Longer Blurb 4- Fashion Night Out

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You would think that a typical Thursday night on Fifth Avenue, Madison Ave, and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills would be quiet. On the contrary, stores were filled with shoppers and visitors from all over the world for Fashion’s Night Out. This premier event is a night where thirteen cities and countries including the likes of Los Angeles, Greece, Italy, Japan and many others open fashion power houses as well as many well know retailers past their normal closing hours. Seven hundred retailers this year participated ranging from Gap and American Eagle Outfitters to established and luxurious brands such as Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Jimmy Choo. As I made my rounds on Fifth Avenue, it is clear that this night is not just any ordinary night but is a night where New York socialites as well as visitors dress up in glamorous haute couture and avante garde clothing. What made this night so spectacular and different from past years were the huge promotions, events and the vast amount of samples in an effort to promote New Yorkers to shop more because of the recession in the fashion industry.

Many people, especially women, came to this event not only to show off their latest Chanel bags or Mikimoto pearls, but to enjoy the ambiance, décor and of course, high end shopping. Famous stores, known for their infamous and outrageous prices have been heavily discounted to make their products more appealing and affordable. In addition to the markdowns comes gourmet food! For example, Henri Bendel offered free champagne and gourmet food samples in addition to free make up appointments and nail services, in hope that New Yorkers would buy new products. Food samples were not the regular Ritz saltine crackers however. Instead, there was Italian roasted bread with mushroom pâté topped with sweet capers. Bendel’s also attracted many people by hiring a renowned artist known for caricatures. This artist, known for drawing the faces of Gossip Girl characters on magazines and newspapers, charged $150 for each picture, a much discounted price than the norm. The catch phrase for these pictures was “Be a Bendel Girl for a day.” These fantastic deals “are unheard of” according to a woman shopping at Bendel’s. Because of the recession, fashion industries were forced to either give more of their product for the normal price or either hold promotions in an attempt to draw customers in. Clearly, food samples and free services are just the cherry on top to keep customers shopping.

Similarly, Lacoste, a hotspot for many sport fans and people in general, had a guest DJ playing the latest hits with loud music in an attempt to draw customers into the store. As we all know, DJ’s are not cheap. However, when you have DJ’s playing “Please Don’t Stop the Music” or upbeat songs, one could not help but see where the loud music is coming from. With that said, the loud and pompous music of the store was what enticed me personally to go into Lacoste.

Tiffanys, on the other hand, with their signature blue carpet, gave out free Starbucks coffee, hot or iced, and offered an array of lush, rich chocolates and truffles ranging from Chardonnay and sea salt truffles to raspberry truffles to even White Chocolate with Silver leaf shavings. Clearly, these chocolates were not the typical Hersey’s chocolate. Word on the street was that these were expensive chocolate, including some from famous bakeries and eateries around New York. Outside however- alongside the infamous blue carpet- lays dozens and dozens of white roses, free for the public to take. When I asked a worker at Tiffany’s about this event, she said that Tiffany’s has not been as grand in the past. Perhaps the chocolate and iced coffee was what drew people into Tiffanys. Regardless, stores like Tiffany and Co, an established jewelry store, resorted to samples in order to get through this rough time of non-consumer spending.

In addition to food samples, there were also many celebrities that flew in from around the world to promote this event. Although stores offered fantastic amenities and freebies, the night is not over without special appearances by celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, Christian Siriano, last years winner from Project Runway, the Olsen Twins and many more. In fact, lines were so long at Payless waiting for Christian Siriano, that the estimated wait time was over an hour! Fans even lined up at Barneys for hours upon the arrival of the famous child-hood twins, Mary Kate and Ashley. In fact, some people even bought clothing at the stores the celebrities were appearing at just so the celebrities can autograph the piece of clothing. By having celebrities, stores hoped to not only promote their own name and reputations but to also entice shoppers to purchase from their stores.

Lastly, the other factor that made this night such a booming success was the promotions. American Apparel for example, offered 25% off your entire purchase after their closing hours. Bendel’s offered a free make up kit and many department stores offered gift cards as incentives to spend more. Not feeling like an outsider, I decided to splurge on a luxe item myself. Although the store I bought my bag from does not have any promotions or incentives of their own, I nonetheless, enjoyed the aura and the culture of the night. The cashier offered me sparking cider alongside a decadent piece of dark chocolate truffle.

Although it is not clear whether these festivities galore truly helped sales significantly, this posh event is something fashion gurus must book in their python calendar books for the following year! I know I will definitely go again!