The Fashion Group (www.fgi.org) was conceived at an informal luncheon in 1928, and became an organization in 1930, “with a place, a purpose, by-laws, officers and women eager to be members”. Each year, since, 1983, they have held their annual Night of Stars. But this year, to properly commemorate their 30th anniversary (gee, you don’t look a day older than 29!), it wasn’t just stars, but a veritable Galaxy. (Galaxy: A collection of stars held together by their mutual galaxy. All the stars in a galaxy are kept together by the gravity of all the other stars, as well as the invisible, mysterious dark matter).

Marc Jacobs & Sofia Coppola

So, how many stars are in Fashion’s Galaxy? Who knows, but I do know that many of them, including one star of major proportions, (who would be the surprise guest at the end of the evening), turned out at Cipriani Wall Street last night. By the way, I know there are probably some who find the downtown location inconveniently out of the way. But I for one love it, as I live close enough, that I can actually walk to and from my home. Just think Conde Nasters, once your offices move down here, you will be able to do the same!

Robert Duffy

Just consider this impressive roster:

SUPERSTAR AWARD: Marc Jacobs and Robert Duffy

STAR HONOREES:
FASHION:
Christopher Kane
Angela Missoni
Alexander Wang

MEDIA: Carine Roitfeld

BRAND VISIONARY:  Nadja Swarovski

BEAUTY:  Leslie Blodgett

INTERIOR DESIGN:  Jamie Drake

CORPORATE LEADERSHIP AWARD: Lew Frankfort

SUSTAINABILITY AWARD:  Gilles Andrier for Givaudan

HUMANITARIAN AWARD:  Evie Evangelou & Franca Sozzani for Fashion 4 Development

LORD & TAYLOR FASHION ORACLE AWARD: Deborah Needleman

The lead sponsor of this year’s event was Lord & Taylor. Participating
sponsors: Arcade Marketing, Givaudan, InStyle, LIM College and Movado. And of
course, once again, Simon Doonan was the Host, introducing the evening’s
honorees (who he quipped, “include everyone in this room”) with a wild tale
centered on his imaginary and often hilarious look back at where each one was 30
years ago. (“Could you ever imagine how far you’ve come in 30 years”? he asked.

Simon Doonan

Some highlights of the evening:

Diane Von Furstenberg presented Nadja Swarovski with her Brand Visionary Award calling her a force, a leader, a visionary, an inspiration, and our friend. She’s been the Godmother of the CFDA Awards for 10 years. Even though she is so busy, she still has time to give such a great commitment to philanthropies.

Nadja accepted the award by honoring her fellow honorees; “this evening is a testimony to your hard work and success” she said.

Mayor Bloomberg, a great personal friend of both Jamie Drake and Coach’s Lew Frankfort (who he was there for, to present the Corporate Leadership Award) took to the podium and joked that when he was first called by Fashion Group, he thought he was getting an award himself, not GIVING an award. In fact, he should be getting a fashion award for getting through his tenure as mayor with just “two pairs of shoes and two business suits”. (I guess penny pinching runs in his family. His daughter Emma was in The New York Post yesterday, because she prefers to borrow dresses from “Rent the Runway” instead of actually buying new ones. “Much more economical” he thought. I suppose that’s why he’s a billionaire).

Lew Frankfort: “We went from being known as a house of leather to a major fashion label. New York is in an integral part of the Coach DNA. By honoring me, you are honoring the entire Coach team”. And then he made the announcement that he was giving a gift of $15 million to help fund the redevelopment of the Hudson Yards on the far West Side (“the next big area” he called it).

Carine Roitfeld

The bodacious beauty, Kate Upton, there to give Carine Roitfeld her Media Award, observed that Carine was “the first editor to put me on the cover, and I actually wore clothing! Thank you for that”. She noted that Carine has been able to change the way people dress “through her own personal style”.For Carine, who was dressed in a skinny black tuxedo, the award and evening were highly emotional. She said fashion is all about “fragility and imagination” and she gave special thanks to Stephen Gan who helped “make my dreams come true”.

