Tag Archives: Simon Malls

San Diego Style Bloggers Meet Up at C Wonder

Two Saturdays ago, I took Dominic with me to a San Diego Style Bloggers meet up at C Wonder in Fashion Valley. I had been to C Wonder before, but never all the way in the store, which was quite deep. It’s bright, clean and bursting with fantastic ideas for gifts, from clothing to accessories to home goods at amazing prices. I love all of the possibilities for personalization, down to actual monograming! It was an early morning meet up, right when the mall opened at 10:00 am. We were treated to croissants, fresh fruit and sparkling drinks to help make for a very lively event. As usual, I loved meeting up with my favorite San Diego Style Bloggers, and also meeting new and upcoming bloggers. Plus, I had a mini-haul because of the awesome sale they had going on that day. If you’re a current blogger or just thinking about blogging, be sure to join the San Diego Style Bloggers for networking, making friends and meeting up at awesome events like this. Hope you had a great weekend!

Beautiful and bright, a perfect place for SD Style Bloggers to meet up!

Yummy food and drinks. Tanya of La Bella Tanchi caught my attempt at a candid!

Paulina of Lil Bits of Chic (and one of the founders of San Diego Style Bloggers) listening intently to the story of C Wonder. C Wonder was started by J. Christopher Burch, ex-husband to Tory Burch and aims to be a one stop shop for everything a woman needs for herself, her home, and gifting. It has been hailed by The New Yorker as “the World’s Fair of retail” and by Architectural Digest as “the next generation of shopping”.

Tuyaymya of White Tee Black Dress, Karla of Karla Vargas, and Eva of The Fashion Fairytale, all listening to C Wonder story.

With upcoming blogger, Joann (sorry if I spelled your name wrong!). She wanted to check out the event and find out how to get started with a blog. We all pretty much said, “Just do it!” I know, how very Nike of us!

Bloggers all posing pretty. I think Bianca of The In Between Girls is in all of these shots, intentional or not! She cracks me up!

Photo 1 – This is going to become some kind of photo tradition with Laura of Laura Neuzeth and Bianca (courtesy of Bianca). Our first one was at my little Madewell event (picture seen here). Photo 2 – Adrienne of Pretty Chouette, Bianca of Just Ask B, Paulina and Sara of Sara’s Sweet Style.

A bevy of iPhone pictures! Clockwise from top left to right: Photo 1 – The BEST selfie ever, courtesy of Bianca; Photo 2 – With Jennifer of Malcriada, my favorite rocker-chick-blogger (we have the same musical taste); Photo 3 – The whole group of us, courtesy of Sadai of Sadai Ayala; and with Laura, another stylish blogger with great taste in music.

Dominic was such my little trooper! He did so well while mama was meeting and greeting with fellow bloggers!

Uh-oh…my mini-haul! Naughty me bought some things before Easter. The items: Portable Printed Speaker; Hashtag earrings; Printed Cork Zip Top Pouch; Mini Nylon Easy Tote in Navy

AllSaints Coming to Fashion Valley Mall!

In addition to Topshop in Nordstrom, I was excited to find out recently that another British favorite is coming to Fashion Valley: AllSaints! Here are all of the details this fantastic new addition to Fashion Valley, and I’ll be sure to keep you posted on all the new stores popping up, as there are more to come in the near future!

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (March 20, 2014) – San Diego’s fashionistas have even more options to help spruce up their wardrobes with a new selection of retailers slated to call Fashion Valley home.

“As the premier retail and lifestyle destination in San Diego, both for local shoppers and visitors from around the world, we’re thrilled to welcome all of these fresh new retailers, including the first standalone AllSaints store in San Diego and Orange County,” said Chris Lane, director of marketing and business development at Fashion Valley.

British fashion house AllSaints, a newcomer to the San Diego market, will be the first in the series to set up shop. The store is slated to open March 28 in a 5,200 square-foot space on Fashion Valley’s lower level next to Michael Kors, near Macy’s.

The store will carry a range of the brand’s iconic British collection as well as technology aimed at enhancing the shopping experience and embracing digital innovation.

