East Pack

Fashion's top players head to Istanbul

September 27, 2006—In terms of sheer spectacle, Istanbul's recently opened Kanyon mall may never match the city's 500-year-old, 4,000-shop Grand Bazaar, but it's hardly a modest affair. In addition to playing host to name tenants such as Lacoste, Thomas Pink, and Calvin Klein Underwear, the outdoor complex—which is indeed shaped like a canyon—creates its own weather. We won't get into the technical details, but, depending on conditions, shoppers are caressed by either warm winds or cooling breezes. Next week, the mall welcomes its most stylish tenant yet: legendary British retailer Harvey Nichols. The new three-story, 8,600-square-foot megastore—the company's first in Turkey—will showcase hundreds of labels from Armani to McQueen to Zegna, as well as a few local lines.

Further adding to the city's burgeoning fashion rep, Zac Posen and a hundred or so of his closest friends (including Cher) are flying in this weekend to celebrate his new collaboration with the local womenswear label Vakko. "A lot of larger global companies are setting up there," says the designer. "It's where the East and West meet." (To fulfill his part of the cultural exchange, he's bringing along Dita Von Teese to perform at the shindig.) Since Harvey Nicks won't yet be open, don't be surprised to find Posen, a self-described "antiquity fanatic," at the not-quite-climate-controlled Grand Bazaar.
Harvey Nichols at the Kanyon Shopping Mall, 185 Büyükdere Avenue, Istanbul, +90 (212) 353-53-00, www.kanyon.com.tr.