Las Vegas' The Fashion Show

The original logo of the Silver State's style-conscious shopping venue. Known in the early 1980s as THE FASHION SHOW, the complex would also be promoted as FASHION SHOW MALL and FASHION SHOW LAS VEGAS over the years.

Graphic from Ernest W. Hahn, Incorporated

In 1981, the mall encompassed 822,700 leasable square feet and contained 130 stores. There were 3,100 parking spaces. The complex was a tri-level structure, with 2 retail levels covering an underground parking deck. THE FASHION SHOW faced the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. To the northeast was the Frontier Hotel & Casino. Across the street was the Desert Inn.

An exterior view from February 1981 shows a mallway entrance at THE FASHION SHOW.
Photo from http://lasvegashistoricalsociety.org / Frank Valeri

Another vintage view shows the mall's interior. A spacious court area is flanked by the mallway entrance of a Diamond's department store.
Photo from www.flickr.com / PatricksMercy / Wayne Thom

Here we see another court area; this one leading into a Bullock's department store.

Photo from www.flickr.com / PatricksMercy / Wayne Thom

In 1999, a Bigger Than Life makeover began. Land to the west was cleared and Fashion Center Drive, the shopping center's original western boundary, was removed. By the year 2000, a new parking garage had been completed and construction was underway on a westward mall expansion.
Photo from http://www.therousecompany.com (website on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

During the 1990s, the Silver State shopping hub was officially promoted as
FASHION SHOW MALL, as shown in the first graphic. In late 2001, the complex
was renamed FASHION SHOW LAS VEGAS.
Graphics from http://www.therousecompany.com (website on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

By December 2001, three future anchor stores are in place and a new mall structure is taking shape. A new home for Dillard's, on the west end, would soon be rising from the desert sands.
Photo from http://www.therousecompany.com (website on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

In November 2002, the westward expansion opened for business. The complex, now officially promoted as FASHION SHOW LAS VEGAS, includes four newly-built anchors; Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's Home, Saks Fifth Avenue and Dillard's. An abandoned Saks, on the east end, has been leveled and replaced with a 4-level mallway extension. This segment of the project was completed in October 2003.

With all of the flashy hotels and casinos in its midst, the remodeled mall needed equally impressive frontage along "The Strip." This was provided by The Cloud. It covered a large open plaza on the east end of the complex and doubled as a nighttime projection screen.
Photo from Wikipedia / "CoolCaesar"

The southeast corner of FASHION SHOW LAS VEGAS, with Neiman Marcus in the foreground. It was one of 3 original anchor stores enlarged during the 1999-2003 renovation.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Edans"

A snapshot of the main shopping concourse in the original section the complex.
Photo from Wikipedia / Anthony Nachor

Another interior view showing the transition zone between old and new construction. The original -circa-'81- structure was several feet below the floor level of the early 2000s addition. The 2 levels were joined by the set of escalators seen in the background.
Photo from www.labelscar.com / "Caldor" 

By 2010, three anchor stores have gone through permutations. Robinsons-May had a 2-year stint as Macy's Fashion Show before closing in January 2008. Bullock's, which was a standard Macy's between 1996 and 2006, is now known as Macy's Las Vegas. The old Dillard's, which did not re-open as a planned Lord & Taylor, became a Forever 21 in July 2010.

FASHION SHOW LAS VEGAS TENANTS 2010:

