Los Angeles' Fashion's Night Out, City Sanctioned Fashion Frenzy

The city's fashion dignitaries: Marc Blaskovits, Randolph Duke, Vogue's West Coast Editor, Lisa Love, Kevan Hall, and Ron Robinson of Fred Segal's Apothia flank Mayor Villaraigosa.

It all started with a simple letter by Abbot Kinney Court, independent merchant, Garrett Light.

He simply asked the Mayor, why with all the abundance of fashion designers, talent, and merchants, why Los Angeles can't have a Fashion's Night Out like Manhattan where they are celebrated and acknowledged since the city's local fashion industry is a $5.7 Billion dollar economy.

His simple but straight-forward letter had the Mayor thinking which lead to a study explaining the economic impact of the local fashion industry has on the city and the potential in raising additional revenue in a tax-weary town.

This is when he decided that the city need to jump on board Fashion's Night Out.

Randolph Duke, Lisa Love, and Kevan Hall.

The Chair of Neighborhood Commissioners was looking at the figures, then realized with the amount of world class fashion talent, brands, and designers being promoted and support out to the world and a populace of 4.4 million citizens, why get these millions of locals to locally shop and patronize their local fashion businesses to raise funds for longer library hours, more cops on the streets, and more recreations and parks?

Fashion's Night Out grew into a year-round initative, ShopLA.

Leading LA fashion dignitaries supporting Mayor Villaraigosa.

As an admitted Beverly Center shopper while his daughter is an avid Fred Segal on Melrose fan, the Mayor immediately recognizes the importance of not only supporting local fashion talent but the even bigger importance of showing the world that Los Angeles is a major fashion player that is emerging as an equal partner to Manhattan's prominence in international world-class fashion.

By hitching civic duty onto orignally was a Manhattan-only fashion booster for the average citizen to participate in New York Fashion Week, Los Angele's Fashion's Night Out this Friday, September 10th is not just a fund-raiser for the city but a major coming-out for Los Angeles' fashion community to prove to the world that they are a major fashion force to be reckon with.

As for Garrett Light, he and his fellow Abbot Kinney neighbors and colleagues are just over-whelmed with glee and pride. That their funky but cool neighborhood is what sparked this whole endeavor.

The local Manhattan-only endeavor of Fashion's Night Out initated by Anna Wintour and the Council of Fashion Designers of American has grown into a global phenomenon where Los Angeles, London, and Paris are throwing their own Fashion's Night Out. A bonanza of high caliber fashion trying to out-style each other as the reigning fashion capitals.

The year-around offspring of LA's Fashion's Night Out, www.shoplacity.com.

To raise funds without taxation, the Mayor wants to put fun back into shopping while proving to the world that the City of Angels is a fashion destination, just like it's East Coast counterpart, New York.

Friday, September 10th is the night when Los Angeles steps out of New York's shadow and into the fashion spotlight.

The Beverly Center is the central hub where everything starts and radiates. Joined by Will. I. Am of the Black Eye Peas, the Mayor with a cadre of celebrities who call Los Angeles home, will join him in setting off Fashion's Night Out. With free parking at Beverly Center from 4pm to 10pm and the first 300 to get a free tee-shirt, the citizens of Los Angeles can join in the celebration because it is for them and by them.

All three floors of the mall will throw major fashion shows but they are not the only ones to do that.

Abbot Kinney will have a medieval fashion festival with local girl, Angelica Huston will serve margaritas. There will be a ferris wheel and a carnival on Rodeo Drive. West Hollywood style stalwart, Fred Segal on Melrose, had celebrated Fashion's Night Out before the mayor and now, they are one of the major hubs of the night. Also on Melrose Avenue, G-Raw will hold an international chess competition. The Cynthia Rowley truck will make a pit stop in front of California Market in Downtown Garment District. Actor Danny Masterson open his Confederacy shop in Los Feliz with his celebrity pals entertaining you.

300 retailers, large and small, mainstream and indie, spread out across Downtown's Garment District, Los Feliz, West Hollywood's West Third Street and Melrose Avenue, Century City Mall, Topanga Mall, to Venice's Abbot Kinney will throw swags, cupcake galore, ocean of cocktails, fashion shows and art performances to booster civic duty. Celebrity, hottie DJs aplenty.

How to get about and out then back? Easy. Free DASH buses at the Beverly Center will carry you to any of the above neighborhoods then back.

Since you can easily ring up $25 in buying eggs, milk, and bread at the supermarket, for that now miniscule amount, that $25 receipt from the 300 retailers, whether it be lipstick, mask, trinket, or a vial of serum or a top, is your ticket to Rodeo Drive Ferris Wheel and a free entrance to two of SBE's hottest nightclubs, XIV on Sunset Boulevard and Industry on La Cienega Avenue.

If you want a comprehensive guide for Friday, September 10th, please go to

www.fnolosangeles.lacity.org listing and describing each and every activity that night.

Now, everyone can party like a fashionista!