South Coast Plaza Fêtes Its French Fall Catalog on Melrose

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South Coast Plaza knows how to party. Following last year's stunning 45th birthday bash at Hotel Bel-Air, last night the luxury shopping center threw a Parisian-themed dining experience at Lucques on Melrose to honor its France-shot fall portfolio.

SCP's executive director of marketing Debra Gunn Downing revealed that the book features more than 50 of the destination's luxe retailer brands, including Barbara Bui, Chanel, Roger Vivier, Dior and more. As for talent, her dream team included acclaimed photographer Sharif Hamza and German model-of-the-moment Toni Garnn, who offered a fun little scandal during the shoot.

"The first day on set, there was a rumor from hair and makeup that Toni was dating a Hollywood celebrity," Downing explained during a toast. "We took it with a grain of salt, although we did notice she was texting a lot that day. Finally, at the end of the shoot we left that night and spotted her being picked up by Leonard DiCaprio." (They're indeed an item.)

Besides decadent bites and juicy gossip, Downing took a moment to salute co-founder and managing partner Henry Segerstrom, who turned 90 this year. She also dropped the news that South Coast Plaza will exceed last year's sales milestone of $1.5 billion with a nice double-digit increase. They're in the process of building new stores, too, including Van Cleef & Arpels, Bottega Veneta, Valentino, and a Coach concept shop—one of two in the US. There's also that exciting Diptyque that's set to open by year's end.

Explore the fall catalog here and take a day trip to Costa Mesa soon to see what all the fantastic fuss is about.
· South Coast Plaza [Official Site]
· Storecasting: Diptyque [Racked]
· South Coast Plaza Toasts to 45 Years at the Hotel Bel-Air [Racked]
· Dior's Traveling Couture Exhibit Lands at South Coast Plaza [Racked]