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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Night Out 2010 in New York City.<\/p>\n

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Events are sure to draw a crowd, but will they draw buyers?<\/p><\/div>\n

So, will Fashion\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Night Out 2010 exert the desired push on consumers to come out and buy products to ignite fashion\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s economic state?<\/p>\n

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<\/a>}. This year, 40 percent of sales from the shirts will again go to the AIDS fund {Fashion\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Night Out<\/a>}, and the charity initiative is likely to be a continued success.<\/p>\n

As for actual retail sales, last year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s results were quite mixed. {The Huffington Post<\/a>}<\/p>\n

Barneys Creative Director Simon Doonan said last year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s FNO was not \u00e2\u20ac\u0153incredible from a business point of view. But from an energy point of view, it was fabulous.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d {Gather Business<\/a>}<\/p>\n

The 2010 event, however, already has a leg up on last year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s festivities. Even more events and celebrity appearances have been planned, with 1,000 retailers scheduled to participate to last year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 800. Add to that the augmented pre-event buzz and the fact that more people are likely now aware of FNO\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s existence and legitimacy (as well as Mayor Michael Bloomberg\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s support) and FNO 2010 could be the financial success that last year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s event fell somewhat short of.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hope not too many other fashion lovers feel the same way. Check back here soon to find out how the night went!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"