Founded in London in 1994, the Spitalfields headquartered AllSaints began as a menswear brand and quickly moved into the womenswear space. Known for its edgy and attitudinal clothing, AllSaints aims for creating fresh, innovative design, encompassing an ideology of reinventing the traditional standard. The cult cool brand has earned a reputation as the destination for vintage inspired design. AllSaints is a global brand with 107 stores in eight different countries.

About AllSaints

The British fashion house AllSaints was founded in London in 1994, with the aim of creating fresh, innovative design, encompassing an ideology of reinventing the traditional standard. After the success of their menswear collection, the brand moved into womenswear; still created with the same design-led commitment to high quality yet attitudinal clothing. The brand’s metropolitan location remains a key influence, proving to be an ever-evolving, creatively inspiring hub. In 2005, AllSaints’ head offices were relocated to the Spitalfields neighborhood of London, an area famed for its historic links to the fashion industry, and this artistically dynamic community is still home to the AllSaints HQ today. As the brand grows, so does its digital and online presence. AllSaints increasingly operates as a digital brand, creating music, film and art content available to view online at www.allsaints.com. In 2013 the brand launched its own film production company, AllSaints Film. A further extension of their contribution to visual culture; AllSaints’ creative projects are a testament to their brand values of creative disruption, innovation, independence and individuality.

(FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.)

Simon Youth Foundation Seeks San Diego Applicants for $1 million in Scholarships

I’m starting off the week with a wonderful request from the non-profit organization, Simon Youth Foundation, whose largest corporate partner is the Simon Property Group (one of whose properties is the Fashion Valley Mall). Please see the press release below. If you know someone who would benefit from such a wonderful scholarship, encourage them to apply!

Simon Youth Foundation seeks applicants for $1 million in scholarships

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (January 3, 2014) – For a fourteenth straight year, Simon Youth Foundation, a national nonprofit that provides educational opportunities for at-risk high school students, will award a college scholarship to one student from every community that is home to a Simon property.

Simon Youth Foundation Community Scholarships are awarded through the Simon Youth Scholarships program and in partnership with local Simon properties. The application period is open now until Saturday, January 11, 2014.

Locally, students can pick up a copy of a scholarship application at the Simon Guest Services Center at Fashion Valley. Applications also can be downloaded at the SYF website at: www.syf.org/our-initiatives/scholarships/community-application.

Any student who will be graduating in the class of 2014 and lives within 50 miles of a Simon property is eligible. The program will award a one-time scholarship of up to $1,500 to students who plan to enroll in an accredited college, university, vocational or technical school.

In 2013, the Simon Youth Scholarships program awarded $1.1 million to 389 students nationwide.

“Our mission is to ignite hope for a brighter future in students, and our Foundation is proud to partner with Fashion Valley to award scholarships that will remove some of the financial obstacles that would otherwise prevent a student from achieving the dream of a college education,” says J. Michael Durnil, Ph.D., the President and CEO of SYF.

The 2014 SYF Community Scholarship recipients will be selected by Scholarship Management Services, a third-party administrator. Students are selected based on a variety of criteria, including financial need, academic performance, leadership skills and participation in school and community activities. Those students who are the first in their family to pursue a post secondary education will also be given close consideration.

The completed application, along with official school transcripts and parents’ most recently filed tax form, must be sent to Scholarship Management Services by January 11, 2014.

About SYF

Simon Youth Foundation, established in 1998, supports 23 Simon Youth Academies in 13 U.S. states that give at-risk students the same education they would receive in a traditional classroom while offering the flexibility that their individual circumstances require. Recipient of the Crystal Star Award of Excellence in Dropout Prevention from the National Dropout Prevention Center, the foundation has helped more than 10,000 students earn their high school diploma and provided more than $10 million in college scholarships to 3,900 students in 42 states. The Education Commission of the United States has recognized the foundation with its Corporate Award for sustained and substantial investment in improving public education.

About Fashion Valley

Fashion Valley is San Diego’s finest collection of more than 200 stores and restaurants in a beautiful outdoor setting. Anchored by Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s and jcpenney, Fashion Valley offers over 1.7 million square feet of retail space, making it the largest shopping mall in San Diego and one of the largest in California. Global brands call Fashion Valley their San Diego home, including Burberry, CH Carolina Herrera, Gucci, Hermes, Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Prada and Ted Baker London, among others. With dining options like California Pizza Kitchen, The Cheesecake Factory, Love Boat Sushi, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, True Food Kitchen and more, combined with an 18-screen AMC movie theater on property, Fashion Valley is truly a premier shopping, dining and entertainment destination. For more information, please visit http://www.simon.com/mall/fashion-valley or call 619-688-9113.

