Morning kittens, today’s the day! It’s Thursday, 10th October 2013 which means its finally Manchester’s turn to host the biggest fashion night of the year. I’m over the moon that our lil’ North West city has been chosen to be the first UK city outside of London to host Vogue’s exclusive shopping party and in celebration, I’ve been posting my top picks for tonight every day this week as part of my VOGUE #FNO Manchester blog series countdown.
Ever since meeting with VOGUE, I’ve been crossing off the days on my calendar in anticipation of tonight and relaying all the exciting things the Vogue team have been telling me in the run up to the big day. So, it’s only fair that I conclude my countdown week with some interviews for Vogue editors and influential ladies themselves… Phwoar.
When I was able to ask a few words to Serena Hood, Executive Fashion Editor at Vogue, I was over the moon. As a lady who gets so much say in what’s hot and what not, it was only fair that I could quiz her on her influence over Vogue’s Fashion Night Out in Manchester 2013, plus, what her memories of the previous couple of British Fashion Night Out’s in London have been…
– Hi Serena, lovely to meet you! First thing’s first, how have you been involved with FNO?
– We’re all super excited about bringing #VFNO to Manchester, so what is your favourite FNO memory?
“This is my first Fashion’s Night Out with British Vogue and am thrilled to be visiting a new city and discovering the fashions scene in Manchester.”
– Oh, exciting! What are you most looking forward to about FNO Manchester?
“I look forward to getting my FNO T-shirt customised by Erdem at Selfridges, stopping by the Mulberry store for an Essie manicure and visiting the Fashion’s Night Out Café by the award winning Cicchetti restaurant set up for one night only at House of Fraser.”
– Hey Ginnie, hope you’re good! Go on then, tell us a little bit about FNO and the idea behind it…
“This global event was created in 2009 in a bid to encourage the Vogue audience to support the fashion and beauty industries following the dire effects of the global recession and the knock-on effect it had on consumer confidence and retail. FNO basically became a way to say ‘it’s okay to shop again’, and to bring the enjoyment back into one of our favourite pastimes.”
– I’m over the moon that this year’s #VFNO is taking place in our town. Why did you decide to move the event to Manchester?
“Having hosted this in the capital for the past 4 years, we felt it only right to focus our efforts on a new element of the Vogue audience, and one which we know thrives on fashion and beauty brands, across all levels of the spectrum, from high street to high end names.”
– I’m sure all my readers are dying to know how you landed such a cool job, so how did you start working with Vogue? And if you could tell us a little bit about your role that would be amazing.
“I graduated with an Art History degree (so should really be at Christie’s or Sothebys!) but always knew I wanted to work at Vogue. I’ve now been at the magazine for 8 years, most of which has been on the commercial side which I found incredibly interesting, and my current role as Executive Retail Editor is a new focus for me, working on events, growing the brand’s reach through various partnerships, hosting trends presentations and writing my pages, Vogue Notebook.”
– There’s not long left until the big day! What are you most looking forward to about FNO 2013?
“We have brought VOGUE EATS to life on King St which will definitely be something to visit. I also can’t wait to see a whole team of Vogue editors tottering around Manchester in their heels… We are not nearly as good at wearing heels as the wonderful girls of Manchester! We also have a team of Street Style photographers out and about and I’m looking forward to seeing some true glamour from this particular slice of the Vogue audience.”
– Finally, what can we expect to see in the future?
“Let’s get FNO 2013 off the ground first!”
Francesca Burns is the Fashion Editor at Vogue and plays a huge part in forming opinions about upcoming trends and brands since starting work at the magazine in 2011. Having worked with other Vogue titles and magazines for many years, I was excited to see what she though of British Vogue’s #FNO.
– You’ve been at the mag size 2011, so what is your favourite FNO memory?
– We’re all really looking forward to having you in town. What are you most looking forward to about FNO Manchester?
Emma Elwick-Bates, Style Editor at Vogue has been with the magazine since their very first British Vogue Fashion Night Out. Since the start, she’s seen the night evolve and has been working on the night out in the run up to Manchester’s turn tonight. I wanted to know how the night had changed since the very first one…
– Hi Emma, I know you play a big part in the night, so how have you been involved with FNO?
– Wow, that’s cool! What is your favourite FNO memory?
– Hopefully I’ll get to experience some of the same this year. What are you most looking forward to about FNO Manchester?
If you aren’t sure where to go tonight, illustrator Katherine Baxter has created an exclusive map of all of tonight’s going on in and around Manchester. You can pick up your official Vogue Fashion Night Out in Manchester 2013 map at the Arndale, Harvey Nichols, House of Fraser or Selfridges (or download it here). Heck, pretty much every store is doing something and you definitely won’t be short of something to do. I’ve put myself a little schedule together but who knows how things will go today? Lets just enjoy it, eh?!
Full time I'm an ambitious Head of Marketing and Communications in the luxury industry. Part time, I'm an enthusiastic British Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle blogger and YouTuber from Manchester, UK. This blog has been my outlet for the past 7+ years, and as a longstanding, Award-winning blogger I take the most enjoyment from creating content I truly love and believe in. All authentic. Always.