matches, and often, they get them. My favorite pay off story came from a caller who was annoyed by a “Buy One Get One” offer. He expected if he bought one, he’d get one. Right? Turns out, it was buy one, get one 50 percent off. When he complained at Menards, they gave him the second item for free.
5. Black Friday this year is truly about hitting the stores. Retailers are saving their best online deals for Cyber Monday.
6. Shopping is the American way. Shopping for themselves, shopping with friends, shopping just to be part of event. We entered an alternative universe where people gladly spent the night out, in crowds, spending money, waiting in lines and not even complaining about it.
Tags: Black Friday
Posted in Events, Shopping Tips, Shopping trends | 1 Comment »
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