Beverly Hills hosts a carnival of fashion on Rodeo Drive for Fashion's Night Out

The posh strip of Rodeo Drive retail shops from Little Santa Monica to Wilshire Boulevard was alive with people who flocked to the Beverly Hills hot spot for everything from gourmet food trucks to discounts on fashion and even a "free" ferris wheel ride Friday night.

A motley mix of patrons circled boutiques, popping in for the champagne and desserts and many actually browsing and buying. There were school-age kids with their parents at Bebe, Guess and Juicy Couture, the latter of which offered 30 percent off on purchases. DJs, drinks and stilettos at YSL and Jimmy Choo attracted well-dressed women who mingled with friends and tried on fall's latest shoes.

Celine Liu and Una Wu were visiting from Taiwan and still managed to find out about the night's festivites. They each puchased jewelry and clothes from Juicy Couture, taking advantage of the night's discount.

Jourdan Rashing, 12, strolled with her mother toward the Guess store after stopping for sustenance at the grilled cheese food truck that was serving a special "fashion" sandwich containing spare ribs, cheese and caramelized onions. When asked if she had taken a ride on the ferris wheel, she replied "no, not yet. You have to buy something and show your receipt, then you can ride it," she said. 

For those who simply wanted a festive Friday night out, live music, balloons and giveaways were everywhere. And of course it wouldn't be Beverly Hills without an ample amount of eye candy-- All the Rage saw six women dressed to look like the Kardashian sister (asymetrical-sleeve cocktail dresses and cascading brown hair extensions) standing in front of Bebe.

--Melissa Magsaysay

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Photo: Shoppers stroll past the first-ever ferris wheel on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills during Fashion's Night Out September 10, 2010. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times.

Rodeo Drive spins the Ferris wheel for Fashion's Night Out

In a bid to establish Rodeo Drive as the West Coast hub of the global one-night shopping spree known as Fashion's Night Out (FNO), organizers are re-inventing the wheel -- the Ferris wheel.

We've just learned that a replica of the George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. invention (which made its debut at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893) will be erected on the 200 block of North Rodeo Drive for the Sept. 10 event, and used to entice shoppers into opening their wallets.

Apparently, all you'll need to do is show a receipt proving that you've made a purchase at a Rodeo Drive merchant that evening, and you (and a friend) will be whisked up into the sky on the carnival contraption.

The Rodeo Drive Committee tells us nearly 50 of the street's luxury retailers are on board for the fashion-focused fete, including Chanel, Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Valentino, and that in addition to the spinning wheel, the evening's festivities will include extended shopping hours, cocktail parties and other assorted in-store events.

And if organizers decide to round out the evening's carnival atmosphere by sending in some well-dressed clowns, we  think we know just the place to find them.

-- Adam Tschorn

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Photo: A May 1893 file photo of the original Ferris wheel unveiled during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. A modern version, erected on the 200 block of North Rodeo Drive, will be the centerpiece of that street's efforts to attract shoppers during the sophomore outing of the global Fashion's Night Out retail spree. Credit: Associated Press