Angelenos turn out for Fashion’s Night Out
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Fred Segal Melrose is Los Angeles’ high-end general store (in truth it’s a series of stores, including Ron Herman and Ron Robinson), so it was no surprise that the block-long building was the epicenter for Vogue magazine’s Fashion’s Night Out celebration Thursday night.
By 8 p.m. the valet parking lot was full — a sure sign that a place is happening. Shoppers from Pasadena and Hermosa Beach might not have been buying haute designer pieces such as a Martin Margiela wig jacket at Ron Herman, but they were happily forking over $39 for LnA music T-shirts and were buying pieces from the affordable Kate Moss for Topshop collection.
Retailers were smiling at the turnout. “I’m pretty shocked by the people here,” said Oliver Peoples founder Larry Leight, whose eyewear brand had a dedicated section at Ron Herman. “It feels like they’ve been hiding.”
Designers who came out to join the festivities were also pleasantly surprised. Whitley Kros’ Marissa Ribisi and Sophia Coloma stood by their display area in Ron Herman wearing the T-shirt they designed especially for the event -- a tissue-thin pink T with the word “Like” printed in huge letters across the front. “It’s so L.A.,” said Ribisi. And Rory Beca designer Rory Edelman played on her Willy Wonka-themed collection by dishing out tons of candy to shoppers -- perfect sustenance to keep going into the wee hours.
Jenny Woo, who drove to Fred Segal Melrose from Pasadena, purchased a $72 Kate Moss for Topshop dress. “I would have bought it anyway, but Fashion’s Night Out motivated me to come out on a Thursday night,” she said.
Some shoppers, like Nicole Loughlin, a Los Angeles resident, who bought a $200 pair of Genetic Denim jeans, said she came out to support Vogue magazine and its editor, Anna Wintour. “I wish I could be in New York for this,” she announced.
Though Los Angeles wasn’t listed as an “official” city in the worldwide shop-a-thon, other local shopping events took place at sites including Neiman Marcus at the Topanga Canyon Mall and TOMS Shoes headquarters in Santa Monica.
A smattering of celebrities turned up at the Fashion’s Night Out events. Sidney Poitier came out to shop at Ron Herman at Fred Segal. At the Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills, Vogue’s West Coast Fashion Editor Lawren Howell said Kiefer Sullivan and Kyle MacLauchlan came to check out the in-store fashion shows.
--Max Padilla
Photos: Fashion world celebrates Vogue / CFDA’s Fashion’s Night Out
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