OMG FNO

Fashion Night Out was intense this year. To be fair, I've never been to one before so I can't really compare it to anything except maybe...New Years Eve at night, only with stores open.

For those of you in the safety of your own cities, Fashion Night Out is an invention of Anna Wintour, of frigid Vogue fame, to promote shopping in the NYC. It was originally a way to get people to spend money in clothing stores when the recession hit and people stopped buying things. They added some sparkle to make it more exciting like having in store appearances with models and designers, free bubbly and selling fun little FNO shirts. They also donate a portion of the proceeds to The New York City AIDS Fund so it's shopping without the guilt.



Candy is Dandy but Liquor is Quicker...

It started out pretty tame. I wandered around Nolita, wanting to see what the smaller boutiques were doing, since I had heard the bigger chain stores were going to be a mess. My first stop was at ADAM a new pop up store on Elizabeth. Annabelle Dexter-Jones (of the Samantha/Mark/Charlotte Ronson family legacy) was to be DJing but at that point in the night she was having a torrid affair with her phone (metaphoircally speaking of course), while her equipment was being set up. They didn't seem quite ready for company so we moved on.



Ring-a-ding-ding



I then headed over to BELLE by SIGERSON MORRISON where the lovely Effie played hostess with the mostess to the amassing crowd. We perused their gorgeous shoes, sampled their free eats outside, sipped some beers inside and watch a tattoo artist giving out free tats. I was tempted to partake in some body art but by the time I thought of something I'd want, the line was super long. (I did manage to swing by another day and pick up these bad boys --->)



We checked out a store THOMAS SIRES that I had never been in but it was supercute, with little Japanese knick knacks, and lovely clothing designed by its two owners. Definately worth stopping into...and they were giving out free candy necklaces inside- score! I can't even tell you the name of the store where we batted our eyelashes for some cotton candy but I will say that the karma of searching for free treats, rather than actually shopping, resulted in sticky hands and faces from our endless confections.



Strike a Pose!


Then over to the VINCE store. Free cocktails, photo booth and an assortment of candies to choose from. Again, not really looking at the clothes, but starting to get a stomacheache from all of the sweets. This did not stop us from heading over to MODA to look at sunglasses, sip champagne and eat mini cupcakes. Bellies full we waddled over into SOHO..



Sweet Treats at MODA


And that is when it got crazy!!!  Broadway reminded me of Halloween with the feeling of mischief in the air. It was nearly impossible to walk in the streets, girls in 5-inch heels parading around in their fanciest dresses, pretending they were attending a fashion show or after party, when in fact they were waiting in line for a free gift with purchase. Once we crossed Broadway it was unbearable. Long lines wrapped aroung stores, everyone trying to get a glimpse of who the guest appearance was by, most not even caring who it was, just wanting to be inside the party.



Insanity



Then we walked over to the Kardashian's store DASH and there was a mobscene. An insane amount of people crowded around a store they've probably never shopped in before to catch a glimpse of a TV Star famous for....... ? Streets were roped off, police were trying to manage the crowds, people were getting trampled and all for a Kardashian?  My time was up.








Kardashian Mania



We ran in the opposite direction, stuck to the side streets and ducked into the RANDOLPH bar for a little sanity. While I appreciate the efforts of FNO to raise money for charity, the scene was way too intense for me. At the end of the day, I don't even know if it's worth it for the stores anymore.

In the future, I'll save my shopping for a quiet Tuesday morning, thankyouverymuch.