Daily Fashion Juice
Friday, October 28, 2011

A Rainy Night of Stars, and a Laurel

By CATHY HORYN

Michael Loccisano/Getty ImagesDaphne Guinness at the Fashion Group International’s 28th annual Night of Stars at Cipriani Wall Street.

Thursday night was the Fashion Group’s annual party, at Cipriani Wall Street, a journey of 1,000 miles (it seemed). Everyone was packed into the former bank, unaware that in an hour or so we were going to be served this large, brown, rectangular hunk of ground lamb with a side of scalloped potatoes. I had just come from celebrating the season with a pumpkin pie bake-off at the office, so the lamb thing was a definite freakout, a no-go. Raf Simons, one of the evening’s honorees, made a tidy joke at the podium about the gravy stain on his tie. Awards were also given to Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte, Giambattista Valli, Andrew Rosen, Daphne Guinness, Lauren Bush and Wanda Ferragamo. Steve Sadove, the chairman of Saks Fifth Avenue, and Ronald Frasch, the store’s president, were the designated “superstars,” with Mr. Frasch making a funny speech about golf, competition and why he loves his job.

Evan Agostini/Agoev, via Associated PressGiambattista Valli, an honoree, posed with the actress Jessica Biel.

But I have to say that Simon Doonan, the party’s regular host, gets laurels for an opening speech about the individuals the industry lost to AIDS in the first years of the crisis. He mentioned, among many names, Willi Smith, Perry Ellis, Herb Ritts and the makeup artist Way Bandy. Mr. Doonan acknowledged that the subject was a bit left-field. But his purpose was to say that in 25 years, many of these people and their achievements are on the verge of being forgotten in the haze of distractions. They are certainly not known as well as they might be to a young generation, and Mr. Doonan’s appeal to the audience was simply to keep talking about them.

At the conclusion of the award-giving, Mr. Doonan returned to the stage and said the after-party would be held at Zuccotti Park. For a half-second, I thought some guests really believed him.