IT FELT a bit like Christmas last night at Vogue’s Fashion Night Out in Brown Thomas – Christmas 2006, that is, when we were spending and luxury goods were in demand.
The one-night-only fashion celebration was conceived in New York in 2009 to promote a flagging industry, and by all accounts has been a resounding success, with most of New York’s luxury stores taking part.
Brown Thomas is the official Irish partner to the UK fashion glossy, although that seems to have largely gone under the radar; people were there because it was a Thursday, the first night of the Dublin Fashion Festival, and it was obvious that something was happening.
Julia O’Rourke, a speech therapist, was in the store simply because she was passing by. “Now we’ve been sucked in. I’ll probably watch a fashion show, maybe get my hair done . . . ”
Upstairs, fashion shows every hour drew big crowds, but once the show ended, the crowd dispersed and the designer showrooms, which house the store’s higher end brands, lay empty. On the third floor, the Nespresso corner – usually abuzz – lay vacant while people queued for the “fashion bar”. On the ground floor, the cosmetics hall was packed, but the luxury jewellery area was empty.
A girl walked by eating a macaroon and was stopped by a passerby: “Was that free?” She shook her head. Freebies were noticeable by their absence; at a sponsored event, it would seem they are expected.
“It would have been a nice idea for them to offer a voucher for Vogue, maybe,” said Sarah Lanagan, a make-up artist who came specifically for the event.
The loud music, the throngs of people – in specific pockets – and the makeovers in each corner of the cosmetics hall lent the night an atmosphere of joviality; it was a celebration, even if attendees weren’t sure what they were celebrating.