(Thank you Noelle from Curator PR for allowing me to share this wonderful opportunity from Simon & Fashion Valley!)

Smile for Santa!

Each Christmas season, we take Dominic for his annual photo with Santa Claus. This year, we decided to try out the Simon® Santa Photo Experience at Fashion Valley. From the crowd gathered outside of Santa’s quarters, it seems to be quite the popular photo spot! Although there was a bit of a wait, the results were well worth it. My favorite is where Santa’s helpers directed Dominic to have a chat with Santa, which ended up being an Iron Man wish list.

Below you’ll find the remaining dates and hours of Santa’s stay at Fashion Valley, before he takes flight on Christmas Day:

12/13/13 Friday 10:00 AM 9:00 PM
12/14/13 Saturday 10:00 AM 9:00 PM
12/15/13 Sunday 11:00 AM 8:00 PM
12/16/13 Monday 10:00 AM 9:00 PM
12/17/13 Tuesday 10:00 AM 9:00 PM
12/18/13 Wednesday 10:00 AM 9:00 PM
12/19/13 Thursday 10:00 AM 9:00 PM
12/20/13 Friday 9:00 AM 9:00 PM
12/21/13 Saturday 9:00 AM 9:00 PM
12/22/13 Sunday 9:00 AM 8:00 PM
12/23/13 Monday 9:00 AM 9:00 PM
12/24/13 Tuesday 8:00 AM 6:00 PM

(Santa typically breaks from 1-1:45pm and 4-4:45pm daily. Hours and break times are subject to change.)

FTC Disclosure: I received a gift card as a courtesy to enjoy the Simon® Santa Photo Experience, but not as compensation for this post. Although I did receive a gift card, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like the Holidays!

It’s that time of year where my family travels to Las Vegas to spend Thanksgiving with our in-laws. We will be en route as this posts, so here are a few pictures from when the boys and I attended the tree lighting at Fashion Valley last Saturday to kick off this holiday season.

Wishing you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving, cheers!

Dominic digging his holiday hat!

Uncomplicated: J.Jill’s Grand Opening at Fashion Valley

Last Wednesday was the grand opening of J.Jill at Fashion Valley. One of the first bloggers to arrive, I had the chance to tour the store with Chris Gayton, the Senior Director of Brand Marketing for J.Jill and snap a lot of lovely pictures of this beautiful new space. Chris explained that the J.Jill woman is someone who likes a relaxed style, but who can still express herself through color and texture. I definitely felt the store layout emulated their style philosophy and I love the wide open aisles, bright yet simple lighting and the way the store flowed. The staff was helpful and attentive, and provided such a wonderful fashion experience. I want to thank Claire Mancini, Marketing for J.Jill and Noelle Ibrahim of Curator PR for the invite to the grand opening; and Chris Gayton for the wonderful and thorough tour of the store. Hope you had a great weekend!

J.Jill is bright, open, and easy to traverse. This makes the displays clear and visible, which makes for easier shopping!

I also liked the clean look of their displays. I was able to find like items behind the outfits displayed, and the store looked neat and uniformed.

One of my favorite parts of the store was the dressing room, which again is open and well-lit. I liked the mannequins showing style suggestions, and Chris mentioned they also stock basics in the dressing room to allow the customer to pair items with what they may have in their own wardrobe.

Hooray, it’s sweater weather! Cable knit, Fair Isle print and cashmere are all my favorite classics. Aren’t those holiday sweaters adorable?

The Pure Jill collection features their iconic kimono and other easy pieces in a variety of textures.

The Wearever shop is another collection of easy pieces in soft knits, but with a more luxe feel. Perfect for the holidays!

J.Jill also has a great petites section.

The jewelry is quite lovely and like one of their mantras, uncomplicated. I ended up getting that tassel necklace, but I really love the messages in their pendants.

Noelle Ibrahim of Curator PR with Lisa of the blog Mona Lisa Marie (and Fashion Valley’s personal shopper!).

