By Jill Colvin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
CITY HALL — Anna Wintour, Tommy Hillfiger, Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera and Mary-Kate Olson and other members of Manhattan's fashion royalty strutted to City Hall Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the expansion of Fashion's Night Out for 2010.
The event, which was launched last year in an effort to boost sales for struggling designers in the tough economy, gives the public the chance to visit stores after-hours and take part in a host of celebrity-friendly events.
Nearly 1,000 stores have already signed on for this year's event on Sept. 10.
"Fashion business is big business here in the Big Apple," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, dressed in a simple navy suit and burgundy tie, surrounded by the who's-who of the fashion world.
He said Vogue Editrix Wintour first approached him with the idea.
"She came to me and said, 'You're going to do this,'" Bloomberg recalled. The $10 billion fashion industry supports 175,000 jobs in the city.
"These men and women are the definition of trend-setters," Bloomberg said. "If they say that boot cut pants are back in style, then boot cut pants are back in style. If they say capes are in vogue, then capes are in vogue. And if they say that a simple navy suit is the epitome of sophistication, who are we to argue with that?"
Designer Marc Jacobs, wearing a white button-down shirt tucked into a black kilt, said that last year's event was a huge success. He recalled how it took him two hours to walk two blocks that night because so many people were out on the streets.
"It felt like a block party. It felt like the center of community, and it felt what I think fashion is all about, which is a social ritual that people enjoy," he said.
The group also announced that this year's Night Out will be accompanied by the largest fashion show in the city's history, which will be held Sept. 7 at Lincoln Center. All of the clothing will be selected by Wintour and her staff at Vogue, and sales will benefit the NYC AIDS Fund. Tickets go on sale Aug. 19.
Following the announcement, Wintour, dressed in a black-and-white patterned knee-length skirt, black-and-white printed top, and a sparkling necklace, gushed about the return.
"Oh, I'm thrilled" she told DNAinfo. "You know, last year when we were all setting off, we didn't even know that anyone would turn up. So the fact that it's come back is wonderful."
