The sprawling real estate in the Las Vegas and Mandalay Bay convention centers, which housed the exhibits of fashion trade show Magic from Monday to Wednesday, will soon empty out, as the 60,000 attendees prepare to return to their homes and businesses in 80 countries. This incarnation of the twice-yearly show (which also takes place in February) employed quite a few new tricks to stay fresh, relevant, and interactive under president of Magic International and executive vice president of Advanstar Fashion Group Chris De Moulin.
New additions included a swimwear runway fashion event and a new vibe in that area that felt open and airy, evoking a day at the beach. Swim runway shows took place twice daily on the show floor, and Rumor hosted an additional show and party off site. The "Black Diamond" luxury area was new at FN Platform. And "Heart of Pret," a debut area in partnership with European salon Prêt a Porter Paris, showed European brands, in an effort to increase international connections at the show.
And then there were the most eye-catching exhibits. Ride Unltd. included a 4,000-square-foot street course, designed and constructed by California Skateparks. Desigual brought in Cirque du Soleil for a performance in its booth, to celebrate a collaboration between the clothing and theater brands in dramatic fashion, which saw a crowd backing up clear into the show floor, and even spectating from an upstairs tier. Over at Mandalay Bay, Paul Frank rolled its traveling Winnebago up a ramp to the second floor for its exhibit.
Swarovski set up three lounge installations—one each at Street, FN, and WWD. Working with Swarovski's Kisha Reid, Caravents built vinyl-wrapped scenic flat silver walls showcasing three-dimensional white plexi lettering for each lounge, differentiating the space among the trade show floor booths. Materials included clear and white plexi, silver shimmer, white suede, and lacquer, and thousands of crystals accenting display pieces and designs. R. Jack Balthazar handled the display detailing and furnishings. iPads allowed guests to play a version of paper dolls by customizing a range of looks with Swarovski Elements, and upload their creations to social media feeds.
Magic also presented its invite-only executive program, Magic Select, for V.I.P.s in the fashion industry. Over the three-day show, Magic Select at the Cosmopolitan brought together top C.E.O.s, presidents, owners, designers, and retailers with celebrities and press. As part of the program, an exclusive luncheon event at Aureole on Tuesday connected celebrities from the worlds of film, television, music, sports, and fashion to top executives and key decision makers of leading apparel companies, retailers, and licensors, in an informal setting for creative deal-making. eBay global head of fashion brands Miriam Lahage was the luncheon’s keynote speaker. Guests included the likes of Kellan Lutz, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Denise Richards, Nancy O’Dell, Cheryl Burke, and Camila Alves. Best Events produced, and Full Picture handled the publicity.
Late Tuesday, Twilight Saga star Lutz was back out again to host the Dylan George and Abbot & Main spring 2012 launch and the official Project after-party at Chateau Nightclub & Gardens at Paris Las Vegas. In typical Vegas fashion, the party kicked off around midnight, with Shadow PR handling publicity.
