• Women's Wear Daily, Monday, September 14, 2009 10:56 AM

The mood at the Fashion's Night Out event in New York last Thursday was "like Mardi Gras -- entertaining and often frenetic," writes David Moin, and similar crowds were seen in Milan, Paris and London. There seemed to be more social interacting than transacting in the Big Apple, but most retailers emphasize that that's just fine because the point of the evening was not short-term sales.

"It was worth doing," says Claudio Del Vecchio, chairman and CEO of Brooks Brothers. "We do a lot of events, and we generally don't get a lot of business from them. It's more to show people what we do and who we are, rather than sales that night." Says Macy's chairman, CEO and president Terry Lundgren: "It's clear to me that Fashion's Night Out had a very positive impact."

ShopperTrak reports the evening spurred a 3.4% nationwide traffic increase in apparel and accessories stores, and nearly a 50% uptick in Manhattan. Stores may try to capitalize on the momentum by adding price promotions in the days ahead, some experts note.

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