This year, New York’s Fashion’s Night Out got its own TV special, and the celebrity appearances from 2009 were even bigger and better. Bergdorf Goodman’s star studded events featuring people like Tom Ford, Victoria Beckham, Nicole Richie and Mary J. Blige among many, many others drew a line that wrapped around the block for much of the evening, and crowds filling the streets.

Even with a love affair with Tom Ford that goes back to his early days at Gucci, the prospect of waiting in a line for 2 hours was enough to make me decide to save the fawning for a future fashion event. A few blocks away, Payless hosted collaborators Patricia Field, Isabel Toledo and Christian Siriano. While the line was nowhere near as outrageous, it was still a slow shuffle into the store, up the stairs and out the door as soon as people had their opportunity to snap a picture with their chosen designer. I, again, lost patience, but did notice that the Steve Madden next door to Payless had no celebrities, and no lines, but a small yet steady stream of people browsing the shoes on display.

It’s been impossible to track down any hard sales figures for Fashion’s Night Out, and our emails and calls for comment by participating merchants are still unreturned. So while the evening was successful in generating a massive amount of buzz, it’s not unreasonable to imagine the heavy crowds drawn in by celeb heavy events may not have done much for business. These weren’t the type of crowds lured in by the promise of dirt-cheap items (as is the case for many Black Friday shoppers) or one heavily anticipated object (a la the iPhone or iPad), ready to whip out their credit cards and shop. The promotion and events may have been spectacular, but the silence makes us think the bottom line returns were lackluster in comparison.

What does that have to do with Fashion’s Night In? Well, while it probably won’t generate the same amount of hype that taking a picture with your favorite designer or fashion icon does, when it comes down to immediate sales that may not be a bad thing. Most of the Fashion’s Night In promotions are centered around shopping perks like free shipping, product line launches, prize drawings and the occasional free gift with purchase. Taking a page from flash sale sites, the various promotions are time sensitive and only available during certain hours.

Free shipping or a gift with purchase may not be as exciting as meeting Tom Ford, but for people on the fence about making a purchase those are the kind of things that are probably more likely to push a decision to buy.  Plus, the one thing that clicks retailers can (usually) offer that bricks retailers can’t is the option to shop without having to fight crowds. The Outnet’s anniversary sale proved that there are occasions when you go through similar headaches, but in general a massively popular online event will still be less stressful than an in-store event.

Lest you think shopping at your desk (many of the events start around 5pm London time, which is 12pm EST) while eating lunch is an anti-social experience, many of the stores are offering feedback and shopping suggestions via Twitter for the evening.

Visit Signature9 UK on Monday for our shortlist of events to bookmark. While the event is organized by Vogue UK, many of the retailers ship to the US (and other countries around the world).

WTB is actually the name Richie Sambora, of rock and roll superstar band Bon Jovi, gave his new clothing line, which was recently reviewed by Vogue UK. The collection was designed in collaboration with Nikki Lund, who interned for Anna Sui and Jill Stuart in New York.

“We wanted to make something for strong, empowered women who are in touch with their soft, sensitive sides and who are comfortable with their femininity – who can also kick ass,” said Lund. Or, judging by some of the zipper placements, women who are comfortable with flashing a few roadies for a backstage pass.

The clothes were shown in March at L.A. fashion week, and a menswear line is in the works. Sambora has worn some of the WTB pieces on stage already and supposedly they have made a jacket for lead singer Jon Bon Jovi. {Fashionista}

As for the clothes – one of the dresses has a long train that does look like it could be made out of black trash bags. Perhaps the collection should have been called Trash Bag Beautiful.

The review? “Exactly what you would expect the lead guitarist of one of the world’s most famous rock ‘n’ roll bands to want women to wear: seductively revealing, often spray-on and always dramatic. Fabrics are leather, suede, silk, stretchy snake print and lots of elastane, while detailing focuses on zips – there’s even a zip-crotch leotard.” {Vogue UK}

Some of the pieces – particularly the jackets and vests, could actually work well paired with basics to tone them down a bit for a chic rock and roll look. The Glory Vest is pretty funky and cool and so are the Drifter and King Sport Jackets.

However, Sambora wants to dress Jennifer Anniston, aka the unofficial queen of understated California classy, in WTB clothing. Sorry, Richie; we donâ€t see that happening, but we still love you anyway.