Tenley Zinke’s resume reads like a lineup at Fashion Week—Christian Lacroix, Kenzo, Loewe, Celine, Fendi, Ralph Lauren, Tiffany & Co., Net-a-Porter. She’s called each of these brands home throughout her illustrious career in the industry, starting at a PR agency founded by two young, ex-Calvin Klein PR girls—contemporaries of the late Carolyn Bessette Kennedy—and working her way up to the hallowed halls of LVMH and Kering.
Now, she’s traded the Big Apple for Orange County as the new executive director of marketing at South Coast Plaza. “I believe this will be the last and best chapter of my career,” says the born-and-bred New Yorker. “Nowhere else will you find the unique mix of global luxury fashion, jewelry, watches and beauty houses, a Michelin Star restaurant with Knife Pleat and the ever-popular Din Tai Fung.”
In her previous role prior to joining the South Coast Plaza team, Zinke integrated philanthropy into her love of luxury. “At Kering, in a role very close to my heart, I was leading corporate communications and community engagement that included raising money for survivors of domestic and sexual violence through the Kering Foundation and the Caring for Women Dinner, both created by Salma Hayek Pinault and François-Henri Pinault, two of my heroes.”
Experiences like that have well-prepared her to lead the West Coast’s premier shopping destination into its next era. “Having been at the epicenter of cultural and fashion events, I can confidently say that South Coast Plaza is its own center of gravity, evidenced by the stream of executives I know from New York, Paris and Milan coming to visit the stores, see the latest developments and to plan their own spectacular events and pop-ups specifically for the South Coast Plaza clientele,” says Zinke, who anticipates the forthcoming openings of Tiffany & Co.’s Blue Box Cafe, under the direction of the legendary Daniel Boulud, along with the unveiling of new stores for Jessica McCormack, Polène, Tom Ford and Boucheron.
Here, Zinke rounds up the pieces she’s currently eyeing from coveted South Coast Plaza retailers and beyond.
"An indulgence, yes. But worth it." Guerlain The Radiance Concentrate, guerlain.com
"Having spent so much time in France working for LVMH, I was exposed to the effortless chic of French people, including the casual addition of a silk scarf that can make an outfit." Celine square scarf in silk twill, celine.com
"Because earrings frame your face, beautiful materials and designs attract people's gaze and spark conversation. Jewelry is an investment that holds both emotional and inherent value, and I like to purchase it for myself to commemorate meaningful chapters in my life." Cartier Clash de Cartier multi-wear earrings, cartier.com
"he texture alone is worthy of conversation, and its versatility takes me seamlessly from work to an evening out, which I do often." Fendi black and white polka dot viscose skirt, fendi.com
"I am drawn to the watery, lush, verdant nature in abstract form that consumes the entire canvas, as if it is voracious in its quest to expand and overtake." Petra Schott, "Happy Growing", tappancollective
"I would love a VIP experience at any F1 Grand Prix, but especially in Monza, Italy. I am just bananas for F1. In my alternate life, I would spend a year going from circuit to circuit." formula1.com
"I like the idea of wearing evening gloves during the day for the fun of it. Why not?" Prada satin gloves in Citron Yellow, prada.com
