On Saturday Elle magazine held Passport to Style, the last in a series of seven fashion events at its monthlong pop-up Style Pod at the Bal Harbor Shops in Miami. Part of its Web-based Shopping A to Zee campaign, which features 26 fall trends from the magazine's creative director, Joe Zee, the series included a mix of public fashion shows, interactive seminars, and invite-only cocktail parties.
“We wanted to really drive to retail,” said Elle’s special events manager, Caitlin Weiskopf. “With the economy being how it's been, it’s really important for our partners and our clients to see that we're working for them and getting people to shop and excited about fashion again.”
The 384-square-foot structure created and outfitted by EventStar and SRX Events displayed items from 20 brands, including Gucci, Cartier, Max Mara, and Diane von Furstenburg. Elle reached out to advertisers in its two largest shopping issues of the year, August and September, to serve as partners for the promotion. Each brand submitted jackets, handbags, and shoes that coordinated with the trend for that day's letter of the alphabet—F, for example, is for fur.
The Personal Style Awards on October 13, a public fashion show and award ceremony honoring 10 stylish local women, and Saturday’s Passport to Style, which provided mall shoppers with a booklet of discounts at participating stores, served as the promotion’s two largest events, attracting more than 800 people each. Additionally, five stores including Valentino, Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent hosted private cocktail parties throughout the month for groups of 50 each.
