Fashion's Night Out 2012 with the IFs

Last Thursday was the fourth annual Fashion's Night Out, and we went out to see and be seen. Last year, we went to SOHO and the Meatpacking District. This year, to shake it up, we went uptown to 5th Avenue.

The fashionable highlight of the evening came very early, while Jean was stuck in the subway and Valerie was making herself useful taking pictures. We'd heard something about Hamish Bowles appearing at Prada, so Valerie peeked in the door, and sure enough, there he was!

Valerie patiently waited her turn for an audience, and then asked Mr. Bowles if she could take his picture. When he said yes, so many people were standing around that Valerie asked if she could have her picture taken with him, to which he again said yes. Valerie snagged a bystander, who was just composing his shot, when who should walk in but Anna Wintour. "Hamish!", she called out, and he was off like a shot to greet her. SIGH. No more photo op. So above is the photo we were able to get, of Anna Wintour and Hamish Bowles in the midst of a discussion. You'll just have to take our word for it. That's THEM.

Now, without further ado, let us show you what -- or really whom -- we saw in our meanderings.

First, THE MEN!!!! The September 8 Weekend issue of Women's Wear Daily declared "FNO WAS FOR THE PYTs". (Pretty Young Things - so much for US!!!) It went on to note that "Stores and city streets were packed with dressed-to-party teens and young women, making the fourth annual Fashion's Night Out Thursday a success on that basis, according to retailers around the world."

Well, we're here to say that the young men definitely held up their end. They too dressed to the nines and dressed to party.

It was SO nice to see oodles and oodles of men NOT wearing suits, and expressing themselves according to their own preferences. We noted LOTS of bowties this year. And LOTS of hair gel. Above are two gents showing off both trends.

We also saw a number of men wearing shorts (above).

Sureme (below), sporting both short pants and a bowtie, works for Alvin Ailey.

Every time we see Matt (below), he is impeccably dressed, even when wearing orange (yes, orange!) slacks. This is the most subdued suit we've ever seen on him. Wish you could see his impeccable silver pony tail. That's Danielle with him. We ran into each other in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral, which is currently undergoing a facelift.

Check out this fellow's hair -- not only a pompadour, but a mohawk pompadour. Spotted on the corner of 57th Street and 5th Avenue.

Another gent with a bowtie -- on the opposite street corner.

When we met this gentleman on the stairway at Henri Bendel, we declared him to be the winner of the bowtie prize for the evening. His red leather bowtie has black grommets and silver spikes, and he paired it with a red and white patterned jacket and a shirt with red buttons.

How about a man in a baby blue suit? And sandals? And a HAT?!

You can see why this was Valerie's favorite man of the evening. The adorable dog looked like a cross between a puppy and a baby bear.

And we ran into two friends on Fifth Avenue.

We met Alan at the Anna Piaggi party in Brooklyn a few weeks ago. Here he is on 5th Avenue in front of Prada, as he was going in to visit one of his friends who worked there.

We met Ariel Krupnik at the Whitney Museum's opening night reception for the Yayoi Kusama exhibit. We spotted him on the street near 56th and 5th sporting his newly shaped lightening bolt sideburns to set off his toile ensemble.

THE WOMEN!!!

This fabulous lady was surprised that we wanted to take her picture. Why should anyone who looks like this fabulous be surprised??!!

When we stopped into Louis Vuitton, these three ladies asked to have a picture of us, so we turned the tables on them. The turquoise hair was a show-stopper.

We loved this woman's gray dreads and great accessories. When we stopped her at Henri Bendel's she was sweet enough to accommodate our request for a photograph.

We love turbans, so we had snagged this woman right away, early in the evening. When we ran into her later (here), she'd managed to insert a cone-shaped child's party hat in her turban. Way to go!

Women are catching on to the beauty of the shaved head. This lady rocks the look.

We ran into Leann at Saks, and had to impose on her for a photo when we saw the tiny little felt hat her friend had made for her.

We ran into this trio in Henri Bendel and gave them directions to the bespoke cocktails (yum!) by Mulberry Project tucked away in the back of the second floor. The lady next to Jean is wearing a vintage black and white beaded collar. Jean has its twin (recently unearthed in one of her periodic fashion excavations.) It promises to make an appearance soon.

Fabulous mother and daughter team. Mom's short 'do is the cat's meow.

We met Nadine (right) and her girlfriend over bubbly -- in the shoe department at Bottega Veneta. (Talk about a lethal combination of two of our favorite things!) Her friend is holding up one of Nadine's promotional bags (which reads: Nadine Docteur "I'm not just a bag. I'm a brand."). That's what friends are for. Check out Nadine's website here

We first loved Cocoa's shirt (which looked to us like a Fornasetti print), and then her glasses and cammo pants, and then her fabulous attitude and self-presentation. This seemed like one of those destined meetings. It turns out that she is a photographer. We ran into her the very next day at a Fashion Week runway show at Lincoln Center and again earlier today on the plaza at Lincoln Center. Needless to say, she outdid herself each time. More photos of Cocoa to come, so stay tuned. (Hint: her eyewear is fabulously outrageous and somehow totally her.)

Now, because Fashion's Night Out is all about promoting the industry's products, let us end with two that we loved. The first is this stunning body suit by Thierry Mugler for Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity on display at Henri Bendel. Wouldn't these be the best tattoos ever? While this may not be designed for "women of a certain age", we still appreciate wonderful work when we see it.

And lastly, we loved this cartoon-themed bag. Doesn't it just shout "Pow" and Ka-Boom"?

Although we had a carefully planned itinerary, we never got to half of the planned destinations, but we still had a wonderful time. Where we come from, that's not a bad thing. Hope our description of events gives you a taste of New York City's FNO.

Stay tuned for future postings on our NY Fashion Week escapades.

What we're wearing:

Jean is wearing an Ignatius hat; Theory shirt; Lilith jumpsuit; black and white Underground creepers; MOMA shibori bag; black cross-body bag ($20 from a street vendor); charm necklace; vintage aluminum flea market earrings.

Valerie is wearing an unlabeled vintage '40s hat, unlabeled bolero, imitation Chinese Warring States bead, dress by Ivan Grundahl, toy bracelet from the Brooklyn Museum, Givenchy kabuki brush ring, shoes by Gareth Pugh for Melissa.