• Los Angeles fashion, style, shopping and culture

FNO Itineraries

There are more events for this year's Fashion's Night Out than there are broken parking meters on Wilshire. But plenty are not to be missed.
Style Section L.A. Editors
Published on September 06, 2010

In our fashion musings on L.A., we sometimes trade in snark; but today we’ll temper it with sincere gratitude:

City officials and Fashion’s Night Out organizers have turned in a blockbuster list of events for this Friday evening in Los Angeles. It’s gone from a plucky, Let’s put on a show! kind of evening last year to one that has an ethos befitting L.A. — which is to say sprawling. Official events stretch from Abbot Kinney to Los Feliz — a distance nearly twice the length of Manhattan — and stop at Rodeo, Robertson and Melrose along the way. No small feat, especially for a city in need of an economic jumpstart.

But what’s a fashion devotee who wants to support the local scene (without spending seven hours of a Friday night) to do? Probably skip the opening ceremony at the Beverly Center, for starters. We love ya, Mayor Villaraigosa, but you’re kicking off things at 5 p.m. — we work for a living and those dazzling summer Fridays are no longer upon us. Will.i.am will apparently be attending as well. In that case, we’re guessing Perez Hilton will not. We do, however, love the chic FNO T-shirt to be sold at Bev Center participating retailers. Proceeds will benefit the California Fashion Association Foundation, which doles out grants to worthy FIDM students. 

So where to go?

Beverly Hills appears to be a must-see this year. Even if you hate (or cannot afford) shopping there. The piece d’resistance on Rodeo will be a towering ferris wheel, and the sheer number of events within a three-block stretch of opulence is likely worth your while. (Admit it, the thought of a Westside dowager dripping in Neil Lane and climbing onto a ferris wheel manned by a mulleted carnie worker makes you both cringe and wish you were up close to snap a photo.) Save your receipt if you want to get on the wheel, however. Proof of purchase from the eve is required.

Our picks:

-Free champagne at Bottega Veneta; likewise at YSL, which will be “transformed into an intimate Parisian lounge.”

-Complimentary manicures at Chanel.

-Stilt-walkers and tarot card readings at, get ready for it … Brooks Brothers. Doesn’t fit the brand, but maybe that’s the charm.

-Hermes has scarf-tying sessions. Sounds pretentious, but then again we haven’t the Parisian acumen when it comes to the full repertoire of options. So sounds worthwhile.

-Neiman Marcus was the hub of FNO events last year, and this year they appear to be equally game for a good eve. The fashion shows will likely be a little more revelatory than those shown at the Death Star … er, Beverly Center.