10.09.2009.For today, Vogue and CFDA have organized international party celebrating style on four continents. It started as a New York thing but it expanded quickly to the rest of the world. More than 700 stores are participating across five boroughs and more than 12 countries around the world have organized their own version of the event.
NYC stores are organizing special shopping events, selling the event T-shirts and staying open until 11pm tonight.Anna Wintour imagined this initiative as a sale on 7th Av. with intention "to seduce people back to the stores and make them excited about shopping".
The recession had a major impact on peoples clothing shopping habits and their confidence; people became more careful and scared of uncertain future. In NYC more than 175,000 people are employed by the fashion industry which generates more than $10 billion in total wages, which is why NYC Major Bloomberg supported this event as vital way to give a boost to NYC economy within this crucial industry for the City area as well as the country and world overall.
Shopping in Barneys the day before the event, I got really excited about seeing the preparation process they did (catering preparations, window changes etc.), this is when the sales lady offered me to buy a Fashion's Night Out T-shirts for $30, of course I got it. Profits from shirt sale are going to the National September 11th Memorial & Museum. There was also a clothing drive "Shop for Good" where people could drop their gently used clothes which will after Sep.12th be donated to NYC AIDS drive.
Many major store chain representatives expressed their excitement about this event and would love to see it become a tradition as an introduction to Fashion Week which will translate the runway craze into retail energy. They said that the focus here is not to make huge sales within this one day, but to excite people about people and bring them back to the stores. Many stores offered finger food and drinks, cosmetic giveaways and award games, many had a celebrity guests and designer make over, runway walk lessons and style tips by famous stylists.
First, opening event happened in Macy's in Queens where Anna Wintour, Major Bloomberg and special celebrity guest Blake Lively from gossip girls, the cast of "Hair" gave performed three songs.Oscar de la Renta was (literary) serenading to his customer at his 5th Av. store, Alexandar Wang, Proenza and Shouler's were selling their wares out of the vintage car trunk in front of their Soho stores, Justin Timberlake had a pop up store for William Rast in Saks 5th Av. Olson twins visited Bergdorf Goodman where other celebrities also appeared, the line to enter the store was around the block at 7pm already.
As for a celebrity seeing I saw Blake Lively right by the back entrance of Bergdorf and Sarah Jessica Parker, as I was coming back from the MET earlier in the day, she was on the set of shooting Sex & the City 2.
I spend most of the day in MET, I was absolutely excited seeing work of Picasso, Monet, Salvador Dali and many others up close! After that, around 3 pm I had a Greek lunch - pita and green tea with mint, I went to Barnes and Nobels to read some fashion magazines and bought a new fashion history book - I really need to stop or I am going to pay another plane ticket for my extra baggage.
At 7 pm I met Ania and Ola and we went to Rugby Ralph Lauren for a Fashion's Night Out, there was a fair number of people there, DJ Matt was spinning, yellow and blue chocolate cupcakes were served and there was a cool instant photo booth with which we had lots of fun, sales people were giving away small Rugby balls and dancing around, and Rugby also issued its own newspapers with style tips and introduced many new peaches and ways of personalizing your Rugby clothes. It was great seeing all of my friends there and seeing new Rugby fall and trans collections can't wait to do some shopping there before I go back home.
September Vogue is out, Fashion's night out is over, designers are carefully optimistic...Mercedes Benz Fashion Week has oficially started.
xoxo from New York :)
~Kat~