Hamish Bowles

Hamish Bowles, who presented Alexander Wang, with his Fashion Award, described the young designer’s aesthetic as “urban edgy” and noted that fashion is not just the clothes you wear, but what you eat, where you go, and the people around you. He said Alexander “works as hard as he plays” and described him as a “little boy with high heeled dreams, and he made his dreams come true”. Alexander Wang: “2013 has been an amazing year for me”.

Alexa Chung, presenting Christopher Kane with his Fashion Award, hailed him as “truly original, with dark elements to what he designs. Brilliant!”

Mario Batali, there to give Leslie Blodgett the Beauty Award, described her as an amazing mother, who has empowered young women and young men, helping them realize the inner beauty inside themselves. She did it with dignity. Though with all her success, she won’t cook” he joked. Leslie Blodgett: “I’ve been a beauty addict since I was a young girl on Long Island. I was once told “don’t worry; you’ll be pretty one day”.  I found myself early on, giving tips to young girls who had self-confidence issues. The beauty industry is so rewarding. I can’t think of doing anything else”.

Angela Missoni

Stefano Tonchi, prior to giving the Fashion Award to Angela Missoni, thanked New York for all the many foreign accents. (Certainly, with all the foreign honorees and presenters, there were many heavy accents during the course of the evening). As a proud Italian, he spoke of the importance of family and said that the Missonis are the “closest thing I have to family”. “Rosita and Tai (Ottavio) invented the Missoni style but Angela has made it contemporary. Going global has been her goal but she has not forgotten her roots. She is my best friend, and almost like a sister”.

Angela Missoni: “This is the Missoni’s third award from Fashion Group. My parents had a vision and they invented something. It was more than a zig zag. I am not afraid to take risks. My parents invented a style that is like a language but I have to take it forward”. She dedicated the award to her late father Tai, and her brother Vittorio, both of whom passed away this year.

Linda Fargo

Margaret Russell described Jamie Drake’s style as “bold and invigorating designs which make life better”. Jamie thanked the fashion industry for giving him “endless reasons to open my wallet and shop”. He said he wished he took the “same IPO course at Parsons that Marc Jacobs did” (they went to Parsons at the same time).

Deeda Blair, there to give Deborah Needleman the Oracle Award said she looked up the word Oracle and found these words: profit, expert and mastermind, “all of which accurately describe” the honoree. But she said she is also “eternally curious; a genius editor who is inclusive not exclusive”. Deborah Needleman: “I’m in a job that is, in itself, an honor. I was once told “You’re so bossy you should be an editor in chief. I get to share my curiosity about fashion, with a smart global audience.”

Glenda Bailey

But with all due respect, the best part was saved for last. Just as I was almost beginning to doze off towards the end of the evening, Simon Doonan came out once again and this time, he announced a real surprise that would surely excite the crowd. And he was right. Out came the great Aretha Franklin with her backup singers. She told the crowd that she was invited by Marc Jacobs, and was accompanied to the event by the great Clive Davis. “Raise your glasses to Marc and Clive” she said and then quickly began singing her famous anthem “Respect”, inviting everyone to “stand up and shake your hips” which almost everyone did.

Miley Cyrus

Then Miley Cyrus in a slinky beaded gown, stepped up and made a few quick remarks “I’m not the greatest person to give a short speech” (she talked about how she first met Marc and made it short and sweet). When Marc Jacobs stepped up on the podium, he said he was also speaking for Robert Duffy, and he wasted no time saying “respect is the operative word here”. (He was obviously making a symbolic statement with that particular song).

“It’s a great honor to have our partnership with all the dedicated talented people, and to do what we do. The most important thing is to bravely allow for the possible. Some things in life you do for yourself, some things you do for others. Robert and I do some things for ourselves and some things for others. Our partnership, which is complete, but not in the biblical sense (we have never even kissed), is the most important relationship I will ever have. We are best friends in every sense of the word.”

