Attention shoppers and fashionistas! More than 700 stores will be participating in Fashion’s Night Out, New York City’s largest shopping event on September 10, 2009. FashionsNightOut.com has unveiled its highly anticipated list of participating retailers and the exciting events they have planned for shoppers during the five-hour extravaganza. Stores throughout the five boroughs will host celebrity and designer appearances, musical and Broadway performances, styling seminars, fashion shows, and photo exhibits, and will offer limited-edition Fashion’s Night Out merchandise, gifts with purchase, refreshments, and more!

Visit fashionsnightout.com to discover what your favorite store, designer, or brand has up its sleeve for the evening. Fashionistas can also take advantage of daily updates on Fashion’s Night Out’s Facebook page and Twitter (FNOnyc) feed.

“On the evening of September 10, Fashion’s Night Out, spanning all five boroughs, will highlight why New York City’s vibrant and diverse fashion-and-retail industry is admired throughout the world,” said George Fertitta, CEO, NYC & Company. “The citywide celebration will showcase the unique shopping opportunities available to New Yorkers and visitors, while encouraging retail support and giving back to important NYC causes.”

“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 on the night of September 10,” said Anna Wintour, editor in chief, Vogue. “Of course, I’ve always known the New York fashion industry to rise brilliantly to a challenge, but I am absolutely thrilled, awed, and more than a little proud that it has reacted so brilliantly to this initiative. 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. “Some of the best known as well as up-and-coming talent will be out and about all across New York during the event.”

Fashion’s Night Out (FNO) is an unprecedented global initiative created to celebrate fashion, restore consumer confidence, and boost the industry’s economy. In the United States, the program is a collaboration between American Vogue, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, NYC & Company, and the City of New York. On September 10, 2009, more than 300 stores will stay open late to put the fun back in shopping, with designer appearances, live windows, celebrity guests, and other special events. In addition, two important New York charities—the September 11 Memorial and Museum and the NYC AIDS Fund—will benefit from the initiative via the sale of a charity T-shirt and a citywide clothing drive, respectively. On the same night around the world, and led by twelve international Vogue editions (United Kingdom, Greece, Italy, Russia, France, Brazil, India, Spain, China, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan), each country will tailor its Fashion’s Night Out celebration to appeal to its city’s unique retail environment.

Designed to celebrate fashion, restore consumer confidence, and boost the economy, Fashion’s Night Out will be the single largest shopping event in New York City history. Created by Vogue, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, NYC & Company, and the City of New York, the initiative on September 10 will also mark the support of two important New York charities: The September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center will receive 40 percent of the proceeds from the sale of a limited-edition Fashion’s Night Out T-shirt at participating retailers. The NYC AIDS fund will benefit from a citywide clothing drive (sponsored by IMG) that will begin on the 10th at various retail and public locations, and will culminate on September 12, 2009. For more information on the evening’s charitable endeavors and ways people can help, log on to fashionsnightout.com/volunteer.php.

Fashion/beauty appearances include Max Azria, Badgley Mischka, Manolo Blahnik, Bobbi Brown, Thom Browne, Tory Burch, Roberto Cavalli, Rebecca Minkoff, and many more.

Some of the celebrity and model appearances include Ciara, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Cindy Crawford, Miranda Kerr, Adriana Lima, Taylor Momsen, Pharrell, and Stephanie Seymour.

The evening’s festivities will kick off with a visit by Anna Wintour, designer Michael Kors, and a surprise celebrity guest to the Macy’s Queens Center at 5:00 p.m. They will meet with shoppers and Macy’s chairman, president, and CEO Terry Lundgren inside a special Vogue boutique created to showcase the best trends of the season. There will be a performance by the Tony Award–winning cast of Hair, and Ms. Wintour and Mr. Kors will sign the Fashion’s Night Out tee for the first 50 customers.

FashionsNightOut.com has the official map of Fashion’s Night Out, created by American Express, will highlight the 700 participating retailers throughout the five boroughs. American Express will also be offering benefits exclusively available for Cardmembers at stores and restaurants throughout the city. On September 9 and 10, maps will be distributed at key commuter sites across New York City, including Grand Central and Penn Stations, the Port Authority, the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and Columbus Circle. For additional distribution at Official NYC Information
Center & Kiosks log on to http://www.nycgo.com/?event=view.article&id=55512

In-store sweepstakes: Shoppers will have the opportunity to win an amazing array of prizes on September 10 as part of citywide in-store sweepstakes. Retailers will provide entry forms between 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Prizes include tickets to designer fashion shows; a makeover with beauty expert Bobbi Brown on the Today show; a made-to-order wedding dress by Carolina Herrera; haircuts by Sally Hershberger and Oscar Blandi; or an opportunity to visit a Vogue fashion shoot with renowned photographer Patrick Demarchelier.

Free Transport: Enthusiastic shoppers looking for a lift around town will be able to take advantage of some free transportation in Manhattan. Courtesy of Payless ShoeSource, four Gray-Line double-decker buses will provide the Official Ride of Fashion’s Night Out, looping between downtown and midtown, and stopping at key shopping locations. For something a little more intimate, Aveda’s Experience Center at Fifth Avenue and West Nineteenth Street will provide complimentary pedicabs within a fifteen-block radius south of the store.

Check out FashionsNightOut.com for more details and come back to BeyondBeautyBasics.com and InsideTheTents.com for Fashion Week coverage!