Those of us who read fashion blogs on a routine basis are well aware of Fashion's Night Out in New York, an orgy of fashion and shopping propelled by forces at Vogue and the CFDA. Lesser known are the tentacles of FNO, which spread around the globe and now, finally, include Portland. Taking place on September 10th, Portland's Director Park will teem with outdoor fashion shows and free pedicabs to deliver shoppers to retail store participating with in-store events and sales. Purchases of $150 or more will snag you a mystery goody bag of free money in the form of American Express Gift Cards loaded up with anywhere from $25 to $500 (limited quantities, of course). There will also be a raffle for a huge package worth more than 2k, filled with gift certificates to restaurants, salons, hotels, and more. Lest you feel guiltier than you should (you should feel a little guilty) for such consumer binging, know that all raffle proceeds will go to New Avenues for Youth. This is being handled by the Downtown Marketing Initiative and the Downtown Retail Council among others, so the emphasis is on west side retail. Obviously I'm going to advocate the indies participating (go to the fucking Gap if you must), like Covet, Narcisse, and Radish Underground, plus regional heavyweights Mario's, and Mercantile and Pendleton, but the lure of potential steals at Nordstrom, Betsey Johnson, and Louis Vuitton are also formidable.