Iris Apfel

As the guests left the building, each was handed an enormous silver and black snakeskin tote courtesy Accessory Headquarters, which was filled with an assortment of goodies. In addition to a bottle of Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, there was a Lord & Taylor gift certificate, a bottle of Marc Jacob’s fragrance Honey, the designer’s eyeliner, a Missoni datebook, and a handsome leather zippered pouch in eggplant from Coach (what? No $15 million check?)

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FGI Dreams a Dream

Cipriani 55 Wall Street was the setting for Fashion Group International’s 29th Annual Night of Stars Award Gala (www.fgi.org ), which took place last evening. Each year, they have an overall title for the event, and this year, it was The Dream Catchers (in the words of FGI President Margaret Hayes, the “11 extraordinary talents being honored are spinners of imagination, the spirits of innovation, the weavers of the ideas that give shape and dimension to the dreams we dream.”) The word “dreams” was woven into many of the speeches that followed, and as you can well imagine, Host Simon Doonan had quite a bit of fun with it (but more on that later).

Linda Fargo fashion director of Bergdorf Goodman

Each year, it seems FGI ‘ups’ the star wattage (if that’s possible), with an impressive list of star honorees, star presenters, and of course, star guests (a veritable who’s who of fashion, film, entertainment, retail, media, philanthropy, architecture, etc.) But of course, there can only be one Superstar, and this year, that honor went to Carolina Herrera, who was given her award by loyal friend and client, the Academy Award winning actress, Renee Zellweger. The rest of the VIP roster went like this:

Waris Ahluwalia, Vanessa Traina, Haider Ackermann and Liya Kedebe

STAR HONOREES:

FASHION:

Haider Ackermann Presenter: Karl Lagerfeld

Derek Lam Presenter: Glenda Bailey

Gareth Pugh Presenter: John Demsey

ARCHITECTURE: Annabelle Selldorf Presenter: Sonja Rubin & Kip Chapelle

BEAUTY: James Gager Presenter: Kim Hastreiter

BRAND HERITAGE AWARD: The Maramotti Family for Max Mara Presenter: Tony Award winner and two-time Academy Award nominee Viola Davis

CORPORATE LEADERSHIP AWARD: Karen Katz for The Neiman Marcus Group

Presenter: Tory Burch

SUSTAINABILITY AWARD: Jon King for Tiffany & Co. Presenter: Rose Marie Bravo, CBE

HUMANITARIAN AWARD: Wynton Marsalis Presenter: Efraim Grinberg

LORD & TAYLOR FASHION ORACLE AWARD: L’Wren Scott Presenter: Emmy Award winner Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker

Among the notable guests last night: Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos, Seth Meyers, Liya Kedebe, Prabal Gurung, Linda Fargo, Norma Kamali, Lola Schnabel, Patricia Lansing, Lauren Remmington Platt, Vanessa Traina, Estelle Lasher, Julie Macklowe, Bibhu Mohapatra, Christian Cota, Lisa Mayock, Miguel Antoinne, Misha Nonoo, Angel Sanchez, Alexi Ashe, Pat Wexler, Carin Brooks, Claude Morais, Brian Wolk, Nina Garcia, Maria Giulia Maramotti, Jedda Kahn.

Carolina Herrera

True to form, Simon Doonan kicked things off in his own inimitable way. He recounted an over the top, fantastical tale centered around “an insanely trippey dream I had last night”, during the course of which, he was able to weave in all the names of the night’s honorees. He referred to it as “L’Wren Scott’s Slumber party”, though it sounded more like a nightmare, especially the part about not being able to reach L’Wren’s doorknob (he is as you know, rather vertically challenged, and she is well over 6′ 2″ in bare feet).

