Lots of Hopping...But Any Shopping?

Rain may have forced the suspension of play during last night's U.S. Open, but magically, the inclement weather mostly steered clear of Manhattan, a meteorological turn of events that seemed to bode well for Fashion's Night Out. And what a night for fashion it was. New Yorkers of every stripe donned their most stylish ensembles and took to the streets to mix and mingle at their favorite shops. Never have we seen such crowds—around the block at Bergdorf, dutifully waiting to get into Dior (where Vogue covergirl Charlize Theron was in residence) and jammed into Jeffrey. Among our favorite stops included Chanel (where we caught up with old friend and Chanel's executive director of fashion public relations Gretchen Fenton); Barneys, where Isabel and Ruben Toledo made an appearance, along with Manolo Blahnik; Cole Haan, which created an homage to the U.S. Open, complete with a high-chair-sitting line judge outside and a massive hollow tennis ball in-store containing lollipops from Dylan's Candy Bar; Miu Miu; the Prada store in SoHo, where The Rapture were playing to a rapturous mob and the many wonderful stores of the Meatpacking District, including Moschino, Tory Burch, Theory and Hugo Boss.

It was a fun night...one of the finest evenings for finery we can remember in a very long time. Not so much due to what was on the racks, but what was on backs. New Yorkers proved they can still wow when it comes to dressing. Sadly, with so much gorgeous garb already in the revelers' possession, few seemed to be in the market for new clothes. The ratio of pedestrians to shopping bags was incredibly high. Too high, it appeared, to have made a dent in the overtime the retailers had to pay keeping their staffs in stores until 11:00.

All that said, for one night only, Big Apple residents forgot about the Great Recession and did what they do best....looked absolutely amazing. Here's to another FNO next year. when purse strings just might be a little looser.

Grab Your Credit Cards, It's Time to Spend!

Unlike the Kyoto Protocol, tonight's big global initiative is likely to win widespread support across the aisles here in the United States. We're talking, of course, about Fashion's Night Out, the open-house spendapalooza sponsored by Vogue magazine and the Council of Fashion Designers of America. In addition to the U.S., participating countries include the UK, Greece, Italy, Russia, France, Brazil, India, Spain, China, Germany and Japan. Here in New York, at stores uptown, downtown and everywhere in between, customers will enjoy music performances, celebrity appearances, special gifts and discounts. There are far too many to name in one post, but among our favorite participating retailers include Thom Brown, 7 for All Mankind (whose children's line is seen above), Takashimaya, Barneys New York and Alexander McQueen. For the complete list, click here.

If you do wind up hitting the stores this evening, drop us a line tomorrow and let us know where you went and what goodies you wound up buying. Good luck, and happy shopping!