Bal Harbour Shops, The Changing Face Of Shopping

These days luxury retail isn't just a store, it's a whole identity. We've seen retail brands from Barney's New York to Net-a-Porter get deeper and deeper into the content arena offering articles, photography and videos that aren't just ads they are separate editorial experiences. Shopping destinations that host a variety of shops are also getting in on the action too.

Bal Harbour Shops, an upscale destination in Florida's affluent village of Bal Harbour isn't just a destination shopping area with stores like Neiman Marcus, Brooks Brothers, Gucci and Versace, fine dining restaurants, cafes and more, it also has its own luxury magazine with glossy fashion layouts. The Shops at Bal Harbour website isn't your old-fashioned mall directory, it's packed with profiles of fashionable folks like Ines de La Fressange and pieces on the latest fashions and on local socialites. The event calendar reveals a busy schedule of designer trunk shows, meet and greets with designers and more. Shown above is the video for the cover shoot for the latest issue of Bal Harbour magazine.

Palm Beach's Worth Avenue has a similar website initiative that promotes not just the shops but a luxury lifestyle. Today's high-end shopping destinations are more than just a place to buy clothing or other goods, they are also a brand unto themselves.