The top members of New York's rag trade found themselves in the midst of a summer garden party at the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards ceremony at the New York Public Library. The A-list crowd entered the venue on a carpet resembling a garden pathway, and walked under a vine-encrusted archway decorated by Raul Avila with Swarovski crystal flowers from artist Tord Boontje. Avila covered the archway with cascading vines, and weaved in the 25 to 30 crystal flowers that Boontje created, which ranged in size from 8 inches to 3 feet in diameter.
Inside the library, 460 guests, including Jessica Simpson, Scarlett Johansson, Diddy, and Janet Jackson, made their way to Astor Hall for a cocktail party. At 8 PM dinner began in the Celeste Bartos Forum, which was filled with 50 tables bearing pastel-hued seats, napkins, and glassware, and Italian linen tablecloths. KCD produced the event, and designed green textured cotton upholstered banquettes for half the tables, which ran the perimeter of the room.
Hank Tomashevski created the menu, which included almond and grape gazpacho, and halibut with pea shoot greens, while Avila designed the yellow and orange centerpieces that varied from table to table, and were composed of tulips, peonies, hyacinths, and sweet peas. Tony Okungbowa, the DJ who left The Ellen DeGeneres Show last month, was back at the awards for the second year in a row, playing music throughout the dinner.
The awards presentation, hosted by Jeremy Piven, took place after dinner was served. Among the evening's winners were Francisco Costa of Calvin Klein, who was named Womenswear Designer of the Year, and Thom Browne, who was named Menswear Designer of the Year. Harry Connick Jr., Jessica Lange, and Lindsay Lohan were among the presenters. Karen Peterson, the CFDA's director of special events and public relations, oversaw the event.
In addition to sponsoring the awards, this year Swarovski hosted a concurrent party upstairs in Astor Hall called "Upstairs at the Library," which began at 8:30. (The room was transformed immediately after the cocktail reception.) The upstairs party had a loungelike vibe where 350 guests—mostly younger fashion types who wouldn't otherwise get to attend the awards—watched the ceremony on 10 flat-screen TVs and one oversized screen via a live simulcast. Avila decorated the room's walls and arches with cascading English ivy, and Swarovski created crystal-encrusted candleholders as table centerpieces. DJ Cassidy spun music for the designers, editors, models, and women-about-town on hand until the party ended at midnight.
—Courtney Thompson
Posted 06.07.06
Photos: Evan Agostini/Getty Images (archway), Jeff Thomas/ImageCapture (archway close-up, tent, main room)
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