Fashion’s Night Out L.A. update: T-shirts, websites and the post-shopping soiree (don’t call it an after party)

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We’ve got some more details on the City of Los Angeles’ plans for Fashion’s Night Out, the global shoppingfest that’s now barely a month on the horizon, including the first look at a charity T-shirt, designed by Marc Blaskovits, a student in the graphic design program at L.A.’s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. The front of the shirt is a black and white rendering of the familiar downtown Los Angeles skyline (It looks like it could be based on the view from the Dodger Stadium parking lot.) with the overlay of a gray palm tree shadow design that carries over to the back of the tee. At first glance the skyline motif reminds us of last year’s FNO New York T-shirt -- designed by Alexander Wang and others -- but the sideways palms are a pure L.A. touch that elevates the visual of a gritty cityscape to something more akin to an urban oasis. Price and availability have yet to be announced but they’re expected to be in the affordable (read $15 to $20) range, with all proceeds to benefit the California Fashion Foundation, which will fund scholarships for fashion students.

As for the Sept. 10 event itself, the mayor’s office has taken charge of all the details, and it’s informed us that more than 200 retailers signed on by the deadline. The full rundown will be posted at an official FNO Los Angeles website that will launch later this month at www.fno.lacity.org. (It’s currently scheduled to go live on Aug. 20.) In addition to a videotaped message from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the site is expected to serve up daily updates, schedules and a printable map.

As we announced a few weeks ago, the hub for the event will be the Beverly Center, where there will be red carpet arrivals at 4 p.m., followed by remarks from the mayor at 5. There will be a series of happenings at the mall, including ‘Denim Rocks,’ a fashion show sponsored by Macy’s, featuring L.A. denim designers. The Beverly Center will have its own fashion show at Center Court at 8 p.m.

Six other fashion-focused communities across the city will also be hosting special sales and in-store parties from 6 to 10 p.m.: Melrose Avenue (Fairfax to La Cienega); Robertson Boulevard (3rd Street to Alden Drive); West 3rd Street (Fairfax to La Cienega); Abbot Kinney in Venice; Los Feliz (Sunset to Los Feliz, Vermont to Hillhurst), and downtown at the Cooper Design Building.

We’ve also been privy to details of the post-purchase part of the night. The official Fashion’s Night Out Los Angeles ‘post-retail fashion celebration’ (which sounds much classier than a simple ‘after party,’ no?) will be held at SBE’s new club Industry from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., with a fashion presentation showcasing some of L.A.’s best fashion talent (Kevan Hall and Louis Verdad are among those who’ve already signed on). But there’s one hitch: You have to spend to attend. The event will be open only to shoppers who have a minimum $25 worth of receipts from participating FNOLA retailers.

‘It’s all about driving sales to the retailers,’ says Cynthia Ruiz, president of the Los Angeles Board of Public Works, who also serves as the city’s de facto ‘fashion ambassador’. Ruiz said L.A.’s involvement with FNO fits with the city’s wider emphasis on supporting local businesses.

And L.A. isn’t alone in offering incentives -- over in Beverly Hills, shoppers with the appropriate receipts will be rewarded with a spin on the Ferris wheel set up in the 200 block of North Rodeo Drive, and down at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, purchases from a participating FNO retailer (plans include a series of in-store events and promotions that run from 5 to 9 p.m.) will receive a Fashion Island custom tote.

In other FNOLA news, we have it on good authority that William Rast founders Trace Ayala and Justin Timberlake will be making the rounds -- first in the shoe department of the Nordstrom at the newly revamped Santa Monica Place to preview (and take pre-orders for) the new William Rast shoe line that debuts in October before decamping to their store at Westfield Century City for an in-store event.

-- Adam Tschorn and Booth Moore
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