Style Seen Daily Co Founder Crystal Fambrini with Broadcasting Legend Larry King. Larry even decided to venture out to check out Fashion's Night Out.

This year Los Angeles really picked it up for the second annual Fashion’s Night Out.  My fellow fashionistas and I could barely contain our excitement for all the festivities planned around town. Unfortunately, everything was at the same time and in completely different areas so you really had to make a plan of attack and decide ahead of time what part of the city you wanted to check out.  I mean the options were tempting; hang with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at The Beverly Center as he officially kicked off the night, go to Westfield Century City Mall to check out the VIP events there and see Justin Timberlake unveil his new shoe line at the William Rast store, or head over to Robertson Boulevard to reconnect with my designer friends at Moods of Norway to snack on their famous waffles while trying on clothes.  Lots of options.

But I knew with my lack of patience on the road driving and this being on a Friday evening where traffic was sure to be plentiful, I decided I had to play it safe and pick one spot. So, the decision  – Rodeo Drive.  I didn’t care what celebrities where going to be where, I just wanted to take a ride on the ferris wheel in the middle of Rodeo Drive.  You bump into celebrities all the time here in Hollywood  (like Larry King in the pic with me above)  – but a ferris wheel on Rodeo Drive is a very rare occurrence.  Also just as rare — all the fancy stores on Rodeo Drive replacing their intimidating security people out front with lovely smiling models.  Instead of only welcoming in the big spenders, tonight was a night for all fashionistas — no matter if you bought something or not!   Like a shopping open house.  Now can you understand more why my friends and I were getting heart palpitations?

I started at the north end of Rodeo Drive, taking pictures along the way (see slideshow below), with my goal being to end at the south side of Rodeo at the ferris wheel.  Now it’s only a handful of blocks, but with all the most amazing stores open with models standing outside beckoning you in and offering you champagne, it did take me quite a long time to make it to my destination.  I also got distracted by the Chanel store, but a very happy distraction, as I sit here and type this I find delight looking down at my “CC” temporary tattoo on my arm.  It’s been almost a week, and the tattoo is still looking great.  Thanks Chanel!   I decided to take some video in the Chanel store… take a look…

And right before the ferris wheel, I stopped to interview the lovely Kelly Osbourne, check out that video here: Crystal Cam: Fasion’s Night Out on Rodeo Drive with Kelly Osbourne You’ll see that Kelly was just as excited as I was about the ferris wheel.

Check out some pictures I took along the way…

[Show as slideshow]

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OK, so being a typical Angelino, I didn’t actually end up going on the ferris wheel — it was full of kids and it was a tad too cold (I didn’t bring a jacket).  But I DID touch it, which in my book, is just as worthwhile.

Yes, I actually made it to the ferris wheel!

And since I was so cold, literally shaking, I found myself diving into the Jimmy Choo store for comfort.  And oh, what comfort that was — but that’s another entry.

At the end of the night I was so exhausted from all the fashion fun I ended up passing out on top of my bed with my shopping bags in lieu of my blankets.  In my sleepy haze I thought, Venice has First Fridays, can’t Rodeo Drive do something like that too? Can’t the first Friday of every month be Fashion’s Night Out?  Hey, a girl can dream.

Friday, September 10th fashion’s biggest party will be back in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and all over the globe.  And we here at Style Seen Daily are on Fashion’s Night Out countdown.  With so many events going on at the same time, it’s hard to figure out which one should you go to.  We break it down for you here so you make the most of this shopping extravaganza.  3…2…1.

This year the event got off to a strong start in NYC a few days early on Tuesday by featuring the largest fashion show in history. Fashion’s Night Out: The Show, created by Vogue and slated to air next week, Sept. 14th, featured over 200 models wearing clothes, based on Fall 2010 trends, selected by Vogue editors. This blockbuster event, which took place in the Lincoln Center brought in over 1,500 guests, including Blake Lively and Roger Federer (pictured above with Vogue Editor In Chief Anna Wintour). This show is just the beginning to the entire fun, fashionable event, read on to find out how you can get involved.

