New York's Top Fashion and Beauty Industry Events 2008

Fashion Week
Fashion Week
Photo: Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
1. Fashion Week
This semiannual event generates a frenzy for editors, retailers, celebrity-watchers, and gossip hounds. Last fall’s event drew more than 60 collections from the big and small American labels. The first 2008 shows ran from February 1 to 8; the fall events will take place from September 5 to 12. Fashion Week is looking for a new home: While the event’s producer, IMG Fashion, announced last fall that Bryant Park will continue to host the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week tents through 2010, a recent report in the New York Observer says the Bryant Park Corporation would like the tents out of the park sooner than that.2. Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Awards
At the 25th anniversary of this KCD-produced event, in 2007, Oprah Winfrey presented Ralph Lauren with the first-ever American Fashion Legend award. This year’s event, at the New York Public Library on June 2, is expected to draw all the top names in American clothing design and plenty of A-list celebrities.

3. FiFi Awards

The FiFi awards have been called the Oscars of the fragrance world, so it’s only appropriate that celebrities are the ones to hand out the awards. Last year’s presenters included Sean Combs, Paula Abdul, and Padma Lakshmi, while designer Donna Karan took home the Hall of Fame award. Presented by the Fragrance Foundation, this year’s awards are expected to attract more than 1,000 beauty-industry insiders to the Seventh Regiment Armory on May 20.

4. Fashion Group International’s Night of Stars Benefit

Last year’s gala drew such celebrities as Jennifer Hudson and Linda Evangelista to Cipriani 42nd Street to honor winners Jean-Paul Gaultier, Alber Elbaz, and others. FGI president ­Margaret Hayes will plan the October 30 event, which will mark the 25th anniversary of the benefit.

5. International Beauty Show
The 91st annual beauty-industry event is planned for April 27 to 29 at the Javits Center. Last year’s show drew 625 exhibiting companies, which displayed the latest developments in hair care, nail care, apparel, and business technology and offered more than 100 free classes for the convention’s 50,000 participants. Presented by American Salon and American Spa magazines, the event is produced by Dana Lupton of the Questex Media Group.

6. American Cancer Society Dream Ball
This annual black-tie event draws cosmetic-industry leaders to the Waldorf-Astoria to raise money for the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association’s “Look Good ... Feel Better” campaign, which helps women offset appearance-related changes from cancer treatment. The “pretty in pink” dinner dance in 2007 raised $2.26 million for the campaign and featured a shimmering, all-pink design theme from designer Bruce Sutka. The 2008 event will be held on September 9.

7. Accessories Council ACE Awards
New to the Top 100 this year, this increasingly ­celebrity-studded black-tie gala was founded in 1996 to honor designers, retailers, and journalists who promote the accessories industry. The 2007 event at Cipriani 42nd Street on November 5 honored Marc Jacobs as designer of the year, Heidi Klum as a “fashion influencer,” and Mandy Moore as a “fashion innovator.” The 12th annual awards will be held in November 2008.

8. March of Dimes’ Million Dollar Beauty Ball
The 2007 ball, held for the first time at Cipriani 42nd Street, raised just over $1 million for the March of Dimes Foundation. The March 12, 2008, event will bring together more than 600 beauty and media bigwigs. Bernd Beetz of Coty Inc. and Larry Aiken of Condé Nast Media Group chair the ball.