Fashion’s Night Out New York – Signature9 http://198.46.88.49 Lifestyle Intelligence Mon, 21 Feb 2011 16:07:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.4 Fashion’s Night Out will Return Next Year, But Should It? http://198.46.88.49/style/fashion/fashions-night-out-will-return-next-year-but-should-it http://198.46.88.49/style/fashion/fashions-night-out-will-return-next-year-but-should-it#respond Thu, 02 Dec 2010 21:35:43 +0000 http://198.46.88.49/?p=17103 This year’s Fashion’s Night Out was an unabashed 3-ring fashion event with cameras, huge crowds, fashion icons, champagne and a t-shirt to remember it all by. So it’s not much of a surprise that the event will return on September 8th next year, but should it?

Perhaps the third time's a charm?

In terms of foot traffic the event was an overwhelming, mammoth success. People turned out in droves and created lines that wrapped around (and around, and around…) the block for some stores.

The financial success though? Well, mum’s been the word for a while. The financial results from the first year were underwhelming for certain retailers, and this year no one would comment. It’s not just our emails and calls that went unreturned, there’s been no mention in the Wall Street Journal, WWD or any of the publications we’d expect to report back with the hard numbers.

On one hand, plenty of successful ventures take a while to find their financial footing. Big buzz can mean big profits if it’s sustained. Look at any number of popular tech startups: Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, YouTube – all are going through or went through a period where user adoption outpaced revenue.

On the other hand, with the economy picking up and shoppers getting comfortable with spending again, do retailers really need to keep spending money on an event that generates traffic, but not as much in sales? Without hard numbers, it’s difficult to argue for or against the event to continue, but anecdotally, something has to change if the event is to become the Black Friday of fall. For all of the people out and about, we didn’t catch much actual shopping going on.

Part of it, we suspect, is that the event has become too much of… an event, and not one that’s about shopping. Crazy as it may be for some, people are pitching tents, buying diapers and lining up outside of stores in the wee hours of the morning on Black Friday to catch unbelievable deals and spend money. People on Fashion’s Night Out typically lined up to meet their favorite celebrity or watch the spectacle unfold, rather than shop.

If next year’s event is to be as beneficial for business as it is for buzz and branding, we have a few suggestions:

  • Ditch the celebrities: While the crowds may not be as heavy, they’ll be there for the clothes and shopping, rather than the photo op.
  • Break out the financial incentives: Yes, the event was created with the goal of getting people to buy at full price, but take a page from big box retailers who know the power of a doorbuster for encouraging shopping rather than gawking. Plus, we’ll bet that whatever you would have spent on celebrity security and crowd control will be just as popular if you give it to shoppers in the form of discounts or special gifts.
  • Include an online component: Vogue UK tested the first Fashion’s Night In this year, and while reports on financial success have been similarly quiet to the night out, so many people turn to websites for decisions on where to go and what to buy offline that it’s plain silly to waste the attention. Especially for shoppers not in New York or a major city, it could also be a great way to boost online sales and give those who just don’t want to fight the crowds a connection to the event (and possibly, a reason to come to the store in person at a later date).
]]> http://198.46.88.49/style/fashion/fashions-night-out-will-return-next-year-but-should-it/feed 0 Will Fashion’s Night Out Really Boost Retail Sales in NYC? http://198.46.88.49/style/fashion/will-fashions-night-out-really-boost-retail-sales-in-nyc http://198.46.88.49/style/fashion/will-fashions-night-out-really-boost-retail-sales-in-nyc#respond Fri, 10 Sep 2010 20:58:03 +0000 http://198.46.88.49/?p=15814 It has finally arrived! Tonight is the biggest night of the year for Anna Wintour, the folks at Vogue and the industry as a whole: Fashion’s Night Out 2010 in New York City.

Events are sure to draw a crowd, but will they draw buyers?

This year’s event promises to be even bigger and more star-studded than last year, with retail store appearances from such celebs as Mary J. Blige, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Bar Rafaeli, Nigel Barker and Simon Doonan among others. The hype has been spiraling for weeks now, but, while part of the point of Fashion’s Night Out is to boost enthusiasm for fashion among shoppers, the goal of boosting retail sales is just as, if not more important for the future of the fashion business.

So, will Fashion’s Night Out 2010 exert the desired push on consumers to come out and buy products to ignite fashion’s economic state?

It really could go either way. Last year, an impressive $500,000 was raised for the NYC AIDS fund with the sale of FNO T-shirts {Gather Business}. This year, 40 percent of sales from the shirts will again go to the AIDS fund {Fashion’s Night Out}, and the charity initiative is likely to be a continued success.