Rose Marie Bravo

Best moments that followed:

Glenda Bailey telling the crowd that Derek Lam “makes clothes that MAKE the woman”. “He knows what women want; he could just as easily be a psychic”. “His best accessory? His partner Jan (Schlottman)”. For his part, Derek said that going to work each day is like “going home”. He gave special thanks to FGI’s Mary Lou Luther who he referred to as a “living treasure in this community” and he touchingly ended by saying “I’ll work hard to earn this award”.

John Demsey referred to Gareth Pugh’s “unique dark aspects of beauty” and described his designs as “avante garde, rebellious, classy, edgy, beautiful”. He also said he was “sporting an incredible pair of flared pants this evening”. Gareth confessed, “speeches are not my strong point but thank you. It’s a big honor for me to be here”.

Karl Lagerfeld, who had literally arrived just moments before giving Haider Ackermann his award, admitted that Tilda Swinton was “the first choice” but could not be there because of a “family situation”. He hailed him as “a great designer and great friend”, and said he was happy to be there to give him the award the he really deserves. Haider said he was very touched to receive the award and thanked Karl. He quoted Yoko Ono who once said, “A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality”, and he thanked Fashion Group for “letting me dream my dream”.

Kim Hastreiter hailed James Gager as “a cultural anthropologist”. “James is a storyteller who breathes life into his brand”. He’s a “natural editorial thinker”. “Beauty is diverse and can come in many packages. I’m proud to give this Award to James, the ULTIMATE catcher of dreams”. James said he was honored to be presented with this recognition and admitted he was “always dreaming” (“my dreams got me in a lot of trouble when growing up in Niagara Falls”, he joked). “MAC makes dreams happen. I can be irreverent and push ideas of beauty forward, and hopefully, not only make women look and feel great, but put a smile on their faces”. He ended by saying, “Dream more, learn more, care more, most importantly, BE more.”

Tory Burch said that Neiman Marcus represents the essence of corporate leadership with their “rich history and heritage”. “Few stores are as glamorous as Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus”. “Even though it’s over a century old, it’s a trend setter and cutting edge”. It’s perfectly apropos, she said, that Karen Katz, Neiman’s CEO’s, was raised in Texas, “because Texas knows about bigger, better, and bolder”. And even though NM is “big, bold, and creative, they manage to keep an amazing attention to detail”.

Ms. Katz said that she shares her award with approximately “16,000 strong”, “all of whom, share my passion and dedication”. “I wish they could all be here to share this award”. She proudly recounted a quote made by iconic Vogue editor Edna Woolman Smith, in 1957: “I dreamed all my life of the perfect store for women. Then I saw Neiman Marcus, and my dream came true.”

Viola Davis, presenting the award to the Maramotti Family (Max Mara) admitted that she knew “very little about fashion”. “But I DO know about myself, how to define my own beauty, and own it.” “Fashion can’t be worn; it has to be something that enhances what you are rather than hide it”.

Nicola Maramotti said “we inherited values, passion for quality, and a constant search for excellence” (“these are family traits”). “We believe in quality from start to finish. We look forward to another 60 years of success in the business.”

Sarah Jessica Parker sang the praises (and wisdom) of good friend L’Wren Scott. She said she “understands fashion” and has always been a “visionary”. “She has a perfect eye for color and proportion”, and then went on to note, “she makes a woman’s derriere look better than anyone in the business”. “She’s a real girlfriend to me and other women, and a perfect choice for the Oracle Award. She then read a congratulatory letter from Mick Jagger (her longtime boyfriend), who could not be there because he’s in Paris.She said she wanted to do it with a British accent but decided not to.

L’Wren (in a form fitting dress showing all her curves), made the astute observation that “men only understand fashion if it has a waistline” and then told Simon he could use her long hair to “climb up (like Rapunzel). that got a lot of laughs.

