NEW YORK — The roster of honorees at Tuesday night’s Accessories Council Excellence Awards read more like the contents of the latest celebrity magazine than an industry event — and the scores of paparazzi outside proved it.
Jessica Simpson, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and Diddy, among others, were on hand at the accessory industry’s awards night, held at Cipriani 42nd Street here.
And while there was ogling and autograph signing going on, the merch was top of mind for most attendees.
“Fashion is about details,” said Diddy, who was bestowed with the Fashion Influencer award. “And accessories elevate your own personal style.”
Simpson, who received the Fashion Icon award, spoke backstage of her plans to launch both handbags and jewelry under separate licenses, but was mum on details.
“Accessories are great,” she said. “I constantly make belts into head scarves and also tie them around my wrist. They’re really versatile. Plus, I always believe in buying a lot of accessories — they’re a bargain.”
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, dressed in Dior by John Galliano and Calvin Klein, respectively, received the ACE Award.
The night was full of designer spectacle as well.
Oscar de la Renta, who was awarded Designer of the Year, has been stepping up his presence in accessories in recent years. “Accessories are a vital part of fashion,” he said. “I am extremely honored.”
Pamela Skaist-Levy, co-founder and designer of Juicy Couture, who along with business partner Gela Nash-Taylor was awarded the Accessory Brand Launch award, wore her accessories, despite her fear of protesters. “We’re scared of the PETA people outside,” she said, while donning a fur stole. Nash-Taylor took hers off in the car to avoid confrontation.
Betsey Johnson, who received the Lifetime Achievement award, said she would become a grandmother this spring. The designer accepted her award wearing a multitude of her licensed accessories — at least one each from the jewelry, handbags, cold weather, eyewear, watches and shoes— with her acceptance speech written on the back of her hand with a Sharpie.
“I’ve been waiting my whole life for this award,” said Johnson. “I thought it would be for clothes….What do I have to be, a hundred [to get noticed]?”
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Designer Kenneth Cole was inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was pleased with the nod, though it incited some introspection. “My award is the only one I’m not looking forward to,” Cole said jokingly. “It’s a sign of my maturation.”
This awards edition was particularly meaningful since Sheila Block, president of the Accessories Council who had organized ACE for the past nine years, passed away earlier this year.
Others awarded were Teri Agins, senior special writer for The Wall Street Journal, who received the the Marylou Luther Award for Fashion Journalism, neimanmarcus.com for Retailer of the Year and In Style for Magazine of the Year.
But with all the boldface names in attendance, the most popular may have been Tom Ford, who presented Agins with her award. Throughout the evening, Ford, who is now working with Estée Lauder and Marcolin, was surrounded by a gaggle of ladies asking for a picture. Even Diddy was overcome, saying in his speech, “Tom Ford, man, if I could ever be born again, I’d be a black, straight version of you.”