Fashion's Night Out draws diverse crowd

Since it was founded by Vogue magazine in New York in 2009, Fashion's Night Out has become something of a national holiday. The celebratory mood was never stronger in the Twin Cities as it was Thursday night, as fashion followers flocked to retailers and shopping centers for in-store deals, free-flowing wine and designer guest appearances. Specialty retailer Neiman Marcus hosted a fashion show spotlighting fall trends, three floors of catered drinks and food, and a pop-up shop hosted by MNfashion featuring local designers Christopher Straub, Danielle Everine, Emma Berg, George Moskal and Amanda Christine.

The fashion show highlighted fall trends -- leather pants, digital prints, menswear influences -- from designers like Etro and Burberry, with live commentary from Neiman Marcus public relations director Catherine Loose and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine shopping and style editor Allison Kaplan, and a diverse crowd that ranged from candy-color-haired teens, well-heeled white-haired ladies, trendy 20-something and fashion scene regulars. That kind of diversity is something rarely seen in both the local fashion scene and at an institution like Neiman Marcus.

Everine, who appeared on the last season of "Project Runway," said that the event provided a great opportunity for designers to meet prospective new clients outside of their normal circles. "It's interesting to see how people are responding to the different design elements to my work," she said. "It gives me a better idea of what a different group of people are looking for in fashion."

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