Winton Marsalis said, “the greatest thing we will ever encounter, is other people”

Renee hailed good friend Carolina Herrera as elegant, chic, immaculate beautiful and so much fun, and used the designer’s signature word: DIVINE! The divine CH thanked Margaret Hayes and Fashion Group for their support

Lookonline’s Lieba Nesis and editor-in-chief Marilyn Kirschner

More quotes/observations recorded by our writer Lieba Nesis:

Norma Kamali, an icon in the fashion industry said, “I design Kamali culture an ecommerce collection. Its a more career type collection but of course swimsuits are still a big part of my collection. A big focus of my career is on wellness now because if you don’t feel good when you take off the dress then what is the point? But designers should not be afraid to make mistakes I made plenty of mistakes and this is pivotal for the growing process.”

Demitri Sholokhov, who recently won Project Runway, was very excited by this win but felt slightly overwhelmed and realizes “(he) needs business partners and investors, while Project Runway gave me great exposure this is only the beginning of my journey. A big inspiration for me is Alexander McQueen a great creative talent. But now that I have achieved a certain level of recognition I have to begin marketing it.”

Kelly Ripa was there to honor Carolina Herrera who she said, “gives me stability even when I am wearing a strapless dress. Her clothing is classically elegant and I love everything about her.”

Voila Davis, the actress, said she loves “people who are not afraid to take fashion risks who don’t just follow the trends. Max Mara is my favorite designer the cut and the fit is just perfect everything about it is classic.”

L’Wren Scott said she “loves Fashion Group International and was thrilled to be honored at this event.”

Karl Lagerfeld, the king of fashion, waltzed in at nine with his trademark sunglasses and high collared shirt and even though he was silent he left the crowd speechless.

L’Wren Scott

At the end, Simon joked, “I’m available to interpret anyone’s dreams”, and added “I accept all major credit cards.” Before we were sent out into the night, each guest was handed an enormous black ‘snakeskin’ tote bag filled with goodies, among them a Nokia phone, custom designed by L’Wren Scott (her first such collaboration), a sampling of MAC cosmetics, a Lord & Taylor gift certificate, a Max Mara scarf, Carolina Herrera fragrance for men, and Godiva chocolates.

Gareth Pugh

The lead sponsor for this year’s event was Lord & Taylor. Participating sponsors: Arcade Marketing, Bebe, Givaudan, InStyle and Movado and the event was expertly handled, as always, by Diane Clehane, Madeline Communications (DClehane@aol.com).

– Marilyn Kirschner

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Notes From The Evening
On October 27th, The Fashion Group International held its 28th Annual Night of Stars “The Luminaries” at Cipriani, Wall Street. Despite the extremely inclement weather, close to five hundred guests and honorees showed up to attend the event looking no worse for the wear. That’s how fashionistas do it. The room was packed with celebrities including: David Byrne, of the Talking Heads; Isabella Rossellini in an understated Agnes B coat because she said that prefers to “keep it simple” and actresses Jessica Biel and Leelee Sobieski (so stunning in person). Fashion celebs included: Franciso Costa; Oscar de la Renta; Olivier Theyskens; Anna Sui; Michael Bastian; Lazaro Hernandez & Jack McCullough (of Proenza Schouler); Isabel & Ruben Toledo and FGI Rising Star winner in the menswear category, Loris Diran. Glenda Bailey, Linda Fargo, Linda Wells, Hal Rubenstein, Cathy Horyn, CFDA’s Steven Kolb and FIT Museum’s Valerie Steele and Patricia Mears were also in attendance.

Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan

Simon Doonan, the host of the evening, started with a somber, but poignant speech in which he brought up the AIDS epidemic and its massively devastating effect on the fashion industry. “I want young people to know that Perry Ellis was a real person and not just a label,” Doonan said. He continued to name brilliant, young designers who contributed so much to the industry before they were “snuffed out,” as Doonon put it. “Keep the flame alive,” he said, ending on a positive note.

