Shopping trip: Las Vegas rising
When it comes to shopping, Las Vegas is well on its way to overtaking Los Angeles as the fashion capital of the West.
Despite the still-sluggish economy, luxury brands continue to pour money into the market, which boasts more high-end retail in the space of a few miles than almost any place on Earth. Not even New York or Los Angeles have four Louis Vuitton and four Chanel stores -- plus Neiman Marcus, Saks and Barneys New York.
I spent a few hours this weekend checking out the newest jewel in Las Vegas' shopping crown -- Crystals at CityCenter. Designed by Daniel Libeskind and the Rockwell Group, and opened in December of last year, it is a mall like no other. Its jutting ceiling planes and curved surfaces are impressive to look at (even if they are a bit difficult to navigate).
The Miu Miu boutique is my favorite in the world because it is so open and inviting. (By comparison, the Rodeo Drive boutique feels like a closet.)
The three-story Louis Vuitton is fabulous, too, stocked with all the runway show collection pieces, including the Monogram Fleur de Jais handbags with black sequin embroidery from Fall.
The Lanvin store at Crystals is the brand's first U.S. outpost outside of New York. (Tom Ford also chose Crystals for his first U.S. store outside New York.)