New York Breakdown:  With Mercedes- Benz NYC Fashion Week just around the corner, Fashion’s Night Out will definitely get NYC fashionistas into the fashion zone. Almost 1,000 retailers are taking part in the late-night shopping spree from stores like Victoria’s Secret to Barneys New York.

Barneys will host a karoake contest judged by Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen, Simon Doonan, and Proenza Schouler duo Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez. Some stores will even debut limited-edition merchandise for Fashion’s Night Out.

Bergdorf Goodman will introduce  TOMs Shoes decorated with the NYC skyline and 4,000 limited edition VitaminWater Zero bottles.

Models prepare for 2010 Fashion's Night Out in New York City. Photo Credit: Style Frizz.

Carolina Herrera will also be celebrating the 10th anniversary of her Madison Avenue flagship and her recent acknowlegment as Spring/ Summer 2011 ‘Mercedes-Benz Presents’ Designer during Fashion’s Night Out. At the flagship store, from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m., there will be a photo opportunity for fans to take pictures with Herrera in a classic Mercedes-Benz in a limited edition comic foreground.

Iconic photographer Mick Rock gives John Varvatos customers an opportunity to have their portrait taken by him during Fashion's Night Out in NYC.

Also in NYC this Friday, legendary music photographer Mick Rock will give fans a chance to have their portrait taken by him from 7 p.m.- 10 p.m.. John Varvatos’ customers who spend $300 or more at the Spring Street Store will have their picture take in honor of Fashion’s Night Out.

No fashion event would be complete without a red carpet and the Frédéric Fekkai Salon at Henri Bendel on Fifth Avenue is supplying Fashion’s Night Out attendees with their very own red carpet experience. Fashionistas will be able to choose from five award-winning Marchesa looks and then have their look styled by the Frédéric Fekkai team. Olivia Palermo of ‘The Hills’ will be on the ‘red carpet’ styling the guests and teaching them how to pose for the paparazzi. All proceeds from this event, which spans from 6 p.m.- 9 p.m., will be donated to Fashion’s Night Out’s official charity, New York City AIDS Fund in the New York Community Trust.

Supermodel Heidi Klum in clothing from her 'Loved by Heidi Klum' line for Motherhood Maternity. Photo Credit: People Style Watch.

Victoria’s Secret will also be keeping nine stores in the NYC area open late on September 10th. At the Soho store from 7 p.m.- 10 p.m., Victoria’s Secret Angels Adriana Lima, Chanel Iman, and Doutzen Kroes will all be in attendance to sign autographs for customers. Any fans that can’t make it to the in-store signing will be able to ask the VS Bombshells questions via UStream to discuss fall trends. Former Angel Heidi Klum will be hosting her own Fashion’s Night Out event to celebrate maternity fashion through the decades. At Destination Maternity on 57th Street customers will be able to enjoy a display of maternity clothes from the 1950s to present day, including some of Klum’s collections for A Pea in a Pod and Motherhood Maternity.

Moods of Norway is hosting a complimentary BBQ at their Roberston Blvd. store on Friday, September 10th for all LA Fashion's Night Out attendees.

There is also no short supply of Fashion’s Night Out events happening in cities like Los Angeles and Chicago.

Los Angeles Update: In Los Angeles on Friday, Moods of Norway will be highlighting new fall merchandise at their store located on 113 S. Robertson Blvd. Moods of Norway designs have recently been spotted on the red carpet at the 2010 Teen Choice Awards – Ian Harding in Moods Of Norway At Teen Choice Awards and even on stage at the EMMYs- Bold and Beautiful Star Zack Conroy Sets The Mood With Fashion At The Daytime EMMYs , but this event will bring the brand directly to customers and fans. During the extended hours there will be complimentary curbside BBQ, drinks, and music. Customers will even have the chance to ‘Spin the Wheel’ for discounts, freebies, and fun surprises. Meet the Moods of Norway designers through a Style Seen Daily interview here-One on One with Moods Of Norway Designers

Tell them Style Seen Daily sent you!