Lauren Bush Lauren and David Lauren

After Doonan’s speech, one of the most memorable introductions came from Sally Singer, who presented the Corporate Leadership Award to Andrew Rosen, founder of Theory. “He works with designers until they find their voice and his genius is that he figures out how to help them, not to change what they do,” Singer said about Rosen. She continued, “He does this compulsively and he does it quietly. It’s the ultimate act of generosity and I’ve never seen anything like it.” David Lauren presented his wife, Lauren Bush Lauren with the Humanitarian Award for her efforts in fighting hunger through her FEED bag products. To date, the charitable company has fed sixty million people around the world. LBL accepted her award and spoke with passion about her mission and her project which supports various organizations such as the UN World Food Programme and UNICEF.

Amar’e Stoudemire

Lord & Taylor’s Fashion Oracle Award went to basketball great, Amar’e Stoudemire, who gave serious “props” to designers for all the hard work that’s involved. Stoudemire collaborated on his own collection with Rachael Roy and was very much involved in the whole process. “We went through sketches, reviewed fabrics – it’s a lot of work!” He credits his highly stylish mother with influencing him at a very young age and piquing his interest in fashion.

Jessica Biel

The lovely, Jessica Biel, dressed to the nines in Giambattista Valli couture, presented the star honoree for fashion with his award proclaiming, “I’m happy to be a Valli girl.” Other star honorees in the fashion category were Kate and Laura Mulleavy (Rodarte) and Raf Simons (Jil Sander) who admitted to dipping his tie in the lamb sauce. “I had to close my jacket so you couldn’t see it,” Simons joked. Oscar de la Renta presented the Superstar Award to Steve Sadove and Ronald Frasch for Saks Fifth Avenue, Arthur Gensler took home the award for Architecture, Francois Nars was presented with the Beauty Award by the incomparable Isabella Rossellini and Wanda Ferragamo was the winner of the Board of Directors Legend Award. The award was accepted on behalf of Ms. Ferragamo by her children (and one grandchild) who said, “My mother is ninety, although she’d never admit it!”

Daphne Guiness

And finally, Dr. Valerie Steele (Director and Chief Curator, FIT Museum) presented a shy, demure Daphne Guinness with the Fashion Provocateur Award. Alexander McQueen’s muse spoke softly with her head titled downward and barely made eye contact with the audience. She kept things short and sweet and the fashion icon seemed to get a bit choked up at the end when she reiterated Doonan’s earlier point about remembering the great designers who were gone too soon. “I stand on the shoulders of huge giants like Alexander McQueen and Isabella Blow,” the icon said. “I wish the next generation lots of luck.” Guinness looked fabulous in a “second skin” dark green gown with magnificent gold beading covering the neckline and swirling downward. Of course, she was wearing her signature black and white hair which was pulled back and decorated with a black plume.

Fashion Designer and Journalist Stacy Lomman

Overall, The Fashion Group International and President, Margaret Hayes put together a spectacular and memorable evening. Lead sponsors for the event included; Lord & Taylor, Givaudan, InStyle and Arcade Marketing.

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THE 28TH ANNUAL NIGHT OF STARS
“THE LUMINARIES”
Thursday October 27, at Cipriani, Wall Street.
Contact; Diane Clehane/ Madeline Communications
203.681.2118 DClehane@aol.com

The 28th annual Night of Stars honoring “The Luminaries.” The awards, which will include red carpet arrivals, a cocktail reception and dinner, will be held tonight at Cipriani 55 Wall Street. The black tie gala hosted by Simon Doonan is expected to draw A-listers from the worlds of fashion and entertainment. Additional presenters and celebrity guests will be announced at a later date.

