Wednesday, September 16, Nordstrom demonstrated the meaning of the phrase “Go big or go home!”  Two days prior to the public opening, 2,500 guests bought tickets and attended the exclusive opening.  An estimated $420,000 was raised to benefit the following local charities: BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre Foundation, Covenant House Vancouver and the Vancouver Art Gallery.  

Red Carpet

International supermodels, local brand ambassadors and charity organizers, as well as, four generations of the Nordstrom family posed for photos in the Vancouver Art Gallery’s lobby.

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03: Back row, Nordstrom family (l to r): Jamie, Blake, Erik, Pete & Chris Wanlass. Front row: Kathleen Bartels and Bruce Munro Wright
04: Front row: Laurie Clarke, Tamara Taggart, Dr. Jan Christilaw
05: Sam, Erik & Julie Nordstrom
06: Tom Wells, Chris Wanlass and Karen McKibbin

Runway

The event took place on a grand scale yet details were well planned.  The red carpet extended through the art gallery and guided guests to Robson Square.  Well known for ice skating and salsa dancing during the summer, Robson Square was transformed into a world class runway.  The rink’s railings were removed and a giant tent was erected to cover the steps at the south end.  The lighting was flawless.  The show started on time and lasted approximately 30-minutes.
Each piece was amazing and wearable yet cutting edge designs were missing.  Even the late legendary Alexander McQueen’s collection consisted of evening gowns and full length trench coats.  The Space Collection, curated by Olivia Kim did feature four designers with youthful trendy pieces.  The show featured 12 sections and I selected my favorite piece from each collection.
After the runway show ended guests were invited to explore the new flagship store.  With customer service in mind, Nordstrom organizers moved the entire coat check from the Vancouver Art Gallery to a small tented structure near Robson Square.  It was subtle but meant guests could gather their belongings on their way to the store.
Be sure to visit www.SidewalkRunway.com for expanded coverage.

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07: 7:00pm Before the show
08: JJason & Natasha Sarai, Style By Sarai
09: Jackie Kai Ellis, featured in Nordstrom “Like Your Style” ads
10: Supermodel Coco Rocha (center)
11: Supermodel Amber Valletta
12: Valentino
13: Burberry Prorsum
15: Alexander McQueen
16: Space: Anthony Vaccarello
17: Stella McCartney

Ready, set, shop!

Guests definitely dressed to impress for tonight’s event.  Evening gowns, designer dresses and suits were very popular.  I’ve captured a few favorites.  As guests explored the new store, they were treated to DJs and live music from Sean Jones.  The band played a wide variety of music which kept guests dancing all night.  Guests were also treated to an endless supply of appetizers and desserts on each floor.

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25: Crystal’s wearing Greta Constantine
27: Jason Matlo, Designer & Wen-chee Liu
28: Supermodel Karolina Kurkova
29: Randa’s wearing Gentle Fawn
30: Sean Jones’ band kept guests dancing

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