Find more happenings in Los Angeles for Fashion’s Night Out at  Southern California This Friday: This year, a busy Fashion’s Night Out

2010 Chicago Fashion Incubators Designers prepare for Fashion's Night Out at Macy's on State Street. Photo Credit: Smashdarling.com.

Chicago Update: In Chicago, the Macy’s on State Street will host a book signing with Vicki Gunvalson, of ‘The Real Housewives of Orange County’ for customers that spend over $75. Also, Chicago-based designers and designers from Chicago’s Fashion Incubator will have their collections front and center in the Macy’s windows. At the Nordstrom on Michigan Ave., one lucky Nordstrom shopper will win a suit autographed by Michael Bublé and a $2,500 shopping spree. Even if you don’t take home the big prize, there are still exclusive collections available from TOMs Shoes, William Rast, and Burberry cosmetics, just to name a few.  SSD had the chance to meet Michael Buble at the Santa Monica Place Nordstrom Opening Gala on August 25, 2010 — Crystal Cam EXCLUSIVE: Style Seen Daily HAUTEness: Michael Buble At The New Santa Monica Place Nordstrom

As Fashion’s Night Out comes to a end, Mercedes- Benz Spring/Summer 2011 Fashion Week will just be getting underway with events hosted by Frèdèric Fekkai and Revlon beginning Saturday, September 11th.

For more info on Fashion’s Night Out events visit www.fashionsnightout.com and if you’re looking for shopping ideas for fall, then head to this Style Seen Daily post to our picks for fall’s top trends- Fall into Autumn Right With These Five Picks

Following an overwhelming success in 2009- check out Style Seen Daily’s coverage here, 2010′s Fashion’s Night Out,  is spear headed by Vogue Magazine. Vogue Editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour made a recent appearance on Jimmy Fallon with designer Marc Jacobs to spread the word about this year’s Fashion’s Night Out. Anna Wintour And Marc Jacobs Stay Up Late For Jimmy

RODEO DRIVE FASHION’S NIGHT OUT SEPTEMBER 10, 2010 6:00 – 10:00 PM

Last year’s first installment of Fashion’s Night Out, an effort to jump-start a sagging industry with an evening full of shopping events in major cities all over the world that was brought to us by New York-based Vogue magazine and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, was, not surprisingly, very Manhattan-centric. Southern California was barely represented, with a few local scattered efforts staged at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills and the Fred Segal Center on Melrose Avenue.

What a difference a year makes. For the sophomore effort on Friday, Sept. 10, Southern California is fielding a slate of highly organized, “Vogue-sanctioned” events, stretching from Newport Beach to Pasadena, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Office of Economic and Business Policy is rallying retailers.

Following are highlights of planned Fashion’s Night Out activities in three cities — Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and West Hollywood — within whose borders some 300 assorted and sundry parties, personal appearances, shopping discounts and the like will occur simultaneously.

Beverly Hills

Sixty-seven retailers have signed up to mark FNO in the 90210, which will have a decidedly circus-like atmosphere — thanks to a four-story-tall Ferris wheel set up in the 200 block of North Rodeo Drive. (Rides are free — if you have a proof-of-purchase receipt from one of the evening’s participating stores.)

Among the events scheduled for the evening: at Giorgio Armani, actor Samuel L. Jackson will host an exhibition of his favorite red carpet looks over the years, displayed on mannequins and accompanied by a question-and-answer session with fashion critic Steven Cojocaru from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (reservations, which can be made at [212] 209-4102, are recommended), Chanel will be offering free manicures with its new collection of polishes, and the Lacoste boutique will be the site of a Wii tennis tournament.