Red carpet arrivals: 6:15 Cocktails: 7:30 Dinner/Awards: 8:00

SUPERSTAR AWARD: Steve Sadove and Ronald Frasch
for Saks Fifth Avenue
Presenter: Oscar de la Renta

STAR HONOREES:
FASHION:
Raf Simons Presenter: Cathy Horyn
Giambattista Valli Presenter: Jessica Biel
Kate and Laura Mulleavy for Rodarte Presenter: Edward Enninful

ARCHITECTURE: Arthur Gensler Presenter: Cindy Allen

BEAUTY: Francois Nars Presenter: Isabella Rossellini

CORPORATE LEADERSHIP AWARD: Andrew Rosen Presenter: Sally Singer

HUMANITARIAN AWARD: Lauren Bush Presenter: David Lauren

FASHION PROVOCATEUR: Daphne Guinness Presenter: David LaChapelle

BOARD OF DIRECTORS LEGEND AWARD: Wanda Ferragamo
Presenter: Kate Betts

LORD & TAYLOR FASHION ORACLE AWARD: Amar’e Stoudemire

The lead sponsor for this year’s event is Lord & Taylor Participating sponsors: Arcade Marketing, Givaudan, InStyle & Arizona Beverages

The post Fashion Group Night of Stars appeared first on lookonline.

OMG! Just when you think the Fashion Group International may have finally run out of superstars and iconic figures to honor for their annual Night of Stars Gala (after all, they’ve been finding new and worthy names for the last 27 years), they come up with yet another deserving and celebrated list.

Marisa Berenson & Pierre Cardin (All photos: Randy Brooke for Lookonline.com)

This year, they used “The Globalists” as their overall umbrella, giving new meaning to global warming. And not just because it was so unseasonably warm and balmy outside, but because inside Cipriani Wall Street, the invited guests were basking in the warm glow of super stars, icons, and legends from the worlds of fashion, beauty, entertainment, and architecture. Let’s face it, you don’t get more iconic than the ageless Pierre Cardin who was given his Board of Directors Legend Award by the glorious and also ageless Marisa Berenson. The très magnfique iconic model looked dazzling in a fabulous architectural dress, one of many of the famed designer’s creations that will be presented at a formal runway show at Milk Studio tonight.

Jennifer Connelly & Nicolas Ghesquiere

And then there was Nicolas Ghesquiere, one of the fashion world’s most revered and respected designers, who was awarded his Superstar Award by the gorgeous Academy Award winning Jennifer Connelly, a muse and loyal customer; beauty ‘legend’ Frederic Fekkai was awarded his Beauty Award by Calvin Klein; ‘Brand Visionary’ Diego Della Valle had dear friend Richard Gere, took the stage to do the honors – this was also one of the more entertaining moments of the night; Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza and Albert Kriemler for Akris were the Star Honorees for Fashion – presenters were Anna Wintour & Bee Shaffer in the case of the former, Stefano Tonchi for the latter;

Lookonline editor Marilyn Kirschner

The Entertainment Award went to Janie Bryant (Presenter – Simon Kneen); the Architecture Award went to Rafael And Diana Vinoly (Presenters – Calvin Tsao & China Machado); Corporate Leadership Award was presented by Anna Sui to Glen Senk for Urban Oufitters; the Lord & Taylor Fashion Oracle Award was handed to Nina Garcia by Michael Kors; and Mayor Michael Bloomberg was there to give his dear friend Evelyn Lauder, the Humanitarian Award.

China Machado

By the way, speaking of ageless, in an industry (actually, I should say industries: both fashion and entertainment), where it’s seemingly all about the young (being young, staying young, looking young), it was interestingly a night which proved that many things (and many people) do get better with age and being 70, 80, or 90 hardly means it’s all over. At 88, Pierre Cardin was the ‘coolest’ guy in the room and China Machado, the exotic 60’s supermodel and Avedon muse, turned Harper’s Bazaar Senior Fashion Editor (whom I worked with at Harper’s Bazaar in the 70’s), looked positively radiant.

