Twice a year, Fashion Week swoops into New York City and calls to order a flock of models, photographers, and fashion editors. Most New Yorkers go about their business while these exotic birds zoom through eight days of runway shows and soirees. In an industry fueled by novelty and aspirational imagery, the clubby nature of the fashion world helps preserve an aura of glamour. However, in tough economic times, even the most exclusive fashion players are hopping down from their perches to catch the attention of consumers. A decidedly democratic gesture dubbed “Fashion’s Night Out” launched Spring 2010 Fashion Week in New York, which runs from September 10-17.
A citywide event on the evening of September 10, Fashion’s Night Out aimed to “promote retailers, restore consumer confidence and celebrate fashion,” according to the organizers. Sponsored by Council of Fashion Designer’s of America, NYC & Company, the City of New York, and Vogue magazine, Fashion’s Night Out was open to any fashion retailer in any borough (even Staten Island!). The organizers encouraged retailers to stay open after hours (6pm to 11pm) and promoted the event with everything from banners on lampposts to commercials on Taxicab TV to themed t-shirts sold three weeks in advance participating retailers ($35, with 40% of profits directed to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum). Charming. But was the effort effective?
The energy emanating from Fashion Week’s home base of Bryant Park in Manhattan seemed to carry to other boroughs in fits and starts. In Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood, for example, several retailers interviewed agreed that it had been up to them to create individual events above and beyond the Fashion’s Night Out concept in order to draw a crowd, and that crowd wasn’t necessarily all that spendy.
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- Caroline Geys creates hand-painted hosiery at Charlie and Sam in Williamsburg.
- Bedecked windows at Bird in Williamsburg.
- Vena Cava dresses were on sale for $100 at Bird.
Bird on Grand Street may have held the most elaborate presentation: a “Disco Carnival” themed party in conjunction with the designers Vena Cava, the Brooklyn-based duo who recently were nominated for a prestigious CFDA Fund Award (they were runners-up). In addition to popcorn and cotton candy, Bird’s festivities featured food and drink from local bars and restaurants, a face-painter, a makeshift dance floor complete with DJ and a variety of old-school carnival games. The packed event was billed as a block party and did indeed spill onto the streets. While the fashionistas seemed to be having a blast, there appeared to be much more socializing than shopping going on, despite Vena Cava dresses on sale for $100.
Sir by Joanna Baum, a women’s boutique on Bedford Avenue with a vintage Parisian vibe, upped the ante with live music by Williamsburg-based musician Lia Ices. After the performance, which drew in a several passers-by, the small shop was full and the wine was flowing. But many guests were friends and family from the store’s mailing list who were supporting the cause simply with their presence.
Nearby at Jumelle, a boutique that first made its mark in Williamsburg in 2006 for its well-curated and quirky selection, the staff had called it a night by 10pm and were mopping the empty store.
Back on Grand Street, the party at the Charlie and Sam store was still going strong. A relative newcomer to the scene, the boutique (named after the owners’ dogs) took a low-key approach to the event and slipped Fashion’s Night Out into its regularly scheduled late night openings, which are held about once a month. In addition to a festive atmosphere complete with canapés and champagne, the event featured Caroline Geys, who was there creating her custom-painted colored tights, which sell under the name We Love Colors ($55 a pair). Everyone was also celebrating a hot-off-the presses feature about the store in the New York Post’s magazine.
The fizzy atmosphere in these sophisticated shops during Fashion’s Night Out may indeed have drawn in some potential customers, but the reality is that many retailers dove into their coffers to support an event whose return was less about sales and more about branding and relationship building, a risky strategy when the coffers aren’t as big as those at fashion powerhouses such as Yves Saint Laurent, who—rumor has it—will be handing out editions of their new YSL logo tote in Williamsburg on the corner of Bedford Avenue and North Fourth Street at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 12.
ALERT: The rumor has some truth: bags are being handed out at Bedford Avenue and North 7th (not North 4th) Street as of 3:00pm on 9/12.
BIRD
203 Grand Street (between Bedford Avenue and Driggs Avenue)
New York, NY 11211
(718) 388-1655
www.shopbird.com
SIR BY JOANNA BAUM
129 Bedford Avenue (between North Ninth Street and North Tenth Street)
New York, NY 11211
(718) 384-0700
www.sirbrooklyn.com
JUMELLE
148 Bedford Avenue (at North 8th & North 9th Streets)
New York, NY 11211
718-388-9525
www.shopjumelle.com
CHARLIE AND SAM
135 Grand Street (between Bedford and Berry)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718-387-0083
www.charlieandsambrooklyn.com
Molly Heintz
Molly Heintz is a writer and communications consultant specializing in design. She has led marketing and public relations initiatives at architecture firms, including Gensler and Rockwell Group, where she also served as an in-house editor for book projects. Molly was the managing ...
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