BLOOMINGDALE'S HOME / DILLARD'S /  FOREVER 21 / MACY'S LAS VEGAS / NORDSTROM (with E-Bar and Marketplace Cafe) / SAKS FIFTH AVENUE / 1-2-3 Goal sports & fitness / 24 Hour Tailoring / 24-7 Real Estate / A Pea in the Pod ladies' wear / ABC Stores cosmetics, cards & gifts / Abercrombie children's wear / Abercrombie & Fitch apparel / Aerosoles shoes / After Hours Clubwear apparel / Aldo shoes / American Express / Ann Taylor ladies' wear / Apple Store / Arden B ladies' wear / Aristo apparel / Aveda cosmetics / Bakers Shoes / Bally of Switzerland shoes & accessories / Banana Republic apparel / Bare Escentuals cosmetics / Bath & Body Works cosmetics / BCBG MaxAzria ladies' wear / Beauty Effects cosmetics / Beauty Max cosmetics / Bebe ladies' wear / Ben Bridge Jeweler / Berger & Son Fine Jewelers / Betsey Johnson ladies' wear / Bettie Page shoes & ladie's wear (with Bombshell Tattoo Parlor) / Billabong cards, gifts, apparel and accessories / Boot Star shoes / Borders Express books & entertainment / Breathe / Brighton Collectibles / Brookstone electronics / Build-A-Bear Workshop / Cache ladies' wear / California Pizza Kitchen / Cellular Planet / Cellular Superstore / Centaur Art Galleries / Champs Sports / Chico's ladies' wear / Chinese Laundry Shoes / Claire's Boutique accessories / Clarks England - Bostonian shoes / Coach accessories / Coldwater Creek ladies' wear / Cole Haan shoes & apparel / Desigual children's wear / Diesel shoes & apparel / Easy Spirit shoes / E B Games / Eccoci ladies' wear / Ed Hardy apparel / El Segundo Sol restaurant / Elite Extensions cosmetics / Ethel's Chocolate / Everything But Water ladies' wear / Express ladies' wear / Express Men / Extreme Hobby / Fashion Show Concierge / Fashionality / Fight Shop apparel / Foot Locker / Fossil jewelry & apparel / Fred Meyer Jewelers / Fredericks of Hollywood / French Connection apparel / Fresh Produce ladies wear / Front Row Sports sports & fitness / Futuretronics technology & electronics / GNC / Godiva Chocolatier / Good Luck cards & gifts / Grand Canyon Tours / Guess? apparel / Guess by Marciano ladies' wear / Gymboree children's wear / H2O Plus cosmetics / Harris & Frank men's wear / Herstyler cosmetics / Hollister Company apparel / Hot Cats apparel / Hot Topic apparel / Ilori / Instant Beauty / J. Crew apparel / J. Jill ladies' wear / Janie & Jack children's wear / J C B Plaza / Jessica McClintock ladies' wear / J G A Assistance Center / Johnny Rockets restaurant / Johnston & Murphy men's wear / Journeys shoes / Justice children's wear / Kate Spade ladies' wear / Kay Jewelers / Kenneth Cole accessories / Kids Juke Box cards, gifts & toys / Lacoste apparel / Lady Foot Locker / Landau jewelry / Le Tabac accessories / Lenscrafters / LeSportsac apparel / Levi’s Store / Lids hats / Lladro cards, gifts & housewares / L'Occitane En Provence cosmetics / Loft ladies' wear / Louis Vuitton apparel & accessories / Luciano's Italian Restaurant / Lucky Brand / Lululemon apparel & accessories / Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant / Mango apparel & accessories / Marc Ecko apparel / Massage Professionals / Metropark apparel / Michael E. Minden Diamond Jewelers / Michael Kors ladies' wear / Miche Bag accessories / Nail Art / Nine West ladies' wear / No Fear men's wear / Norman Kaplan Footwear / Nurielle ladies' wear / Occhiali da Sole Optica accessories / PacSun apparel / Painted with Oil housewares / Pandora jewelry / Paradise Pen Company cards & gifts / Paul Frank apparel / PayLess ShoeSource / Perfumania / PH8 ladies' wear / Prestige Travel & Show Tickets / Proactiv Solution cosmetics / Puma shoes / Quiksilver - Roxy apparel / RA Sushi Japanese Restaurant / Radio FX toys & hobbies / Razzle Dazzle / Regis Hair Stylists / Rockport shoes / Sandwich jewelry & accessories / Sanrio cards & gifts / Shiekh Shoes / Silver Dagger apparel / Skechers Shoes / Soho Collections ladies' wear / Soma Intimates ladies' wear / St. Croix men's wear / Starbucks Coffee - Plaza / Stash apparel / Steve Madden shoes / Stripburger restaurant / Sunglass Hut I (kiosk) / Sunglass Hut II (kiosk) / Sunglass Hut - Watch Station / Swarovski jewelry / Swensen's Ice Cream / Talbots - Talbots Petites ladies' wear / Talulah ladies' shoes & apparel / Teavana restaurant / TeNo jewelers / The Art of Shaving / The Body Shop cosmetics / The Children's Place children's wear / The Gap apparel / The Icing by Claire's accessories / The Limited ladies' wear / The Walking Company shoes  / Thomas Sabo jewelers / Tix 4 Tonight / Tommy Bahama apparel / Travel + accessories / True Religion apparel & accessories / Tumi accessories / Unseen World housewares / Vans skates & accessories / Victoria's Secret lingerie / Victoria's Secret Beauty / Viva Vegas cards & gifts / Welcome To Las Vegas cards & gifts / Wet Seal ladies' wear / White House - Black Market ladies' wear / Z Gallerie housewares / Zales Jewelers / Zara ladies' wear / Zara Men

