Fashion’s Night Out 2010 was a huge success in New York City as far as boosting enthusiasm for fashion and attracting an energetic crowd, but Signature9 promised an update on whether the event fulfilled its original purpose – to bolster lagging retail sales.

This year’s event promises to be even bigger and more star-studded than last year, with retail store appearances from such celebs as Mary J. Blige, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Bar Rafaeli, Nigel Barker and Simon Doonan among others. The hype has been spiraling for weeks now, but, while part of the point of Fashion’s Night Out is to boost enthusiasm for fashion among shoppers, the goal of boosting retail sales is just as, if not more important for the future of the fashion business. So, will Fashion’s Night Out 2010 exert the desired push on consumers to come out and buy products to ignite fashion’s economic state?