In an Instagram group picture from Vanessa of Vanessa Balli (on the left) with Lisa and Lucia of Around Lucia.

I tried to emulate the easy style of J.Jill with my outfit for the grand opening: Fossil vest; MGO sweater; leggings from Shimmer; knee-high boots from ebay (only $40!); necklace & dictionary ring by Suki Bijoux; studded ring from Nordstrom; zip bracelet from Mimi Boutique (seen here); Nu_G British Flag Fringe tote c/o Bubbles Boutique; Eva glasses in Sepia Kiss c/o BonLook (photo taken by Lucia)

One of the items I chose to take home: this lovely Cross-Town coat in Perfect Red. Outfit post to come!

FTC Disclosure: I received free product, but not as compensation for this post. Although I did receive free product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

More Holiday Happenings at Fashion Valley!

Fashion Valley is turning out to be a holiday place to be for 2013! Here is some information on how you can make the most of this holiday at Fashion Valley, including more information about their new personal shopper service. Hint: it involves a lovely San Diego Style Bloggers contributor! Have a wonderful weekend!

Ring in the Holiday Season at Fashion Valley

Tree-lighting, holiday carols and good ole’ St. Nick to add to festive cheer

Tis the season to experience holiday magic, and Fashion Valley has plenty of festive cheer to go around.

To welcome the season of Santa, gifts and gratitude, Fashion Valley is hosting its annual Holiday Kick-off Tree-Lighting Event on November 23 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Elevator Court, near the Prada store.

The kick-off event, which is slated to be emceed by San Diego 6 anchor Heather Myers, will include a festive show by the Salvation Army brass band as they perform popular holiday carols. After the band serenades the crowd with joyful tunes, a local San Diego family will join Santa on stage to help light Fashion Valley’s glittering tree.

Throughout the event, guests are invited to help children in need by visiting Salvation Army’s Gingerbread House located next to Santa’s unique holiday home. Hosted by The Salvation Army’s Santa’s Little Helpers, the Gingerbread House will be decorated with tags displaying a child’s name, age and gift wish. Guests are encouraged to take a tag and return with a gift, or an American Express® Simon Giftcard®, for the child that they selected.

And what would a holiday celebration be without gifts? The first 200 revelers in line to make the nice list will receive Fashion Valley swag bags filled with retailer gifts and a holiday-themed book for little ones.

After Santa finishes mingling and jingling with everyone on the nice list, he will take his place in his winter wonderland in Center Court, where he will pose for photos and listen to holiday wishes through Christmas Eve. Santa will even pose with furry family members on November 24 and December 8 from 6:30pm to 7:30pm on special Santa Pet Photo Nights.

Families and visitors can get into the holiday spirit by posing with a 20-foot Christmas tree, featuring strands of twinkling lights and festive ornaments in a variety of colors and shapes.

To add to the holiday memories, seasonal entertainment from local organizations and groups will be available on select days throughout December. Fashion Valley will also surprise and delight loyal shoppers who have made the center their retail destination of choice. Fashion Valley’s mall management “elves” will greet and reward shoppers who have been on their best behavior this year with surprise treats and goodies throughout the holiday season.

Fashion Valley’s Holiday Kick-Off Tree Lighting Event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call (619) 297-3381 or visit www.simon.com.

Fashion Valley Saves the Holi-day with New Personal Shopper Service

New Amenity Enhances Customer Shopping Experience

Don’t know where to start with your holiday gift list? Stressing over finding the perfect outfit to wear to your holiday office party?

Have no fear, Fashion Valley has you covered with a new personal shopper service, just in time for the rush of the holiday season.

“Our goal is for each customer to enjoy a quality, convenient shopping experience at Fashion Valley,” said Robert Doherty, mall manager at Fashion Valley. “The personal shopper program is a fantastic amenity for those looking to save time or just enjoy a customized shopping visit.”

Gift shopping is a breeze this year, with Fashion Valley’s new personal shopper service, meant to help customers save time this season.

Focused on enhancing the customer shopping experience, this personalized amenity is available in time for holiday shopping and can be enjoyed by anyone.

During the initial complimentary engagement, which typically lasts up to two-hours, Fashion Valley’s personal shopper Lisa Moore of San Diego style blog Mona Lisa Marie, will work with customers through style assessments conducted by phone or in person.