FOOD COURT:

Auntie Anne's Pretzels / Chicken Connection / Crazy Crepes / Dairy Queen - Orange Julius / Gelato Cafe / Great Wraps / Greek Island Cafe / Haagen-Dazs ice cream / Hot Dog On A Stick / Ichiban / KFC Express / Nathan's Famous Hotdogs / Panda Express / Philadelphia Steak & Hoagie / Sbarro The Italian Eatery / Subway / Taco Maker / The Capital Grill / Wendy's hamburgers 

By 2018, FASHION SHOW LAS VEGAS anchor stores have gone through further changes. Macy's Fashion Show is now a Macy's Men's and Bloomingdale's Home has morphed into Dick's Sporting Goods. For the record, the super-sized shopping hub now spans approximately 1,878,100 leasable square feet, with a tenant list of 249. Surface and covered parking areas can accommodate 4,500 autos at one time.

A contemporary aerial view includes the entirety of the gargantuan shopping center. The Cloud appears in the lower left with a Dillard's store far in the distance.

Photo from Wikipedia / "Bobak Ha'Eri" 

THE FASHION SHOW
South Las Vegas Boulevard and Spring Mountain Road
Clark County, Nevada

The third major shopping mall in -or around- Sin City was built by a joint venture of El Segundo, California's Ernest W. Hahn, Incorporated and Las Vegas' Summa Corporation (an entity comprising the business interests of the late Howard Hughes). THE FASHION SHOW was designed by Bill Whipple. The facility was built on a 34-acre plot, located 2.8 miles southwest of downtown Las Vegas, in an unincorporated section of Clark County known as Paradise. 

Comprised of 2 retail levels, the 822,700 square foot mall was built atop a subterranean parking deck. Its interior was done in a desert motif, using flora and fauna indigenous to the American Southwest. The Main Entrance featured a broad, 2-level ramp which doubled as a catwalk for fashion shows.

Anchoring THE FASHION SHOW were a 2-level (130,400 square foot), Los Angeles-based Bullock's, 2-level (102,000 square foot) Dallas-based Neiman Marcus, 2-level (107,400 square foot) Phoenix-based Goldwaters, 2-level (120,000 square foot) Phoenix-based Diamond's and 2-level (64,000 square foot), New York City-based Saks Fifth Avenue.

Among 130 charter stores and services were Zales Jewelers, Florsheim Shoes, Units apparel, See's Candies, Waldenbooks, Toys International, Orange Julius and Haagen-Daz.

An official grand opening was held on February 14, 1981. As one might expect, the inauguration of the 74 million dollar retail hub included a high profile fashion show. This was attended by such luminaries as Adolpho and Michael Vollbracht, Bill Blass, Mary McFadden, Pauline Trigere and Bob Mackie.

Major shopping facilities in Greater Las Vegas had been THE BOULEVARD (1968) {1.7 miles east, in Clark County} and MEADOWS MALL (1978) {3.2 miles northwest, in Las Vegas}. Eventually there would also be FORUM SHOPS AT CAESARS (1994), a shopping arcade added to the Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino {.5 mile south, in Clark County} and GALLERIA AT SUNSET (1996) {8 miles southeast, in Henderson}.

The original anchor store line up at THE FASHION SHOW was first altered in the fall of 1986. At this time, eighteen Diamond's stores were rebranded under a newly-created, Phoenix-based division of Dillard's. Goldwaters became a Los Angeles-based May Company California in February 1989. This store was rebranded, as a Los Angeles-based Robinsons-May, in January 1993. The mall's interior was given a face lift, which was completed in November 1993. By this time, the complex was being officially promoted as FASHION SHOW MALL.

Bullock's was refitted with a Macy's nameplate in April 1996. The May-Federated merger of August 2005 resulted in further conversions of FASHION SHOW MALL anchor stores. The Goldwaters-Robinsons-May morphed into Macy's Fashion Show, while the Bullock's-Macy's became Macy's Las Vegas. This transition was completed on September 9, 2006.

Over the years, ownership of the shopping hub changed several times. The real estate holdings of Ernest W. Hahn, Incorporated had been acquired by Toronto-based Trizec in May 1980. By the late 1980s, the company was known as the TrizecHahn Corporation. 

