By Laura Lanz-Frolio

The air was crisp, the crowds pumped up, and Fifth Avenue primed for action. Last Thursday evening after dusk, New York’s most famous shopping strip turned into a fashion runway. Girls parading around in studded blazers, four-inch platforms and red liquid leggings, came to see and be seen. Stores, handing out goodies left and right, made Fashion’s Night Out feel like Halloween for fashionistas. Each store was worth a stop. Grace Coddington and champagne at Prada, a cashmere filled Martin + Osa pop up shop, and celebrities galore at Bergdorf’s were just a few of the tasty treats offered along the way.

But if we’re talking trick or treating, Tiffany’s was the house handing out the jumbo candy bars. From the rose petal strewn blue carpet outside, to the gleaming jewels inside, the four-story jewelry Mecca pulled out all the stops. The first floor came complete with Audrey Hepburn lookalike greeters dressed in black leggings and white men’s button downs, iced herbal tea and coffee drinks, and tiny raspberry cake treats made to look like those little blue boxes that we all covet. The second floor brought an array of elegant chocolate truffles in flavors like yuzu and chipotle.

Travel up one floor and the line for the giant old-fashioned candy bar snaked around the room. Shoppers could have their fill of blue and white lollipops, jellybeans, popcorn and swizzle sticks. And if you hadn’t yet descended into a sugar coma, a fresh juice bar awaited at the end of the journey.

If it seems like Fashion’s Night Out at Tiffany’s was mainly about the sweets, you’re right, but let’s not forget the jewels. There was a beautiful array of key-shaped sparklers styled by Vogue editors, and a fun mix and match booth with customizable silver charm bracelets and necklaces, though it seemed like most people were playing rather than buying.

Anna Wintour, the force behind Fashion’s Night Out , said the evening wasn’t all about the freebies, but rather was planned to jumpstart the depressed retail industry. In fact, the event was billed as an international effort to “promote retail, restore consumer confidence, and celebrate fashion.” Vogue’s U.S. and international editions coordinated events in a dozen fashion capitals around the world.

There’s no doubt that Fashion’s Night Out did indeed create crowds, although may not prove to be the jolt the industry needs. While the crowds at Tiffany’s oohed and aahed over the jewels, the hundreds of well-dressed women (and a few well-suited men) spent more time clamoring for Tiffany’s oh-so-sweet swag.