It’s a sea of glitter-bedecked DJ’s, pink turntables and bouncy-haired bloggers grabbing up Poison Apple t-shirts, highly coveted Sleepy hoodies, Bashful wallets and Dopey bag charms, all from the newest and highly anticipation Disney collaboration with Coach. No, this is not some fashion fantasy idea of DisneyWorld and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – although, in a way, it is. Nor is this the hottest new nightclub in Orange County – though you wouldn’t know that from the trendy outfits. This is the scene of just one of the opening night VIP parties for the South Coast Plaza mega-mall pop up of the Disney X Coach third fashion and leather goods collaboration: this one themed “A Dark Fairy Tale.”
This collection of fairytale adorned crossbody bags, totes, wallets, t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, leather jackets, sweaters and charms is adorned with some daringly darker Disney images than Mickey and Minnie: one recurrent pattern is Spooky Eyes, another major reference to Snow White. After all, she was the fairest of them all. And she had fabulous skin.
“It was a kind of dark take on a romantic feel,” Coach creative director/designer Stuart Vevers recently told Elle.com. “There’s always something quite freaky in the references of the collection, and as a big Disney fan, I started to see parallels with some of the themes in my favorite movies.”
Get ready, fairytale fans of all ages: the arrival of this collection is so big it got feted with yet another party at South Coast Plaza on the night of Tuesday, May 16: The Jewel Court, the crown jewel center atrium of the California’s most famed mall (and that’s saying something), stretching up two shopping floors, was the scene of the earlier invite-only VIP shoppers and influencers affair, where champagne flutes were passed around in the midst of a giant two-story tall violet and silver looming turreted set reminiscent of the Magic Kingdom itself. Created by a Coach in-house production team, the pastel and metallic set was the perfect backdrop for the hot new coveted “merch:” embellished hoodies, duffles, patches, bag charms, totes, backpacks and t-shirts from “A Dark Fairy Tale.”
Coach’s Dark Fairytale debut in Costa Mesa doubled as a charity event for CHOC, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, a cause close to Coach’s heart.
Laura Dubin-Wander, Coach’s very chic president, arrived at the Jewel Court event in a Coach by Stuart Vevers sequin print skirt – and a Dopey Foldover Crossbody Clutch from the Dark Fairytale collection. “My thirteen-year-old son loves that I have this,” she laughed. “And everywhere I go, people keep asking me about it. Look at what’s written on the inside.”
And sure enough, in a whimsical fairytale-style font is inscribed, a la a Disney movie: “Once upon a time, in a faraway land, Disney dreamed up a new way to look at the classic tales. The road to happily-ever-after takes a turn. And shadows steal the spotlight. Welcome to Disney X Coach Dark Fairytale.”
The atrium event filled up fast with some young fashion-obsessed bloggers and influencers with Ariana Grande style ponytails (is there any other kind?), many of course snapping selfies – while younger kids ogled the t-shirts and small bags. “Mommy, I want that,” one teen girl was overheard, fawning over at the Snow White foldover clutch. Meanwhile, mommy bought it – for herself. “We’ll share it,” she promised her daughter. Hmmm… we’ll see.
It wasn’t surprising guests were snapping up the new Disney X Coach items pretty fast. “The last Disney collab sold out online within days,” said one Coach salesperson, running around the store’s several rooms with sneakers, necklaces, scarves, charms. “They’re iconic items now. You can’t find them. They’re collectibles. Did you see those wristlet bags with Mouse ears? If you want one of these pieces, I urge you to grab it now.”