There will be no shortage of parties. Valentino, for example, is having a casino night. DJs Super Mash Bros. will be spinning at Emporio Armani, while DJ Rick Khan has been tapped for Roberto Cavalli‘s bash. Geary’s will host a “gentleman’s lounge” with Scotch, beer, hors d’oeuvres and some heavy-duty models — of Rolex and Patek Phillipe timepieces, that is.

At 6 p.m., a life-size celebrity version of the fashion trivia board game Fashion Rules will begin at the foot of the Ferris wheel on Rodeo, and is set to include singer/actress Kelly Osbourne, “Dancing With the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba, stylist George Kotsiopoulos and Vogue’s West Coast editor Lisa Love.

Tod’s is selling a limited-edition handbag for the event, Salvatore Ferragamo is celebrating its first collection from new Creative Director Massimiliano Giornetti with the launch of his W-bag purse Mikimoto will be featuring pearl-stringing demonstrations and Coach will have artists on hand to customize merchandise.

Organizers also have made sure that Rodeo Drive revelers will be able to fill their stomachs as easily as they empty their wallets, promising the famed thoroughfare will be lined with gourmet food trucks serving a variety of fare including kimchi-topped French fries and architecturally themed ice cream sandwiches.

Beverly Hills’ Fashion’s Night Out, centered on Rodeo Drive, runs 6 to 10 p.m. on Sept. 10. Additional information and updates are available at the Rodeo Drive Committee’s website: http://www.rodeodrive-bh.com/fashionsnightout.html.

Los Angeles

The beige box that dominates the intersection of La Cienega and Beverly boulevards is shaping up to dominate this year’s local FNO efforts — and not just for the benefit of its own tenants.

In partnership with the mayor’s office, the Beverly Center will function as the hub, headquarters and starting point for the city’s FNO events, with free parking (starting at 4 p.m.) and no-cost busses to ferry shoppers to six retail districts centered on Melrose Avenue, Robertson Boulevard, West 3rd Street, Abbot Kinney Boulevard, downtown Los Angeles and Los Feliz.

As befits Hollywood, the night of extended shopping will kick off with red carpet arrivals at the Beverly Center at 4 p.m., as VIPs, celebrities and invitees turning out to hear remarks from the mayor, who is slated to speak at a 5 p.m. news conference alongside Vogue’s Lisa Love, L.A.-based designer Randolph Duke, skateboarder/reality TV star Rob Dyrdek and Black Eyed Peas singer will.i.am.

The Beverly Center has promised the first 100 shoppers a free Fashion’s Night Out Los Angeles T-shirt — designed by FIDM student Marc Blaskovits. (The shirt will be sold at the mall and other participating spots around Los Angeles — including Fred Segal on Melrose, The Grove and Intermix and Udrest, which are both on Robertson, among others — for $15 each. Poceeds will help fund scholarships for fashion students.)

A fashion show of fall looks featuring some of the Beverly Center’s retailers (including Forever 21, Bebe, Ben Sherman and Traffic, among others) will be staged in the mall’s sixth-floor central area at 5:30 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. In between, Macy’s is scheduled to host a “Denim Rocks” runway show, highlighting local denim brands, at 6:30 p.m.

In addition Charles David founder Charles Malka is scheduled to do an in-store shoe signing (in the Beverly Center) from 6 to 9 p.m. William Rast co-founders Tracy Ayala and Justin Timberlake will be hosting a sneak peek at their label’s new footwear collection and a special FNO eyewear collectionat the William Rast flagship store at Westfield Century City from 8 to 9 p.m. (Earlier the pair will do the same at the Nordstrom at Santa Monica Place from 6 to 7 p.m.)

Throughout the night, the Fred Segal Center on Melrose promises appearances by Quiksilver‘s surfing team, Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh (who will sign copies of his book “Beautiful Mutants“) and the guys behind Spirit Hoods, who will be on hand to make sure that any of their animal-shaped hats that are purchased are worn jauntily askew.Taylor Jacobson (formerly with “The Rachel Zoe Project“) will be on hand to offer styling tips from 8 to 10 p.m.