As for actual retail sales, last year’s results were quite mixed. {The Huffington Post}

Barneys Creative Director Simon Doonan said last year’s FNO was not “incredible from a business point of view. But from an energy point of view, it was fabulous.” {Gather Business}

The 2010 event, however, already has a leg up on last year’s festivities. Even more events and celebrity appearances have been planned, with 1,000 retailers scheduled to participate to last year’s 800. Add to that the augmented pre-event buzz and the fact that more people are likely now aware of FNO’s existence and legitimacy (as well as Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s support) and FNO 2010 could be the financial success that last year’s event fell somewhat short of.

It certainly looks promising, but here is why we worry that once again the energy of the night will outperform the actual sales: the average shopper is not in much better shape financially than they were last year. This shopper for one is not even sure she wants to attend FNO because she knows she cannot afford to buy a damn thing, and there will be just too much temptation. If she does go, she is leaving her credit cards at home. Let’s hope not too many other fashion lovers feel the same way. Check back here soon to find out how the night went!

]]> http://198.46.88.49/style/fashion/will-fashions-night-out-really-boost-retail-sales-in-nyc/feed 0 Fashion’s Night Out New York: Top 10 Events for Low Key Shoppers http://198.46.88.49/style/fashion/fashions-night-out-new-york-top-10-events-for-low-key-shoppers http://198.46.88.49/style/fashion/fashions-night-out-new-york-top-10-events-for-low-key-shoppers#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:55:57 +0000 http://198.46.88.49/?p=15691

Your favorite fashion accessories are classic, stylish, and never covered in logos or overly apparent signs of flash. A glass of champagne or small sign of special service is appreciated, but extravagant spectacles that would put you in the middle of enormous crowds are the last things you’d sign up for voluntarily.

We covered the top 10 Fashion’s Night Out events for celeb seekers, but if your idea of a shopping good time doesn’t involve battling throngs of adoring fans, there are plenty of events that give a good reason to come out. Silent auctions, charitable contributions, complimentary cocktails and shopping bonuses are just a few of the things on offer.

Akris

Who: Former Anna Wintour assistant Claiborne Swanson Frank, Veronica Swanson Beard, Alexis Swanson Traina, and Vogue Photography Director Ivan Shaw

What: A photography exhibition Indigo Light is a series of portraits by Claiborne Swanson Frank. Partial proceeds benefit Baby Buggy.

Where: 835 Madison Avenue

Anthropologie

Who: Landscape artist Jim Denevan, the subject of a documentary by filmmaker Meredith Danluck.

What: Denevan’s drawing on Siberia’s Lake Baikal is displayed on Anthropologie’s digital exhibition space, www.theAnthropologist.net. Attendees will get a sneak peek of Danluck’s documentary about the artist’s Siberia expedition while enjoying cocktails.

Where: 75 Ninth Avenue

Banana Republic (Soho location)

Who: Banana Republic designers offering style tips from 6-8pm.

What: Sparkling wine, hors d’oeuvres and shopping incentives on full-priced merchandise all night long and a presentation of the 2010 Fall/Holiday Collection. Purchases of $100 or more and gain entry into a drawing for two tickets to the Banana Republic Spring/Summer 2011 fashion show.

Where: 550 Broadway

Blanc de Chine

Who: Musician Dana Leong, performing live. Leong is a cellist, trombonist and composer whose music combines hip-hop, jazz and electronic music.

What: Catering, a gift with purchase, raffle for one of Blanc de Chine’s $400 travel blankets and the opportunity to view one-of-a kind items from the Museum of Chinese in America’s historical collection. A percentage of the evening’s proceeds will be donated to the museum.

Where: 673 Fifth Avenue

Hermès

Who: Hermès scarf specialists

What: An evening of scarves, seemingly built around the style spotting site J’aime mon carré. Show off  your own Hermès scarf or stop by for scarf-tying demonstration showcasing fall styles from 6pm – 8pm.

Where: 691 Madison Avenue

]]> http://198.46.88.49/style/fashion/fashions-night-out-new-york-top-10-events-for-low-key-shoppers/feed 1 Fashion’s Night Out: The Top 10 Events for Celeb Seekers http://198.46.88.49/style/fashion/fashions-night-out-the-top-10-events-for-celeb-seekers http://198.46.88.49/style/fashion/fashions-night-out-the-top-10-events-for-celeb-seekers#respond Thu, 19 Aug 2010 23:43:16 +0000 http://198.46.88.49/?p=15201 Last year we covered Fashion’s Night Out from Paris, where we caught up with Carine Roitfeld, to London and New York. Each city was an overall success in terms of bringing out the shoppers, but the feel of each event was distinctly different. The Paris Fashion Celebration Night focused exclusively on the high end merchants along the Triangle D’Or (Golden Triangle – the area along Avenue Montaigne, George V and Champs-Elysées). Roitfeld made it clear that small and luxe was more in keeping with Paris Vogue’s reader, and this year has the same list of merchants. Aside from Vogue editors, who are fashion stars in their own right, there weren’t many big names tied to the events.

