The 3^rd Annual Fashion’s Night Out dawns upon us once again on Thursday, September 8th. The after-hours extravaganza includes a fantastic line-up of events filled with diamonds, cocktails, parties, and of course spectacular shopping. Here are a few of our favorite things: 

FNO Merrick Park 

The Village of Merrick Park will host an official Fashion’s Night Out event beginning at 6 p.m. The event will take place throughout the center and inside participating retailers including Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Diane von Furstenberg, Jimmy Choo, Elemis Day Spa, Etro, Furla, Juicy Couture, KoKo & Palenki, Lacoste and Silvia Tcherassi, to name a few. Event components will include three Fashion’s Night Out Lounges which will feature cool music by DJ Ess & Emm, cocktails, delicious light bites, a sneak peek of Fall 2011 trends and many other exciting initiatives. New this year, the Village of Merrick Park will partner with Dress for Success Miami in supporting their campaign, “Check your bag at the door.” Donate your gently worn handbag and put in a check to help raise funds for Dress for Success Miami women’s program. Cap the evening off with a visit to one of the center’s many dining offerings including the recently opened Cinco Cantina & Tequila Bar, SAWA Restaurant & Lounge, Yard House and Villagio, among others.  

Neiman Marcus has teamed up with Niche Media’s Ocean Drive magazine to present a Pop-Up shop curated by Editor-in-Chief Suzy Buckley. The Ocean Drive Pop-up launches within Neiman Marcus’ South Florida stores for the month of September and features a handpicked selection of must-have trends as inspiration for the ultimate personal style.  The Pop-Up Shop will feature a total of 12 diverse style expressions for men and women, each chosen to reflect unique themes including ‘Evening/Gala,’ ‘Weekend Leisure,’ ‘Night Out,’ ‘Power Lunch,’ ‘Date Night’ and ‘Weekend Getaway.’  In honor of fall fashion, the Ocean Drive magazine Pop-Up at Neiman Marcus Coral Gables and Neiman Marcus Fort Lauderdale will make its debut from September 1 through 30 with its kick-off event taking place during Fashion’s Night Out at the Coral Gables location at Merrick Park.  The Bal Harbour location will be on display from September 9 through 30, with a special event celebrating Ocean Drive’s 10th Annual Fall Fashion Week on Wednesday, September 21. Additionally, Pop-up shoppers will be entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win a night out as a VIP with Ocean Drive magazine. The VIP package includes dinner with Ocean Drive’s magazine cover star, an invite to a highly coveted cover release party and a one-night stay at a luxurious Miami hotel.  Potential winners can enter to win at Neiman Marcus stores at Coral Gables, Bal Harbour and Fort Lauderdale throughout the month of September.

Saks Fifth Avenue Dadeland 

Saks Fifth Avenue Dadeland will transform into fashion’s ultimate social media party with a night of style, makeovers, music and more. Saks Fifth Avenue Dadeland has invited three charities (Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami, Humane Society of Greater Miami and Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program) to participate in a night of shopping that will benefit these charities and give back to the community. Start the night out on the ground floor with the FENDI Fatto a Mano event. In this incredible workshop, the customer will be able to design his/her very own, completely one-of-a-kind Selleria bag. A Fendi craftsman will be present to help the clients choose from a selection of gorgeous exotics, leathers and trims in a wide range of colors. Customers will also enjoy complimentary makeovers in the Beauty Department, as the expert artist teams demonstrate the best ways to get the season’s latest looks.  As part of the FNO @Saks theme, customers are invited to tweet and Facebook their new looks directly from the Beauty Department. The Spa at The Mandarin Oriental, Miami will be offering five minute neck massages and raffling of a gift certificate to their spa. The Fur Salon located on the second level, will be hosting an exclusive trunk show of must have pieces by American Fur Designers with the Fine Jewelry department will host a Vhernier trunk show.AOL will be hosting interactive iPad kiosk for clients to check in with Stylelist, the source for the latest fashion news and trends, to test your Fall Fashion IQ for the chance to win exclusive prizes. 

The event will be accompanied by sexy cocktails provided by SX Liquors and The Capital Grille will be present during the night. The affair will also have DJs in the contemporary department and handbags department. In addition, Jennifer Valoppi, president and founder of Women of Tomorrow will be signing her book Certain Cure. For further information, visit the Saks Fifth Avenue Dadeland Facebook page for an updated event schedule.

 FNO Bal Harbour Shops:

 De Beers Book Launch 

De Beers invites you to join Allison Weiss Brady and Cheryl Peisach at De Beers at Bal Harbour Shops on Thursday, September 8, from 7 to 10 pm for a VIP cocktail party to celebrate the launch of De Beers Jewellery, (intentional spelling) a book that provides an insider’s glimpse into the fascinating world of diamonds, published by Assouline.  The event will benefit Gene Spotlight, a South Florida-based organization which provides medical research grants to find better treatments and cures for some of the 7,000 rare genetic disorders.  Catered by Le Basque, refreshing champagne and sparkling water will be served, as well as scrumptious passed hors d’oeuvres, and delicious macaroons for dessert.  Space is limited.  Contact BHFNO@DEBEERS.COM for further information.

Chloé Bal Harbour  

Chloé Bal Harbour is hosting a Fashion’s Night Out “Free Your Photos” event. Capture the experience of creating instant memories with your digital camera or Bluetooth-enabled Smartphone and snap away at the latest fashion trends, then link up to Polaroid’s new GL10 Instant Mobile Printer and leave with a keepsake courtesy of Chloé- photos that can be shared instantly. Designed by Polaroid and Lady Gaga, the GL10 Instant Mobile Printer is an instant printer that you can take around with you to wirelessly print photos from your phone via Bluetooth or computers and digital cameras via USB. Sip champagne, enjoy live beats by DJ Johnny the Boy and shop the Chloé Fall & Winter 2011 collections from 7 to 10 p.m. 

