hobnobbing at holt's

graham gartside

Holt Renfrew’s Vancouver store is 137,000 square feet of architectural innovation fused with funky originality. A $50 million budget combined glass mosaic, quartzite, Indonesian stone and reclaimed ebony wood under a feature skylight illuminating the courtyard on the main floor.  Sunlight dances over counters and booths that flow freely into each other. Ethereal lighting features in the café, restaurant and floating bar on the landscaped roof terrace offer the perfect excuse to linger over an espresso or freshly squeezed juice.

The new store is the latest of Holt Renfrew’s nine exclusive venues, each dedicated to refined fashion and customer satisfaction.  The store boasts fashion names from New York, London, Paris and Milan such as Dior, Alexander McQueen, Jimmy Choo, Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Chanel, Gucci and many others.  Holt Renfrew also includes the brightest fashion innovators to target its younger clientele. Designer clothing, accessories, shoes, cosmetics, perfumes and even home décor solutions are offered all under one roof.

The store opened on June 5 with a gala event hosted by general manager Gary Baland and CEO Caryn Lerner.  Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan attended.  Patti LaBelle sang, Chinese acrobats tumbled and star guests included actresses Marcia Cross, Zooey Deschanel and Rumer Willis, singer Sarah McLachlan, actor Alan Cumming and Vancouver Canucks players.

With foie gras, champagne and chocolates courtesy of Thomas Haas, you could be forgiven for thinking you were one of the glitterati in attendance.