Fashion’s Night Out

Last Thursday saw Berlin celebrate its 5th annual Fashion’s Night Out. What began as an initiative by American Vogue and the CFDA to bolster consumer spending in the states during the recession has grown to hundreds of cities worldwide. In Berlin, luxury shopping destinations such as KaDeWe, Department Store, Bikini Berlin and Galeries Lafayette kept their doors open till midnight, inviting card carrying clientele to shop designer goods at a discounted price in the presence of small time celebrities and free cocktails. Local designers were noticeably missing this year with retailers opting to peddle and promote mostly established international brands.

Although the evening brought together plenty of fashionistas, shopping addicts and industry members, Fashion’s Night Out fell on a flat note. It’s hard to imagine the crowds gathering here actually spending enough to offset the expenses put into such full-blown events. While Berliners will certainly poke their heads around KaDeWe for a glimpse of Vogue’s Christiane Arp, no amount of free flowing booze will really get locals to drop the kind of money these events expect.

After a quick round of luxury boutique hopping, the Œ Team settled into what would be the most memorable event of the evening: Mykita’s house warming party. The innovative eyewear company celebrated its headquarter move from Mitte to Kreuzberg’s Pelikan Haus on Ritter Str., putting on the chicest BBQ party we could imagine. Standing among familiar faces and celebrating one of Berlin’s most visionary brands was a welcome reprieve from all the evening’s glitz.

Check out our photos from the night!