Yves Saint Laurent and Bass Museum of Art 

From 7 to 10 p.m., fashion and art unite for an evening of shopping, sweets and giving back. A strong supporter of the arts, Yves Saint Laurent Bal Harbour has partnered with the Bass Museum of Art.  Fifteen percent of the evening’s profits will be donated to the museum. Yves Saint Laurent invites guests to indulge in complimentary champagne and gourmet macaroons while getting a first look of the brand’s latest “IT handbag” Cabas Chyc. All guests who purchase a Cabas Chyc handbag and reference the Bass Museum of Art, will enjoy a fabulous gift with purchase package including a pair of YSL sunglasses, scarf, a beauty kit and an official Fashion’s Night Out t-shirt. This offer will be available September 7^th through 9th, and is only available to Bass Museum guests.

FNO Aventura Mall 

Zingara Swimwear will treat shoppers to cupcakes by Stella’s Sweet Shoppe, champagne and a full espresso bar from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. By shopping Zingara’s summer 2011 collections guests will automatically be entered to win a “Beach Accessories Set.” Complimentary beach sandals will also be given as a gift with purchases over $200. Complete your beach-ready looks with a matching hairstyle. Blo Blow Dry Bar (www.blomedry.com) will be on-site for dry styling, offering expert tips and revealing how-to secrets. Stop by and get fab-in-a-flash with a perfect pony, fun and flirty curls or even a boho braid. 

**Be sure to check back next week for even more fashionable happenings.

 Neiman Marcus Coral Gables hosted designer Zac Posen at an in-store cocktail soirée on Wednesday, April 1, 2009,  as he presented his fall 2009 collection.

 Event hostesses Carolina Argiz, Evangeline Delgado, Julie Dill, Mari Alarcon Grimalt, Marysol Patton and Sheri Swerdlow were joined by over 100 guests including Cynthia Rodriguez, Sarah Harrelson, Gigi Ganatra, Conchi Argiz, Maria Delgado, Jeanine Hinson, Courtney Parmenter, Lydia Touzet and Dana Shear to meet the iconic designer.

 Miami’s A-list fashionistas enjoyed a full runway fashion presentation reminiscent of Posen’s New York fashion show featuring a grand Steinway piano on the runway.  An ultra chic black u-shaped carpeted runway and sleek black backdrop with the prominent Zac Posen logo also came to life as guests sipped champagne and were treated to passed hors d’oeuvres. Clear ghost chairs and mini lounges were set up along side the runway, while accents of violet and white florals by Karla Conceptual Event Experiences completed the décor elements.

 A collection of forties-inflected styles were seen on the runway. Grand Joan Crawford shoulders, pouf sleeves, ruffles at the hips, and great swags of fabric pooling on the floor were featured in textiles such as metallic jacquards, violet moiré silk, and double layered floral prints.  After the show, guests mingled with Posen and shopped the new collection as a swarm of paparazzi and fashion lovers swarmed the designer.

On Saturday night, Destination Fashion hit the Shops of Bal Harbour, with an over-the-top party two years in the making. Barton G. transformed the luxury mall into a celebration through the ages: 70s, 80s, 90s and today, with enormous displays representing each decade. Over 2, 000 fashion-forward VIPs including celebrities, sports stars and philanthropic icons were able to get their groove on at Studio 54, munch on sushi with the Star Wars characters, sip cosmos with the girls from Sex and the City, and ponder the fabulosity of it all with the cast from Dynasty. The evening began with a call to action from award- winning actor and event co-chair, Tommy Lee Jones and superstar, Gloria Estefan, followed by testimonials by Nick Buoniconti and son, Marc. Next, Sultan of Style, Project Runway star, Michael Kors, wowed the crowd by presenting his spectacular fall collection straight from the runways of New York Fashion Week. The jaw dropping, bank-breaking, college fund-depleting show was set to a high-energy soundtrack which included Coldplay and New Order. Overheard among the crowd, approximately every fifteen seconds, “Gasp, I’m buying that!” After a lavish dinner at Neiman Marcus, the Pointer Sisters took over, performing a concert of their greatest hits, including He’s So Shy, Fire, Slow Hand, Automatic, Jump and, of course, I’m So Excited. There was barely any time to relish in the carbolicious rapture that was set up across the mall at Saks, where Willy Wonka challenged you to try one of the hundreds of dessert creations which covered every inch of every cosmetic counter before the Seal concert. Seal’s supermodel spouse, Heidi Klum was a no-show, but the crowd didn’t seem to mind, as Seal performed over 10 songs including Kiss from a Rose, Crazy and Prayer for the Dying. Famous faces at the bash included: Tommy Lee Jones, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Michael Kors, Anna Kournikova, Jerry Rice, Jack Nicklaus, Scottie Pippen, Pat Riley, Don Shula, Romero Britto, Edgerrin James, Clay Adler, Seamus Dever, Asante Samuel, Nat Moore, Carl Lewis, Tim Hardaway, Helio Castroneves, Robin Quivers, Nanette Lepore and Ed Reed among others. By all accounts, Destination Fashion was a huge success, raising over 3.8 million dollars for the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis. To see the feature on Extra, go to: http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2009/03/miami_sizzles_on_the_runway.php.

This article was originally published in the Miami SunPost on March 12, 2009.