The much-anticipated mall opens tomorrow (August 1) with some 85 stores, including Tory Burch, Kate Spade and Michael Kors.  Other stores include J.Crew Factory (the second in Ontario) and Banana Republic Factory as well as Hudson’s Bay’s first outlet store.  Ports 1961, which left Bloor Street last year is reappearing as an outlet shop at the mall as well.

I am however, a little bit disappointed at the store listings.  They seem pretty standard, after all, and not that “premium.”  I was expecting to see more luxury brands.  While I’m happy to see “entry-level” luxe lines like Kate Spade and Tory Burch, I was hoping to see more outlet versions of stores one might find at Yorkdale or Bloor Street such as MaxMara or Prada (I know that Burberry is set to open, but not until later in the year – at a time when fewer people are likely to go to an outdoor mall).  I was also expecting another HR2 – in fact, I thought the first HR2 in Ontario would be at the Halton Hills mall, not Vaughan Mills!  Perhaps we’ll see something in future phases (hey, with the recent HBC-Saks acquisition, perhaps the mall would get an OFF 5TH). Or maybe I just have extremely high expectations (I’ve been to sister mall, Woodbury Common quite a few times as well as both malls in Las Vegas)!

I will definitely make a trip out to the mall some time this month.  I know that this coming weekend will be a bit on the crazy side, since it’s the August long weekend.

Image courtesy of Mazuma Media