It ended about two hours ago. Over 150 fashion houses mostly along rue Saint Honore and the Madeline quartier in partnership with Vogue magazine opened their doors around 7 p.m. to invited guests. The official roster included: A.P.C., A.TESTONI, AGENT PROVOCATEUR, ALAIN FIGARET, ANNE KERVALL, ANNICK GOUTAL, BALDININI, BARRIE KNITWEAR, BERENICE, BLUMARINE/BLUGIRL, BOTTEGA VENETTA, BURBERRY, CARITA, CHANEL – Rue Saint Honoré, CHANTAL THOMASS, CHURCH, ,COLETTE, COMPTOIR DES COTONNIERS, DDP, DIOR, DOLCE & GABBANA, DSQUARED2, EMPORIO ARMANI,ERMANNO SCERVINO, ETRO, EX NIHILO, FAUCHON, FURLA, GERARD DAREL,GIAMBATTISTA VALLI, GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI, GLASHUTTE ORIGINAL, GLAZED, GUCCI, GUERLAIN, HOGAN, HUGO BOSS France, INGLESINA, IO&ES, IRO,
ISTITUTO MARANGONI, JIMMY CHOO, JOHN GALLIANO, JUN ASHIDA, JUNKO SHIMADA, KIEHL’S, KRISVANASSCHE, LANCASTER, LANVIN, LEONARD,
LONGCHAMP, LORIBLU, M.A.C COSMETIC, MAILLE, MAISON MICHEL, MAJE,
MANDARIN ORIENTAL PARIS, MANOUSH, MARC BY MARC JACOBS, MARC JACOBS,
MARINA RINALDI, MIU MIU, MM6 MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA, MONCLER, MOYNAT,
OMEGA, PATRIZIA PEPE, PAUL SMITH, PHILIPP PLEIN, PHILIPPE FERRANDIS,
PIERRE MARCOLINI, PINKO, PIQUADRO, PORSCHE DESIGN, PRADA, RALPH LAUREN,
ROBERTO CAVALLI, ROGER VIVIER, SALAVATORE FERRAGAMO, SANDRO, SARTORE,
SATELLITE, SEPHORA, SERGIO ROSSI, STONE ISLAND, STRELLSON, TALBOT RUNHOF,
TARA JARMON, TOD’S, TOUS, URBAN DECAY, VICTOR & ROLF, VILEBREQUIN,
WOOLMARK, YVES SAINT LAURENT – Beauté, and ZADIG & VOLTAIRE.

I was one not holding an invitation but managed to barge in on the fun. Social Media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler) was in on the action live. Portraits of the guests were instaprinted, sheep were grazing in pens near YSL courtesy of The Campaign For Wool, makeup and manicure sessions were featured, there was cotton candy, mechanical bull riding, balloon giveaways, champagne of course and the glitterati (mostly twenty-somethings) dressed to the teeth clogging the long street.

Longish lines were in front of the most coveted houses and guards controlled the numbers inside. The highpoint of the evening for me was the visit to Chanel, her famous mirrored staircase, small rooms with minimal samples of her elegant products, plush dark grey carpet, Mailbu red cocktails or pear juice in goblets served on silver platters by her welcoming staff. Lowpoint the t-shirt I bought celebrating the occasion from what looked like official vendors on the street. Unwrapped it once I got home. Emblazoned on the front: “2013, Fashion Night Out, September 17”. Maybe that’s why it was only $7. For more info go to the VFNOPARIS webpage.