Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/184554
On Your Mark Get Set, Shop! Jacqueline Courtney Anderson Edwards at at HPV Tootsies Dividing and Conquering Fashion's Night Out Jan Barboglio at Forty Five Ten PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO ROCKET SCIENCE, CAROLINA JANECKOVA AND JUSTIN CLEMONS. Matthew Collins at Neiman Marcus NorthPark Traversing the crowd to get to my ringside seat at NorthPark Center's fashion shows reminded me of moments spent elbowing my way into The Armory for Marc Jacobs' shows during New York Fashion Week. (Granted, I wasn't front row there, but the fever pitch was definitely the same.) Color me biased since PaperCity was media sponsor of FNO at NorthPark but, seriously, I can't imagine a destination with more buzz …. or shoppers wearing leather leggings. "Body-conscious" was this crowd's mantra, whether interpreted as a Leger-inspired dress or skinny jeans worn with stiletto heels that could elicit altitude sickness. Beyond people watching, there was enough action to fuel a Schwarzenegger flick: Pat Smith made a special appearance at Gregory's; the Roberto Cavalli Red Carpet Retrospective attracted folks eager to check out Christina Aguilera's fuchsia feather mini-dress worn to the 2001 VH1 Music Awards; people updated their Facebook photos via snaps taken with Cirque du Soleil models; and stores such as Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Henri Bendel offered cocktails, goodies with purchase, a portion of sales to a charitable cause or a combination of the three. Amongst those looking fabulous: Barbara Daseke, Carmaleta Whiteley, Nancy Nasher, Linda Kim, Beverly Rice, Tracy Ziepprecht, and Shannon Durst. Karley Osborn at Stanley Korshak Jonathan Betz at NorthPark "Move it or Lose it" David Nichols at Forty Five Ten Caroline Rader at Stanley Korshak Leigh Brock at Stanley Korshak Shana Lindsey at Stanley Korshak Kathy Rego at Tootsies Doubling Down with Fashion's Night Out is a Sixteen Candles back-to-school moment for grown-ups. Like high school, everyone is constantly moving, but instead of traveling from algebra to Spanish, they are rushing from Hermès to Chanel. The reason I wanted to scream Midnight Star's classic anthem "No Parking on the Dance Floor" was that the crowd was moving too slow. This evening is not for amateurs, dammit! It's the same frustration I feel whenever I'm in NYC during the holiday season, and am trying to keep on schedule while making my way from Barneys New York on Madison down to Saks Fifth Avenue. Honestly, it's always a super swell time, and since it's all about fashion, you can count on all participants to look glamorous. As my dearest confidante Suzanne Droese pointed out, "Pretty people. Fabulous fashion ... and shopping. It's glorious, and I scored an amazing Balenciaga clutch!" With every high school dance, there needs to be a queen and the award for Highland Park Village goes, hands down, to Christen Wilson. She was brilliant and head-turning in a 1940s-inspired Christian Dior dress. I also loved her comment, "If I turn any heads, it better be those shirtless firemen at Jimmy Choo." Down the street at Forty Five Ten, the consummately chic Brian Bolke exclaimed, "What a great Fashion's Night Out! Fantastic music with Lucy Wrubel rocking in her insane new Nicholas Kirkwoods, Patrón margaritas, and amazing Mexican food from Mr. Mesero. The AC was cranked, people had a blast and forgot about what was happening outside. People stayed. And stayed. It was a great night." In the crowd: Nancy Rogers, Muffin Lemak, Karla McKinley, Niven Morgan, and Shelby Wagner. Where The Boys year I let a few select Are ast Savannah Christian With all due respect for quantum theory, I still haven't gotten the hang of being in multiple places at once. So with my eye on the clock, I set my sights on two destinations for FNO fun. At Neiman Marcus NorthPark, I joined more than 1,000 revelers with the same idea. DJ Sam Krause kept the energy level high, but the massive amounts of sugar probably helped, too: Goodies from Tart Bakery, Tiff's Treats, Trailer Cakes, Fuzziwig's Candy Factory, and Uptown Popcorn flowed as freely as the champagne. The store's contest — "Guess How Sweet We Are?" — encouraged passerby's to gauge the amount of candy stuffed into a human-sized jar. (2,299 pieces.) VIPs congregated in the sexily subdued Zodiac Room for the Turtle Creek Recovery Center's annual fundraising event, Simply Summer … Fashionably Fall, co-chaired by Leigh Bailey, Emily Eisenhauer, and Kim LewisGleason. In the mix: Lee Bailey, Doris Jacobs, Kay Hammond, Jocelyn White, and the impossibly dapper Lawrence Orr. At Stanley Korshak, I scored an Ultimat Vodka-infused sno-cone and watched Caroline Drinkwater win first prize in the personal styling contest, while noncompetitive types took photos of themselves on the massive iPhone-like contraption inside The Shak. Picture-perfect guests: Andrea Glanzer, Ford Albritton, Claire Wilhite, Maryrose Hester, Jessica George, Jessica Melton, and Tanna Goodwin. Annabelle Lake at Neiman Marcus NorthPark Billy Fong Says, Erin Mathews at Forty Five Ten Amanda McWilliams at HPV Jason Sheeler at NorthPark Whitney Eckard at Forty Five Ten Joanna Lewis at Stanley Korshak Robyn Ford at HPV Gary Walden at Tootsies The scene at NorthPark Center Amy Adams' Big Time Becca Brooks at Stanley Korshak Bethany Siggins at Tootsies Brian Bolke at Forty Five Ten Ron Corning at NorthPark Alexa Cervantes at HPV Jennifer de Socarraz at HPV Rachel Cotton at HPV "PRETTY PEOPLE. FABULOUS FASHION ... AND SHOPPING. IT'S GLORIOUS, AND I SCORED AN AMAZING BALENCIAGA CLUTCH!" Victoria Snee at NorthPark — Suzanne Droese at Forty Five Ten Ahmed Goree at HPV Thom Faust at Forty Five Ten L single, straight boys in on the big secret … that Fashion's Night Out was like shooting fish in a barrel — wall-towall gorgeous girls accompanied by their gay boyfriends, thus providing the perfect setting for meeting a future fashionista wife. However, there was a new element to this year's festivities — packs of roving wolves. Hedge funders and lawyers with their ties off and their Kiton shirts slightly unbuttoned traveled in groups of five and seven, drinking bottles of Cristal charged to their black Amex cards and prattling on about sports – really? Well, every year needs to bring a new layer of intrigue. Billy Fong Party Query: What are you loving this fall? "Roberto Cavalli, because I love his big, bold prints with black for an edge." — Paige Morrell at NorthPark "Anything peplum!" — Neeley Armstrong at NorthPark Cornelius Magee at HPV Faisal Halum and Gator at Forty Five Ten "Cobalt blue. It's so nice to have a pop of color to brighten up the drab colors of fall." — Dawn Mellon at Gregory's