Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York

It was one of the most hyped events to kick off of the fall fashion season. There even seemed to be more excitement about Fashion's Night Out than Fashion Week itself. But now that the buzz has died down as New York Fashion Week is in full swing, did FNO aimply become a social event or did it produce the results in sales that retailers had hoped for?

As someone who had been pitched to attend FNO events, I rarely saw a mention of a sale or what items would be spotlighted that evening. Most of the focus was on which brand got the hottest celebrity or musician to attend their event in-store. It seemed as if all the details were remembered....except the cash register. And wasn't that the sole purpose of FNO from the start? To revive an industry that was being hit hard by the recession?

New York Times fashion critic Cathy Horn recently wrote, "Though it apparently raises money for some causes, I have to believe that the costs of security, crowd control and entertainment, not to mention the traffic headaches, outweigh the actual benefits."

Did you take part in Fashion's Night out as a retailer or shopper? What are your thoughts?