GFW '09: Fashion's Night Out Diary

Armed with $3 tickets that provided us access to more than 20 local store discounts and goodies, we pranced around downtown Gainesville yesterday to celebrate Fashion's Night Out, a global celebration of fashion that was occurring last night in all the metropolitan cities. Check out our details of our night of living lux in Gainesville on a buck ... or three.

6: 51 Start at Scissors salon. It's free bang trims for some, and treats, drinks and product samples for the rest of us. Special nod to the yummy and inventive oniony baked goods.

7:23 Quick stop at Volta for a free shot of iced mochas. Delicious and invigorating, we're officially ready for some shopping.

7:35 American Apparel. 25 percent off entire store. Enough said. No, but really the mega discount inspires us to stock up on basics and even a few extras (I love my new nylon and mesh navy dress!)

7:58 Walk the three blocks over to Calzatura. High heels and cobblestone streets make it extra fun.

8:07 At Calzatura, Maghan tries on our "must-have peacock jumpsuit" we saw in the fashion show Tuesday. We still love it, but the fit is a bit off. Robert tells us the look was ordered by mistake and ended up being a big hit. What a beautiful mistake! Browsing the store, we fall back in love with all the minis from the show and strongly fight the urge to buy them all. At 20 percent off, we can hardly resist.

8:26 Three stores over we stumble into Persona. Owner Nava Ottenberg set out wine, pink lemonade and cheese and crackers. The goat cheese is to die for. We eat about half. Close to the entrance two quirkily-dressed models entertain us. Swept up by the store's eclectic and fun mood, INsite photographer Sean Kelly buys a nose-modeled sharpener. Another 20 percent off. Sweet!

8:45 We head back west toward Gelato Company, where it is finally time for dinner. We split sandwiches and show our Fashion's Night Out ticket for a 25 percent discount. We walk out with a free gelato. If you haven't tried this gelato yet, add it to your list. You'll love it forever.

9:30 Quick stop at Alcove for a beer and wine break. It's my favorite bar in Gainesville. Sean, Maghan and Sarah get to enjoy it for the first time. The atmosphere is intimate and the beer and wine selection bountiful. Also add this one to your list of must-visit places in G-ville. I have the bartender's red wine recommendation, everyone else orders an exotic beer; we all get happy hour discounts.

10:00 Stop at Wolfgang, the store sponsoring the event. Maghan turns in her thoroughly punched ticket as proof that she visited all the above listed establishments. The person with the most places visited gets a prize, and Maghan is in it to win it. We browse the store's selection, the Wolfgang fashion show still fresh in our minds. We want about 75 percent of what's in the store, but we're on a budget for the night, so we restrain.

10:14 Stop at Karma Cream, next door, where Maghan gets vegan ice cream (chocolate and cookie dough combo) and Sean gets regular burnt carmel ice cream. Love that they always play Muse, and that they're now open 24 hours. Ogle at the cupcakes.

10:30 Take a quick breather back at home and recharge our batteries for....

11:30 Fashion's Night Out after-party at Lux Bar. We run into some people we saw at the stores, plus some fresh faces. Designer-inspired drinks are delicious and we especially loved the Karl Lagerfeld gin martinis. The rest, my friends, you'll just have to catch next Fashion's Night Out to find out about.

—Stephanie Granada

Photos: Sarah Hsu