Model in Fashion’s Night Out T-shirt – Photo: Norman Jean Roy

Many of us have visited New York City at some point, but you have not truly seen the city abuzz until you’ve visited during Fashion Week. Luxury cars lining the streets for blocks, superstars dressed in all black shaded by over sized designer sunglasses, and gobs of marvelous, breathtaking fashion. As a devoted fashionista, I made the pilgrimage to the fashion mecca last month to witness the festivities in person, arriving just in time for Fashion’s Night Out held on September 10, 2009.

The brainchild of Anna Wintour - editor-in-chief of American Vogue, NYC & Company, the City of New York, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America , Fashion’s Night Out was orchestrated to celebrate Fashion’s Global Impact and encourage shopping in New York’s struggling retail industry. Supported by hundreds of stores across the five boroughs and internationally, the one night only event heightened the excitement leading into the first day of Fashion Week. 

Fashion’s Night Out was the first event of its kind held in New York City. During this tour de fashion, stores kept their doors open until 11pm and held impromptu concerts, invited special celebrity guests and raffled off tons of giveaways. I was a little tired from traveling and schlepping my wares to the apartment, but I did make it out to YSL, Fendi, Giorgio Armani, Tiffany & Co. and Burberry to partake in the fashion buffet. 

YSL was packed to capacity. Hundreds of bottles of champagne and live entertainment kept the throngs of fashionistas excited and entertained. The legendary Joey Arias performed, sending chills down my spine as he channeled Billie Holiday during his set and gave me a little shout-out “Hey Little Thing with the Champagne.” The overwhelming feeling of being welcomed and excitement was undeniable. Everyone who was out on Fashion’s Night Out was passionate about fashion in some way or another and you could feel it.

The highlight of my evening was in Fendi where I spotted Andre Leon Talley, editor-at-large for American Vogue sitting regally amongst a bevy of fashion scholars and enthusiasts. I never get star struck, working for a record label straight out of college and seeing celebrities almost everyday really got me jaded but this was different. Gripping my champagne glass for support, I spoke with him briefly dishing out the usual flattery, how much I respect his work and the like and I did manage to slip in a few Primadona mentions. Andre Leon Talley as a future celebrity guest at the Primadona shopping events...only time will tell!

Anna Wintour and P Diddy Photo: Retna

As the excitement of the night reached a pinnacle and the eleven o’clock hour struck, it was time to get some sleep for the start of Fashion Week the following day. Here’s a little Fashion Week crash course. Fashion Week is a preview of designer collections for the upcoming season which enables buyers to purchase looks for their stores in advance. The Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NY, which is held in September every year is a preview of Spring 2010. 

The most celebrated designers show their collection in the tents at Bryant Park, but shows are held all over the city, including in designers’ own showrooms. Dozens of Fashion Weeks are orchestrated each year worldwide. From Beirut Fashion Week to Kansas City, Fashion’s global reach and impact is undeniable. 

Here at home, the fashion industry is slowly developing, but there is so much room for growth. With the Bahamas Fashion Week and the acclaimed Islands of the World Fashion Week held on our shores, we are quickly becoming a fashion focal point in the Caribbean community.

Fashion is a lucrative industry and developing it locally provides both cultural and economic diversification, creating a slew of jobs and outlets for designers, models, press and public relations liaisons, sound and lighting companies,  buyers, and a host of others as it takes a grand team to pull off a well orchestrated fashion week.

From the success of the inaugural Fashion’s Night Out held in NYC and across the globe this year, perhaps we in the Bahamas can capitalize on this innovative idea and stage our own Fashion’s Night Out to inject life and excitement into our own struggling retail apparel industry?

Tyrina Talks Fashion is your weekly serving of fashion forecasting, trend reporting, figure analysis and helpful fashion tips and tricks. Email Tyrina with your fashion questions and photos at tyrinaalicia@hotmail.com.