Fashion’s Night Out: What’s going on in Brooklyn

Maybe you’ve heard about tonight’s shopping orgy—the Vogue-sponsored Fashion’s Night Out—in which stores all over the city are staying open til 10 or 11 with cocktails, freebies and trunk shows to “encourage the fun of fashion again.” Okay, but it’s not the store hours that are cutting into the fun of fashion for a lot of us. Why, we can shop at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays!

So what’s going on in Brooklyn? Not tons. It turns out that most of the really fab action in this Fashion Week kickoff event is in Manhattan, but here are a few local haps:

– Brooklyn Industries is having a party from 6 to 10 at the Smith Street store, with shopping discounts and a show by Brooklyn-based alt-rockers Breaking Laces.

– The American Apparel stores in Williamsburg and Park Slope will be selling a special Fashion’s Night Out tote bag as a fundraiser for the Sept. 11 memorial. Buy one and get 20 percent off all purchases.

– You can bring your gently used garments to the three Bird locations (316 Fifth Avenue, 203 Grand Street or 220 Smith Street) or the two Brooklyn Macy’s locations as part of a citywide clothing drive.

– Pieces of Brooklyn (671 Brooklyn between Park and Vanderbilt) will be showcasing Brooklyn-based designers.

– Wonk, where we would buy furniture if we could afford it, is hosting 10 BK designers at its Dumbo store, 68 Jay Street, from 5 to 10.

The official Fashion’s Night Out web site is a bit of a slog—but Greenpointers has some Franklin Street events and About.com has a decent list of participating retailers in Brooklyn.