Fashion's Night Out 2009.

via WWD - Considering its snowballing support, New York City’s
Fashion’s Night Out could turn out to be one monumental shop-till-you-drop party.

At the latest count, 700 stores across the five boroughs are participating by staying open until 11 p.m., recruiting designers, models and celebrities, and staging rock performances, Broadway acts, cook-ins, fashion exhibits, makeovers, style seminars and even sewing lessons. Twelve countries also are staging their versions of the event, but New York is taking the lead.

“Little did I think, when the idea of Fashion’s Night Out was first dreamed up this past March during the Paris collections, that we would have over 700-and-counting retailers, designers and brands joining us,” said Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour. “There is so much planned that we could shop till dawn and still not see and do everything.”

“Fashion’s Night Out is that rare opportunity to meet the person behind the label,” said Steven Kolb, CFDA executive director.

The Sept. 10 event — created by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, NYC & Company, the City of New York and Vogue — is geared to celebrate fashion, spur the economy and help consumers feel less guilt about shopping during the recession.

A new Web site, fashionsnightout.com/retailers, lists everything that’s in store for the night so people can choose where to go based on their favorite designer or brand. There are also daily updates on Fashion’s Night Out’s Facebook page and Twitter.

Fashion’s Night Out, considered the city’s largest-ever retail event, supports charity. Forty percent of the proceeds from a Fashion’s Night Out T-shirt will support The September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center. The NYC AIDS fund will benefit from a clothing drive Sept. 10 to 12 sponsored by IMG at various retail and public locations.

The list of personal appearances includes Manolo Blahnik, Thom Browne, Tory Burch, Roberto Cavalli, Francisco Costa, Frédéric Fekkai, Alberta Ferretti, Patricia Field, Carolina Herrera, Tommy Hilfiger, Derek Lam, Nanette Lepore, Trish McEvoy, Isaac Mizrahi, Kate Mulleavy, Josie Natori, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Oscar de la Renta, Narciso Rodriguez, Lela Rose, Rachel Roy, Maria Sharapova, Elie Tahari, Diane von Furstenberg, Alexander Wang, Yeohlee, David Yurman, Lauren Bush, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Cindy Crawford, Lynda Carter, Hugh Jackman, Karolina Kurkova, Liev Schreiber, Stephanie Seymour and Ivanka Trump.

Liya Kedebe photographed by Patrick Demarchelier in the Fashion’s Night Out T-shirt.