Fashion's Night Out . . . for the Unfashionable

Part of the beauty of New York City is its multifaceted personality. To say New York City has multiple personalities would be incorrect; the city is one entity made up of many parts. On September 10 my husband and I went out to Fashion's Night Out, invited by a friend who works for Tommy Hilfiger. In our finest Old Navy and comfortable shoes we hopped on the subway and headed to Macy's. Clearly we were going out to see, not be seen-there are plenty of beautiful (and not poor) people in New York better suited for that role. Walking around Herald Square and then through the Diamond District it was clear that this was not our New York. To be sure it's still New York, just not the part we inhabit and help personify. I did, however, get complimented on my boots . . . the compliment just came from the young man playing guitar for money in the subway station, not from Marc Jacobs. I'll take it.

So as not to miss out on anything exciting, I followed Fashion's Night Out on Twitter (FNOnyc) and had the updates sent to my cell phone. This wasn't a mistake per se, but my phone buzzed constantly. If you needed to know where Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, the Olson twins, Kate Hudson, Sienna Miller, Diddy, Charlize Theron, Blake Lively, Cindy Crawford, Nicky Hilton, Hugh Grant, Hugh Jackman, or any model or designer was Thursday night, I could have told you. I knew where Anna Wintour was at all times, including what she was doing and wearing. If a store had a designer's name on it, likely the designer was in there to ring you up at the cash register or give you free fashion advice. For example, you could buy a pair of Manolo Blahniks from Manolo Blahnik. I managed to see Debra Messing in Macy's, our first stop, and after this determined it wouldn't be worth the crowd to attempt a gawk at any of the other celebs. I am a little sad I missed Hugh Jackman, but it's not like I don't look for him every day.

Fashion's Night Out was the brainchild of Vogue, NY & Company, the City of New York, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America. It was deemed the official kickoff of Fashion Week, "a global initiative to promote retail, restore consumer confidence, and celebrate fashion." It began with a call for retailers to remain open until 11:00 p.m. and became an extravaganza. It unabashedly promoted spending, spending, spending. Though purchasing cute heels and faux fur vests isn't going to save the world, a successful clothing drive was held, and proceeds from the night's specially designed T-shirt went to the 9/11 memorial fund. Economic slump? Not on Fashion's Night Out.

I, however, did not purchase anything on Fashion's Night Out (except a pitcher of beer at a dive bar). This is likely because we didn't go into any stores beyond Macy's, then into Tommy Hilfiger to meet up with our friend. Tommy Hilfiger himself was there, of course, who shook our hands and welcomed us to the celebration. There I sipped champagne at with the beautiful people while in my rain boots, and they let me. Only in New York City.