Keep Shopping. Everything Is Fine.
Or so Anna Wintour, politicians and a kazillion retailers around the world keep proclaiming with this week's latest installment of Fashion's Night Out. Now, I'm not going to get all Cathy Horyn on you, Dear Readers, and claim that the annual event started in 2009 to get folks back into stores and spending their hard-earned cash no longer has its purpose. After all, for many, that purpose is the same as it ever was: to party.
The fashion industry loves a party. When they can wrap it up all neat and pretty in a tax-breaking cause, well, all the better. Never mind that much more is spent on the security, valet, booze, invitations, promotions and everything else involved than what is actually gifted to any cause.
Of course, I'm being utterly sanctimonious here given A+R is participating in a FNO celebration on Abbot Kinney with seven fellow shops—Strange Invisible Perfumes, LFrank, Guild, Heist, Pamela Barish and Kendall Conrad. Shop one and receive 10% off at the rest. We even have the very charming Bryan Carter back behind the bar, plying pals with drinks.
Yes. We admit we love any excuse to party. We have plenty to celebrate at A+R, too, with the exclusive North American launches of Mutewatch from Stockholm, John's Phone from Amsterdam and Airbag Craftworks from Frankfurt. We will also be toasting the Fall 2011 collections from Uniform Wares of London, Gabriela Artigas of Hollywood-Mexico City, and Abbot Kinney locals Cast of Vices.
CoV's Chris Glancy conceived another perfectly good excuse for commemorating FNO. A Dadaist at heart, he dreamed the grand plan of slicing shopping carts this way and that and installing them in our main window along with the "comforting" admonishment in the sunny bright color. The carts appear to be melting thanks to liquid latex.
It's an ironic effect given that part of the staging that night will be the luxe lambskin shopping bags by CoV resembling the cheap, disposable kind available with a gallon of milk or other sundry at the corner store.
It's a discord of ideas that makes for beautiful design. And it's why we keep shopping.
Join us this Thursday, Sept. 8, from 6 to 10 p.m. as we mark Fashion's Night Out on Abbot Kinney (and worldwide). Valet available in front of LFrank and Pamela Barish.
Cool ideas) I'd like to work there!
Posted by: essay writers | Wednesday, September 07, 2011 at 05:15 AM