FASHION'S NIGHT OUT - Thursday September 8, 2011

Three years ago, Vogue Magazine and the CFDA sponsored what has become the biggest annual fashion party-hop: Fashion's Night Out. An initiative to encourage people to shop during the slow economy, it has retailers keeping doors open after normal business hours and hosting an evening of music, drinks, sweepstakes, appearances, photos and, duh, fashion. 

*All photos courtesy of Adriel Luis

The photographer of the evening, Adriel Luis (right). 

Walking along the streets south of Houston, my posse and I were juiced with excitement: we were on a mission to weed out the freshest offerings of them all. Roads were blocked, cocktails were free, DJs were spinning, the stylish were stuntin' -- 'twas a Wily Wonka world for those foreign to New York City-wide bashes infused with sartorial indulgence.

Drinks and handbags at 3.1 Phillip Lim.

DJ Oska at 3.1 Phillip Lim "Girls On Bikes" Party

Hey, another Hyphen writer -- Nina Fallenbaum!

Scoping out the Asian American landscape on this festive night, we made it out to 3.1 Phillip Lim, Vivienne Tam, Alexander Wang and a few stops in between. Despite standing in crowds of people and muggy East coast heat, I realized why I cared so much about being a part if this, or why what we saw specifically was so important -- these Asian designers are hot shit right now. It panned out to be a culturally proud evening, seeing Philip Lim's party packed and popping (equipped with DJ and bar) and seeing high-profile Anna Wintour make an appearance at Alexander Wang's flagship. Defying the perception that Asians in the fashion industry are mere technical line workers unable to pioneer creative fronts, Lim's, Wang's and Tam's reputable seal of "downtown cool" and popularity tonight shut down nay-sayers. Not only have these designers tapped into mainline fashion, but they are now leading influencers and heavy business competition -- the hour-long wait outside of 3.1 Phillip Lim's door being clear indication. 

Fabulous at any age. At the Alexander Wang flagship.

The snooty back of Anna Wintour's iconic bob at Alexander Wang. 

The best part of the evening was photographing the dressed-to-impress smorgasbord of golden children out on the town. Street-style ingenuity also served me up some coveting binges, with peekaboo socks, drop-crotch pants, and sheer tops worn with surprising refinement. The evening in sum: champagne, music, red lips and Asian American culture at its flyest.  

Maikel (Netherlands) and Mel (Singapore), at Alexander Wang.

Andrew (New York), at If Soho Boutique.

Janet and Jenny (New York), at Alexander Wang.

Karen, me, and Jinna (New York), at Alexander Wang.

Leonard and Quynh (Brooklyn), on Mercer Street.

Damien (Korea), at If Soho Boutique.

Tiffany (Miami), outside of 3.1 Phillip Lim.

Fenco, Gordan, and Anson (China), at Alexander Wang. 

Jessie (Hawaii) and Maiko (Tokyo), at Marni.

Nina Fallenbaum (New York), at 3.1 Phillip Lim.