“Fashion can really be an expression of individual personality,” said Moore, a professional in the healthcare field who works at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego by day. Moore began blogging and styling as a creative outlet to express her passion for fashion. “I’m thrilled to be help shoppers display their individuality through styling, and help them save time while doing so.”

As a solution to the stress that can sometimes come with holiday shopping, Fashion Valley’s personal shopper can either function like a concierge service and do the shopping for you, or to escort you on a custom shopping tour of the center, to help with your tough-to-tackle gift list or holiday fashion dilemmas.

“We encourage the custom tour of the center, because it allows shoppers to really maximize the experience and pick up some shopping and style tips along the way,” said Moore.

Should customers decide to use Fashion Valley’s personal shopper for additional services, Moore’s rate is $50 per hour.

(Thank you again to Noelle from Curator PR for allowing me to share these exciting happenings at Fashion Valley! Photos 1 & 2 courtesy of Fashion Valley. Photo 3 taken by me at the J.Jill grand opening.)

Enjoy 30% Off at J.Jill for Any Second Now Readers!

As you know, I attended the grand opening of the new J.Jill store at Fashion Valley last night. I’ve included a few teaser photos in this post, and I’ll be posting more photos about the opening of this beautiful new location next week. To celebrate, J.Jill has given the readers of Any Second Now a special discount! Enjoy 30% off on a single full-priced, in-stock item (excluding markdowns), online and in store by using the code JJSTYLE. The code is good through November 24, 2013 (please read disclaimer below*). There are many beautiful items to choose from, so I’m sure it won’t be hard for you to find something you will absolutely love, because I sure did!

Cheers and happy shopping!

*Disclaimer

Offer valid through November 24, 2013, on a single full-priced, in-stock item, excluding markdowns. Discount taken at the time of purchase in stores (outlets excluded), at JJILL.com or via catalog. For retail purchases, this code must be mentioned. Limit one code per person for one-time use only. Full priced UGG brand styles excluded. Offer cannot be combined with any other offer, except the J.Jill credit card discount. Discount not valid on previous purchases or gift card purchases and is exclusive of sales tax and shipping fees. No cash value.

Inspired Style: A Evening at the Newly Designed J.Jill Store

I was invited to an event to see the newly designed J.Jill store, which is tonight at Fashion Valley. I’m excited to check out their stylish accessories and apparel, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Big Sister League of San Diego, an organization dedicated to helping local women within the community become self sufficient. I’ll be sure to put up pictures of the event in an upcoming post. Cheers!

Holidays & Happenings at Fashion Valley!

Can you believe it’s already November? Where did the time go? In anticipation of the upcoming holidays, I thought I’d share some great happenings at one of my favorite San Diego malls, Fashion Valley.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Santa’s Arrival: November 8, 2013 at 10:00 am in Center Court

Welcome Santa to Fashion Valley from the North Pole! Parents and their children are invited to welcome Santa when he arrives at Fashion Valley on Friday, November 8. After Santa finishes mingling and jingling with everyone on the nice list, he will take his place in his winter wonderland in Center Court where he will pose for photos and listen to holiday wishes through Christmas Eve. Santa’s hours and break times are subject to change, though Santa breaks from 1-1:45pm and 4-4:45pm daily.

Personal Shopper Service

Not ready to tackle your holiday shopping alone? Fashion Valley will offer a personal shopper service that can be conducted either in person or by phone.

During the initial complimentary engagement, Fashion Valley’s personal shopper will work with customers through style assessments conducted by phone or in person. Following the preliminary consultation, customers can choose to use this amenity in one of two ways. The personal shopper can function like a concierge service and shop on the customer’s behalf, or they can escort the customer on a custom shopping tour of Fashion Valley. To enjoy Fashion Valley’s personal shopper service, please contact Guest Services at (619) 688-9113 and press zero to discuss scheduling a session.

New Stores

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Steve Madden is newly remodeled! They are located in the same space (next to the food court), but with a bold new look.

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Scotch & Soda is an Amsterdam based store that originated in the 80’s, but re-branded itself in the early 2000’s through new ownership. With 94 stores worldwide, it’s exciting to have this store right here in San Diego (located on the upper level)!