January 21, 2008
Introducing The Shoppes at the Palazzo

Views, Reviews, and Interviews
by Dianne R. Davis
diannerd@aol.com 

 Introducing The Shoppes at the Palazzo  

Shopping at the Palazzo will be an elegant experience for tourists and locals alike. Anchored by Barneys New York and featuring more than 60 of the world’s most exclusive luxury brands, the Shoppes at the Palazzo features one of the most comprehensive offerings of luxurious, elegant and fashion-forward retail on the Las Vegas Strip.

I attended the media event for the Shoppes and although many of the shops haven’t opened their doors yet, I was able to speak with representatives of some of the new retail spots and visit others.

Barney’s
Simon Doonan, Creative Director of Barneys who has been with the business for more than 20 years beamed like a proud pappa as he showed off the flagship Barneys located just a few from the Palazzo entrance to the Shoppes.

Simon Doonan and Dianne R. Davis

Doonan calls the decision to locate Barneys in Las Vegas “monumental” and feels that ,”it is a real treat to come to Las Vegas and visit this mind-blowing huge Barney’s.” Beyond the fashions, Doonan feels the store is hedonistically “crazy and fun.” In fact, a sign adjacent to the women’s dressing room says, “courageous, outrageous, contagious.” Doonan feels that Vegas and Barney’s are a perfect fit and believes that many celebrities will be shopping in this 85,000 square foot space.

Annie Creamsheese
Complementing the larger shops will be boutique businesses including “Annie Creamcheese. Garrett Bauman, Co-founder and CEO and Annie Lee, co-founder and president bring together experience, taste, passion, and even romance as they open their third location. Annie Creamcheese will feature vintage couture and modern style. They also do casting calls for new independent designers. According to Bauman, “Forty percent of our inventory will be new designers.” One of the unique features of their store, he said, is that buyers come to them. Their Washington D. C. store enjoys a huge celebrity clientele.

 Annie told me not to be surprised, “If you see Nichole Riche, Tara Manning, or some of the Rolling Stones in our store.” A lot of the world’s top designers shop their store for inspiration and their own wardrobes.

Annie Lee and Garrett Bauman

Now, the romance. This couple got together and became engaged seven years ago. They will celebrate the opening of their store during Valentine’s week. When you stop in, ask them how they got the name. They’ll be happy to share the story with you.

Diane von Furstenberg
Lisa Windom, Store Manager, was on hand to talk about the new Diane von Furstenberg store, opening in January. This is the fourth free-standing boutique to open in the United States and the 23rd worldwide she told me. Why Vegas? “The Palazzo is the next hot spot of Vegas,” Windom said. “Any store not in Vegas is missing out.” The store will include a offer the full range of Diane von Furstenberg ready-to-wear. But beyond that, a separate luxe room will showcase novelty items include DVF by H. Stern jewelry, evening gowns, accessories, and the new DVF handbag and shoe collections.

Links of London
Links of London has added Las Vegas to its other prestigious locations in London, New York, Paris, and Hong Kong. Since Links is opened for business, I was able to visit there with store manager Cindy Gonzalez. Their jewelry collection ranges from exquisite timepieces to a charming collection – of charms that is, 318 of them. “We’re not so much fine jewelry,” Cindy told me, “as we’re eclectic with a lot of humorous and very special pieces.” The store includes watches starting at $475 and ranging up to $7900. The charms start at a very affordable $60. They also have a huge selection of cuff links.

These are just the smallest sample of the fabulous shopping available at the Shoppes at the Palazzo. The décor carries on the modern European ambience and design reminiscent of Italian affluent living. It’s a charming area, connecting the Palazzo and its sister property the Venetian. Between the two, which do come together via the pedestrian walkway, shoppers, diners, and browsers can enjoy more than 160 shops and more than 30 restaurants.