Louis Vuitton

On Fashion’s Night Out, Fifth Avenue was a carnival of expensive clothes and beautiful people. Not one to be outdone, the flagship Louis Vuitton store put on a theatrical performance that was mobbed by paparazzi and consumers alike. Dozens of male models in matching outfits and starched white gloves filed onto multiple levels of staircases and did a choreographed dance routine. Featured products were displayed by passing down the line from model to model. As almost all stores did that evening, LV hosted a live window display and distributed some of the best free drinks to be found in New York.

Thom Browne

The 2006 Menswear Designer of the Year worked his magic once more this season. Browne is known for pushing the envelope and approaching fashion not with a strictly “making clothes” mindset, but rather as a form of art. This year he recreated the event that made a huge splash at Paris Fashion Week last June: Models paraded onto the runway in full-body space suits, which were stripped to reveal outfits underneath (replete with gold metallic lipstick — on men). Browne himself showed up at Bergdorf Goodman, wearing his signature slim charcoal grey suit cropped at the ankles and surrounded by an entourage of astronauts. Catch pictures of the designer playing ping-pong (and winning).

Michael Bastian

No other designer can single-handedly claim as much responsibility for the resurgence of Americana as Michael Bastian. His eponymous collection is based on classics, but his collaboration with clothing giant GANT embodies and caters to the American man. Founded in New Haven in 1949, GANT is a piece of American heritage in and of itself, but Bastian’s fingerprint is evident on the new, higher-quality collection. Bastian made an appearance at Bergdorf Goodman as well and, later in the evening, was found in the GANT store, signing his self-authored “Style Guide” (subtitle: True American Sportswear). The GANT store had a popular live window display: In keeping with the “True American Sportswear” vibe, chiseled male models showered for all to see, presumably after a grueling “lacrosse practice.”