NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg swapped state-legislature for catwalk chatter this morning at a City Hall press conference for Fashion's Night Out, the Vogue-sponsored shopping event to be held on September 10th.
Editor Anna Wintour and a throng of designers stood behind Bloomberg as he spoke about the changes made to this year's line-up, with about 1,000 stores signing on--200 more than last year. There will also be a public fashion show benefiting the NYC AIDS fund on September 7--the largest to ever take place in New York City history, held in Lincoln Center. More than 150 top models will be featured in "trends of the fall season." The 1,500 "spectator" tickets go on sale starting August 19th for a mere $25.
Bloomberg also discussed Fashion Week's move to Lincoln Center, referring to it as forming "the nexus between the visual arts and the performing arts." Another visual-and-performing arts nexus was standing right next to Bloomberg: designer Marc Jacob in his signature kilt. Jacobs was on-hand to harp on the success of Fashion's Night Out, sharing a personal anecdote from last year's festivities:
"My office is two blocks away from our Mercer Street shop, we were two days before our show and it took me about two hours to get two blocks because I was stopped every single minute by people who were out on the street for fashion's night out. And, what it felt like to me--and for any of you who grew up here or know New York City--it felt like the block party, and it felt like a sense of community, and it felt like what I think fashion shopping is all about, which is a social ritual that people enjoy."
But back to the kilt. "I loved the side pleat," designer Zac Posen told us after the conference. "Um, I think one can pull off whatever one feels comfortable wearing. Pulling it off is all about confidence. Obviously there are people who wear inappropriate clothing, but that balances the over-appropriate clothing other people wear."