Allowing the clothes to be the stars of the evening certainly has its merits, but we’d be lying if we didn’t admit that we’re pretty excited about the madness that will surely accompany the more inclusive New York event. In Paris, there was champagne, cotton candy and chocolate fondue depending on which store you stopped at, but New York promises to pull out all the stops: celebrities, designers and shopping specials to go along with your champagne.

Still, everyone has a different shopping personality. An Olsen twin and throngs of fans waiting for an opportunity to meet their favorite designer might be a dream shopping trip for some, and an absolute nightmare for others. With that in mind, we’ve gone through the hundreds of events on the Fashion’s Night Out website so far and narrowed them down to the top 10 events by shopping personality. Today, we take a look at the must-attend events for those who like a bit of celebrity with their shopping. In the coming days, we’ll cover events for those who prefer something more low key, downtown style, fashion, fashion and more fashion and the girl who just wants to have fun.

The Starlet

Big and flashy is how you roll. If anyone asks “who are you wearing?” you’ve got a list of famous names on the tip of your tongue. Celebrities, designers and hundreds of adoring fans? You couldn’t come up with a better shopping scenario.

ASOS.com

Who: Singer VV Brown and 90210 actress Shenae Grimes

What: A pop-up store and block party for Teen Vogue

Where: West Village, 10014 (right around the corner from Anna)

Barney’s

Who: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Daphne Guiness, Alexander Wang, the Mulleavy sisters (Rodarte), Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough (Proenza Schouler), Island Records founder Chris Blackwell

What: More meet and greets than you can shake a stick at, ping-pong, musical chairs and karaoke among other activities.

Where: 660 Madison Ave

Bergdorf Goodman

Who: Mary J. Blige, Nicole Richie, designer turned Hollywood producer Tom Ford, Victoria Beckham, Tinsley Mortimer, Olympic fencer Tim Morehouse, Georgina Bloomberg, First Lady favorite Jason Wu, Bryan Boy, Hamish Bowles, Robert Verdi, Thom Browne, Mark Badgley and James Mischka (Badgley Mischka) and Trish Mc Evoy among others.

What: A makeup artist competition, catwalk show and karaoke. And Tom Ford. Honestly, we’d have this on our “must attend list” if it were watching Tom Ford fill out spreadsheets.

Where: 754 5th Ave. (at 58th Street)

Billionaire Boys Club / Ice Cream

Who: Reclusive producer/entertainer Pharell Williams, who isn’t one to make lots of public appearances.

What: A meet and greet, plus special items from the collection available only on September 10th.

Where: 456 West Broadway

Bloomingdale’s

Who: Michael Kors, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Lancome spokesmodels Elettra Wiedemann and Arlenis Sosa

What: Karaoke, tango lessons, cooking demos and a casino night

Where: 1000 3rd Ave.

Destination Maternity

Who: Model and Project Runway host Heidi Klum

What: A retrospective of maternity wear from the 1950s through today. If there’s anyone who knows about looking good when pregnant, it’s definitely the model mother of 4. Retro snacks and mocktails will also be available.

Where: 28 East 57th St.

Henri Bendel

Who: The City star Olivia Palermo, model Erin Wasson, the Fabulous Beekman Boys and possibly Kaiser Karl (though it’s not entirely clear from the description if Lagerfeld will be in attendance, or merely the designer behind a special collection for Swarovski)

What: Astrology readings (at a fee, which will go to charity), a demo of the Lustr iPhone shopping app and jewelry launches.

Where: 712 5th Ave.

Jeffrey New York

Who: Christina Ricci, L’Wren Scott (designer and girlfriend of Mick Jagger), Jason Wu, Nicholas Kirkwood

What: A denim event and menswear trunk show, limited edition Proenza Schouler messenger bags.

Where: 449 West 14th St.

Lord & Taylor

Who: Noted fashion photographer, and America’s Next Top Model judge Nigel Barker, New York Jets cheerleaders for the guys, Shoshanna Gruss, Lloyd Boston

What: A “Wheel of Fashion” and prize draws on each floor, meet and greets, salsa dancing and even dating advice if your retail therapy is inspired by romance.

Where: 424 5th Ave.

Macy’s Herald Square

Who: Joss Stone, Kimora Lee Simmons, TRAIN, Rachel Roy, Jessica Stam, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson

What: a Gucci fragrance launch, meet and greets, a lookbook shoot, Tommy Hilfiger tailgate party and live music performances

Where: 151 West 34th St.

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