The Summa Corporation became the Howard Hughes Corporation in 1994. Maryland's Rouse Company acquired the Howard Hughes Corporation in May 1996 and now controlled a 75 percent share of FASHION SHOW MALL. TrizecHahn sold their 25 percent interest in the mall to Rouse in April 1999. In November 2004, Chicago-based General Growth Properties acquired the holdings of the Rouse Company. The shopping complex was now a GGP property.

Meanwhile, in 1999, The Rouse Company had acquired a 14.2-acre tract directly west of the mall. Ground was broken for a "Bigger Than Life" expansion project. Designed by the Los Angeles-based Altoon & Porter firm, it was to add over 1 million leasable square feet to FASHION SHOW MALL and more than double its size.

A multi-level parking garage, located at the southwest corner of the 48.2-acre site, was the first structure completed. During the redevelopment, four new anchor stores were built; a 2-level (200,000 square foot) Dillard's, 2-level (100,000 square foot) Bloomingdale's Home (the first in the nation), 2-level (166,000 square foot) Saks Fifth Avenue and 3-level (200,000 square foot) Nordstrom (the first in Nevada).

These would connect into a 2-level West Wing, built several feet higher than the circa-1981 mall. Like the original structure to the east, it would cover an underground parking deck. The original complex, and an eastward expansion, would become Lower Level East and Upper Level East. The new western section would be known as Lower Level West and Upper Level West. The 2 sections of the expanded mall would be linked by a set of escalators located south of the Robinsons-May store.

During the remodeling, three existing anchors were expanded; Neiman Marcus to 160,000 square feet, Macy's to 207,000 square feet and Robinsons-May to 201,000 square feet. A second multilevel parking garage would also be built at the northwest corner of the site.

The primary feature of the remodeled retail hub was The Cloud, a 128-foot-high structure along the mall's east facade (facing The Las Vegas Strip). The underside of the 480-foot-long fixture would become a giant projection surface during evening operating hours. At the center of the westward expansion would be The Great Hall, a large court area and venue for daily fashion shows. Moreover, a third level in the eastward enlargement would house a 17-bay Food Court.

 

As part of the ongoing remodeling, the official name of the complex was changed to FASHION SHOW LAS VEGAS in late 2001. Phase One of the 1 billion dollar renovation was officially dedicated on November 1, 2002. Four anchor stores commenced operation. Dillard's and Saks Fifth Avenue moved from smaller quarters in the original mall. Bloomingdale's Home and Nordstrom joined the retail roster.

Lord & Taylor, originally signed to assume the old Diamond's-Dillard's spot, cancelled their FASHION SHOW LAS VEGAS plans in 2003. The store would sit vacant for over 6 years. The original Saks, now also vacant, was demolished between December 2002 and January 2003. This made way for the new East Wing expansion and The Cloud. The Phase Two segment was dedicated on October 1, 2003. FASHION SHOW LAS VEGAS now encompassed 1,878,100 leasable square feet and housed 249 stores and services.

Mall stores continued to evolve. Macy's Fashion Show closed in January 2008 and re-opened, as a Macy's Men's, on February 28, 2013. Los Angeles-based Forever 21 opened in the long-vacant, original Dillard's store on July 24, 2010. The Bloomingdale's Home store went dark in April 2013 and was revived, as a Dick's Sporting Goods, on October 30, 2015.

At the same time, a reconfiguration of the mall's Strip-facing facade was nearing completion. It rebuilt 22,000 square feet of store space on the Lower Level Plaza (beneath The Cloud) into several new establishments. The first of these, Kona Grill, Strip Burger and Luke's Lobster, were in operation by November 2015. 

General Growth Properties sold a 50 percent share of FASHION SHOW LAS VEGAS to New York City-based TIAA Asset Management in August 2016. General Growth changed its name to GGP Inc. in January 2017.  The assets of the company were acquired, by a subsidiary of Toronto's Brookfield Asset Management, in a series of transactions. These concluded in August 2018, with FASHION SHOW LAS VEGAS joining the Brookfield retail center portfolio.

Sources:

The Los Angeles Times 

Florence-Sheffield-Tuscumbia-Muscle Shoals Times Daily 

The Las Vegas Sun

http://www.thefashionshow.com (website on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

http://www.therousecompany.com (website on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

https://www.thefashionshow.com

https://www.fslv.com

https://www.ggp.com (General Growth Properties)

https://www.brookfieldpropertiesretail.com / Brookfield Properties

"Fashion Show Mall" article on Wikipedia