Decadestwo and HauteLook are kicking off a three-day “400 dresses for $400″ event — with a cocktail party featuring special guest designer Alexis Phifer. 6 to 9 p.m.

There’s also some added incentive to pry open the wallet within city limits on Friday night: Anyone (21 and older) who can brandish receipts totaling $25 from a participating Los Angeles FNO retailer will have entrée into a post-shopping fete at SBE’s Industry nightclub, on La Cienega Boulevard,, which will include fashion presentations by some of the designers who call the city home, including Kevan Hall, Sue Wong, Louis Verdad and Petro Zillia’s Nony Tochterman. A second party, at SBE’s XIV, on Sunset Boulevard, subject to the same entrance requirements, will feature fashion-themed drinks. Both bashes will run from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Los Angeles’ Fashion’s Night Out festivities are scheduled to run 6 to 10 p.m., with free parking at — and shuttle service from — the Beverly Center for the duration. A full list of participating retailers as well as a printable map, can be found at city’s FNO site: http://www.fno.lacity.org.

West Hollywood

FNO WeHo is a little city going big: The 1.9-square-mile community of West Hollywood had lined up 28 participants, including Chrome Hearts, Vera Wang, Nicole Miller and the Sunset Plaza shopping center, for events, appearances and parties.

A Julia Clancey runway show is slated for the Andaz West Hollywood’s RH bar, James Jean artwork will be on display at the 3.1 Phillip Lim boutique, and, in what will no doubt be one of the evening’s popular spectator sports events, the Andrew Christian underwear boutique will be holding a Twister competition from 8 to 10 p.m. featuring models wearing nothing more than their skivvies.

For shoppers — and aspiring rock gods — who don’t mind dropping $300 at the John Varvatos boutique on Robertson, celebrity rock photographer Robert Knight will be on hand to shoot your portrait.

The Sunset Plaza shopping center is planning a party complete with aural ambience courtesy of live DJs and a runway show of fall fashion from the center’s retailers. (The price of admission is an FNO proof of purchase.)

West Hollywood’s Fashion’s Night Out runs from 6 to 10 p.m., with free shuttle service for the duration. Shuttle information and a full list of participating retailers and events are available at the organizers’ website:http://www.avenueswh.com/events/fno.

Source: LA Times

Anna Wintour And Marc Jacobs Stay Up Late For Jimmy

From Justin Timberlake's clothing line, William Rast's Fall 2009 Ready To Wear Collection at New York Fashion Week February 2009. The fall collection highlighted a "new America" utilizing classics, such as a plaid shirt, and making it more fashion forward by pairing it with a leather jacket.

Trend Alert — Menswear Americana Amour

Outdoorsy, rugged look is one of the main looks shaping menswear as we head further into 2009.  It’s called the vintage Americana trend.  Items include: button down red white and blue plaid shirts, jackets with plaid lining, lumberjack jackets and rugged work boots (that aren’t really for work).  These classic pieces will always be popular (hence the “classic” title) as long as you don’t go overboard and make your look like a costume.  It’s about incorporating certain pieces into your staple wardrobe.  Mix and match to your style.  And since it is “Americana” it would be nice if you actually bought clothes that are made in the USA.

J. Crew Baracuta Jacket. See SHOWROOM to shop online.

Steven Alan Plaid Shirt. See SHOWROOM to shop online.

Steve Alan plaid shirt on model. Note it's slim cut fit.

Red Wing Iron Ranger Boots. Star fans include Johnny Depp and Dylan McDermott. See SHOWROOM to shop online.

This trend is so popular that Newsweek did a huge article on it called “Autherntic Americana:  Why Grandpa’s clothes are suddenly chic.”  Click here for the story.