Summit Mall - Fashion's Night Out.

As many of you are aware, Thursday night (9-6) was Fashion's Night Out across the country.  Since I couldn't be in NYC for all of the festivities included in FNO 2012 (as well as Fashion Week), I picked the next best alternative - Fashion's Night Out at Summit Mall (in Fairlawn, OH).  Honestly, I didn't really have big expectations for the night.  They offered free swag bags to the first 100 attendees, free food from Sam's Club and the Rail, as well as multiple fashion shows from a few retailers located in the mall, including:  Dilliard's, Ann Taylor and Cache.  As far as Fashion's Night Out events went, I knew it would be a pee-wee happening.  In any case, I managed to recruit some friends to tag along and check it out:  Mary, Zach, and Adam.  I only really wanted to go for the swag bag and the experience.  Mary and I left directly after work, while Zach and Adam met us at the mall.  Mary wanted a massage, and Zach wanted a salad, so we split up.  Mary was also being super-secretive about her massage, telling us that she didn't want anyone to watch her get one.  Zach grabbed a salad, and we waited for Mary to finish her super-secret massage in the food court.  The shows weren't slated to start for another thirty minutes, so we knew we had time.  While we were waiting for Mary, a young woman approached me and asked if I wouldn't mind having my hair cut and styled for a demonstration that Dino Palmieri was putting on for FNO.  Secret:  I don't care about my hair.  It's thin, annoying, and I'd just as soon shave it all off and not have to worry about it.  So of course, I said I would lend my hair to the cause.  After agreeing to this though, I started to have instant regrets:  "What if I don't like it?", "What if this stranger embarrasses me on stage with this new haircut?", "I hope it's not too edgy for work".  But was quickly able to squash them all with the realization that if my new haircut blew, I could just get another.  It wasn't like I was paying for this haircut.  I've cut my hair super-short before, so I knew it wouldn't be a problem.  I followed the woman to the salon and met my stylist, Benjamin.  I knew from first sight, that we would get along just fine.  He introduced himself, asked me a few questions about my hair, life, etc, and then proceeded to explain the edgy, new haircut he had in mind.  You know those moments when the stars align, and everything is just perfect?  This was one of those moments.  Once Benjamin explained what he wanted to do with my hair, he offered me a glass of wine and some snacks, and let me know that I had some time to watch the shows before any prepping needed to be done.  We managed to catch both Dilliards shows, but missed the Ann Taylor show.  The Dillard's shows were exactly what I expected.  The kids were adorable, and the teenagers looked uncomfortable.  There were maybe 3 girls who were serious about modeling, which was fine since this was a "hometown" show.  The audience was mostly family and friends and 100% supportive.  Next year, I might go for the casting call since everyone in the show was an everyday person.  After a few shows, I returned to Dino Palmieri so that Benjamin could prep me.  He just cut my bangs some and started some layers so he didn't have to do all of the cutting on stage.  He ended up cutting off a lot of hair, but what I ended up with is fantastic.  The being on stage, getting my hair cut thing was kind of strange, but fun nonetheless.  I really am the queen of free haircuts (Bastille Day 2008 on the Seine, anyone?).  The most entertaining part was watching my friends in the front row tell me Ben's progress with their facial expressions:  Mary's were very encouraging and impressed (her and I were both convinced at one point that I would end up with a bowl cut), Adam's were scared and disgusted (mostly, because he was trying to worry me), and Zach was just singing along to the music.  There was one point when I looked into the audience, and a mom, who had been there for her kid models, started applauding and mouthing, "It looks so good!".  There was another girl on stage getting her hair cut, and when the stylists were done, I made her take a bow with me, but she wouldn't have it.  I didn't let her damper my fun, though.  All in all the evening was a success.  It might not have been Bryant Park-worthy, but it was entertaining, AND I got a free haircut.  Hopefully, next year, I'll be so famous from my blog, that I'll either be invited to NYC for Fashion week, or I'll get to help style the models for Summit Mall's version.  I'll keep you posted.

Please ignore the creepy lighting and weird eye make-up.