New York’s Fashion’s Night Out

Fashion’s Night Out, which was held during New York Fashion Week, was a global initiative created to excite consumers and to spur retail’s bottom line.  Sponsored by Vogue Magazine, the Council of Fashion Designers of America and the City of New York, New York’s Fashion’s Night Out was a citywide celebration that had stores rolling out the red carpet, pouring champagne and partying with thousands of excited shoppers.

Stores extended their hours while celebrities from the worlds of fashion and entertainment signed specially designed tee shirts, mixed drinks a la the Olsen twins at Bergdorf Goodman (Fifth Avenue and 57th Street) and posed for photographs.  While the city was hopping, no part of New York was more festive than Midtown Manhattan.  It was there that Gwen Stefani signed autographs at Bloomingdale’s 59th Street store; Grace Coddington, creative director of Vogue Magazine, signed copies of the September issue at Prada, 724 Fifth Avenue at 56th Street and Donna Karan and Bobbi Brown were at Saks Fifth Avenue (at 49th Street) to meet and greet.  Undoubtedly, the greatest score of the event was at Judith Leiber, 680 Madison Avenue at 61st Street, where one hundred shoppers were able to buy glorious crystal-studded handbags, that would usually cost several thousand dollars, for $100 apiece.

Fashion’s Night Out drew thousands into the streets and shops of Midtown  but did it achieve its goal of increasing retail sales?  While most attendees want the event to be an annual happening, Fashion’s Night Out’s fate won’t be determined until all the cash register receipts have been tallied.  Stay tuned to see whether or not FNO was a retail success or just one big, expensive party.