FGI’s Margaret Hayes

FGI President Margaret Hayes began by lauding the “12 extraordinary talents – Globalists in fashion beauty and architecture – who inspire us to act globally”. Then the always amusing and unique Simon Doonan took the stage and asked, “What is a globalist”? “I have no idea” he jokingly answered but said that because they are all in the media spotlight, they could all use a personal mantra to help them ‘cope’. Inexplicably, he decided to ‘award’ each honoree his or her own personal mantra, inspired by the Jersey Shore nicknames: Nicolas Guesquiere – the Prince of Paramus; Albert Kriemler – Tan Jovi; Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough – The Condition; Rafael Vinoly – Bones; Diana Vinoly – The Body; Frederic Fekkai – The Operation; Diego Della Valle- The Tricep; Janie Bryant- The Opportunity; Evelyn Lauder – Kookie, Pierre Cardin – The Impact; Nina Garcia – The Paris Hilton of Trenton.

Linda Fargo fashion director of Bergdorf Goodman

After dinner and dessert was served, the awards began. These are some highlights of what followed:

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour

– Anna Wintour on the team of Proenza Schouler: “You make a bag everyone knows yet everyone wants”. “You may be sitting at the ‘grown-up’ table but you are still the sweet young talented kids we first met” (daughter Bee enthused, “your designs are instantly cool”.)

– Mayor Bloomberg telling the assembled crowd that Evelyn Lauder, a member of FGI for 20 years who “led the charge in the war against cancer” and has raised about “35 million – this past year alone”, is “impossible to say no to – don’t even try”.

– Diana Vinoly on her rather hard to miss green layered chiffon Issey Miyake dress: “To mix fashion and architecture, I chose a “building of a dress”.

– Richard Gere talking about what a fabulous, warm person and good friend Diego Della Valle is, saying it was a “very special evening” and then joking “I think I just bought 26% of Saks tonight- the check’s in the mail.” “I don’t know about fashion but thanks to Calvin Klein I know about black t shirts and white underwear. And I know about shoes. Diego gave me a pair of brown suede shoes (with those little nubs on the bottom) and I nursed them for 10 years. I agreed to present him with this award tonight if he promised to give me another pair of shoes. Hopefully they will last at least 10 years.”

Evelyn Lauder

– Marisa Berenson telling the assembled guests that it was an honor to celebrate “60 years of an amazing and immense career and life.” “Pierre Cardin has always said that taste is not enough – you have to be touched by grace and have style”. He has no boundaries or limitations. His name radiates globally on everything. His passion is limitless. He is a wise man and completely free man. He has always made the most of everything.” (For his part, Pierre Cardin took to the stage speaking quickly and only in French).

Calvin Klein

– Calvin Klein describing Frederic Fekkai as a “rare combination of talent and charisma”, citing his “good looks, and “that sexy accent”. “He had a very specific vision for his business and he made it happen. No one has a more stellar clientele. He’s like Warren Beatty but with a better accent” (that got the most laughs of the night). He spoke of the “complete and utter magic of his talent” – the ability to “make women look amazing” and quoted him as saying “When I run my hands thru a woman’s hair, I have a sense of who she should be.”

– Frederic Fekkai admitted that he wouldn’t “be here without Calvin Klein”, who suggested to Ira Neimark many years ago that he open a Frederic Fekkai boutique at Bergdorf Goodman.

– Michael Kors on Nina Garcia: “Style has been a part of Nina’s life since day 1. Thanks to four best selling style guides and Project Runway, she has “rewritten what a style editor’s role should be”.

– Jennifer Connelly: “I LOVE Nicholas Guesquiere. His designs are timelessly classic and quintessentially modern. He’s a rare and special creature; fun and funny, and just a little bit wicked. He is brave, a perfectionist, and an artist.”

– Nicolas Guesquiere: “I am touched by your words. It’s a great celebration tonight and it’s always great to celebrate fashion. I have the highest respect for the past recipients. Cristobal Balenciaga brought a radical point of view and 80 years later, I am happy to keep this dream alive.”

Tory Burch

At the end, Simon Doonan took the stage and said that he left out Margaret Hayes’ personal mantra: “Last Call”. “Thanks for coming and go home.” And everyone did, with a wonderful gift bag in tow.

-Marilyn Kirschner

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Diane Clehane
Madeline Communications
203.681.2118

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