I had the pleasure of attending the 33rd Annual American Image Awards at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Wednesday, April 27th, 2011 in New York City. The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) is the national trade association representing apparel, footwear and other sewn products companies, and their suppliers, which compete in the global market.
Benefiting the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the AAFA awards was the event to be! An estimate 700 people* in attendance: industry vets, A-List celebs and designers all came out to show their support for one another. At this year’s event, The AAFA honored the following brands and individuals:
Mark Weber (Chairman and CEO of Donna Karan Internationl) He won the Man Of The Year Award, presented by Antoni Belloni.
Jonathan Joselove (GNM, Neiman Marcus) His brand won the Retailer Of The Year Award, presented by Ken Downing.
Ruben & Isabel Toledo ( Designers of Isabel Toldeo) They won the Fashion Maverick Award, presented by Whoopi Goldberg.
Colin Dyne (CEO of William Rast/People’s Liberation, Inc.) Brand Of The Year Award. This is a huge honor for a brand! Big congrats!
Connie Rishwain (President of UGG Austraila) Footwear Brand Of The Year Award. Another huge honor!
David Koch, was presented with the Humanitarian Award, by Michael Milken, the man behind The Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Robert Verdi, Celebrity stylist to the stars, was this year’s emcee (host).
Congrats to all of the honorees! Very well deserved!
I arrived at the AAIA around 5:30 P.M (also called ‘ The AAFA Gala’) with my lovely plus one (mom!). I was fortunate enough to borrow a beautiful dress from Rebecca Taylor. The dress code for this event was cocktail party chic: black tie optional. I wanted to look my best, so I looked no further. I had 3 options of dresses to choose from and I selected the beautiful panther dress from their Spring 2011 Collection.
Benefiting the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the AAFA awards was the event to be! An estimate 700 people* in attendance: industry vets, A-List celebs and designers all came out to show their support for one another. At this year’s event, The AAFA honored the following brands and individuals:
Mark Weber (Chairman and CEO of Donna Karan Internationl) He won the Man Of The Year Award, presented by Antoni Belloni.
Jonathan Joselove (GNM, Neiman Marcus) His brand won the Retailer Of The Year Award, presented by Ken Downing.
Ruben & Isabel Toledo ( Designers of Isabel Toldeo) They won the Fashion Maverick Award, presented by Whoopi Goldberg.
Colin Dyne (CEO of William Rast/People’s Liberation, Inc.) Brand Of The Year Award. This is a huge honor for a brand! Big congrats!
Connie Rishwain (President of UGG Austraila) Footwear Brand Of The Year Award. Another huge honor!
David Koch, was presented with the Humanitarian Award, by Michael Milken, the man behind The Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Robert Verdi, Celebrity stylist to the stars, was this year’s emcee (host).
Congrats to all of the honorees! Very well deserved!
I arrived at the AAIA around 5:30 P.M (also called ‘ The AAFA Gala’) with my lovely plus one (mom!). I was fortunate enough to borrow a beautiful dress from Rebecca Taylor. The dress code for this event was cocktail party chic: black tie optional. I wanted to look my best, so I looked no further. I had 3 options of dresses to choose from and I selected the beautiful panther dress from their Spring 2011 Collection.
The dress was not presented on the runway, but you can still buy the dress I wore at their store online.
After the selection, I had a few hours to head into the event. I checked in and made my way to the VIP reception upstairs. As I took the elevator to the ballroom, I was amazed and so overwhelmed with delight! It was like a dream. I quickly moved to the ‘food’ table and was happily to take pics of the food and dining area. The lights were blue and dim, so each one of us (party people!) had a beautiful glow on their faces.
We finally then headed into the VIP reception area, I pose for a couple of photos and met with my mom, who was chatting up a storm. I found her chatting and mingling with several people, including the very humble Joe Dixon, Vice President, Production & Technical Services of Brooks Brothers.
Earlier, I found myself chatting with Jon Martinez, Public Relations Manger of Viva International Group, one of the sponsors of the event. Very nice and humble! I was new to this event and he gave me good encouragement. He led me to the press and media area, next to the red carpet and introduced me to the President of the Viva International Group.
I became very comfortable on the red carpet and took my place. It was not long before I was interviewing Robert Verdi, who was hilarious! He was so down to earth and made us laugh with glee! He was excited to host the awards and was very supportive of the cause. After Robert, I saw Colin Dyne, Donna Karan and Whoopi Goldberg. All three was busy with reporters and photographers. Finally, Both Donna Karan and Colin Dyne made their way to our media table. I was behind Desiree Rabuse, freelance editor of Black Book Magazine, who got the opportunity to interview both Colin Dyne and then Donna Karan. I could not reach Colin in time for an interview.
Soon after, Donna Karan gave a quick interview to an editor, and then made her way to Me and Desiree. She was very sweet and so freaking cool! I overheard her talking to the editor in front of me saying that she loves Virgos! I am a proud Virgo and told her so! After a quick interview, the time was approaching for the award show to begin.
We took a few more pics, with Donna Karan and began to said our goodbyes. It was by far, the best night of my life. Not only this was a fashionable event but also a great event for a great cause. *Over 1.1 million dollars were raised for the awareness of prostate cancer. For more info on The Prostate Cancer Foundation & to donate, please visit PFC.org
*Source: Daily Front Row
Photos via Phillippe Noisette/Wenn, The Bromley Group and Wireimage.
Special thanks to The Bromley Group, AAFA & Amanda (Rebecca Taylor)
After the selection, I had a few hours to head into the event. I checked in and made my way to the VIP reception upstairs. As I took the elevator to the ballroom, I was amazed and so overwhelmed with delight! It was like a dream. I quickly moved to the ‘food’ table and was happily to take pics of the food and dining area. The lights were blue and dim, so each one of us (party people!) had a beautiful glow on their faces.
We finally then headed into the VIP reception area, I pose for a couple of photos and met with my mom, who was chatting up a storm. I found her chatting and mingling with several people, including the very humble Joe Dixon, Vice President, Production & Technical Services of Brooks Brothers.
Earlier, I found myself chatting with Jon Martinez, Public Relations Manger of Viva International Group, one of the sponsors of the event. Very nice and humble! I was new to this event and he gave me good encouragement. He led me to the press and media area, next to the red carpet and introduced me to the President of the Viva International Group.
I became very comfortable on the red carpet and took my place. It was not long before I was interviewing Robert Verdi, who was hilarious! He was so down to earth and made us laugh with glee! He was excited to host the awards and was very supportive of the cause. After Robert, I saw Colin Dyne, Donna Karan and Whoopi Goldberg. All three was busy with reporters and photographers. Finally, Both Donna Karan and Colin Dyne made their way to our media table. I was behind Desiree Rabuse, freelance editor of Black Book Magazine, who got the opportunity to interview both Colin Dyne and then Donna Karan. I could not reach Colin in time for an interview.
Soon after, Donna Karan gave a quick interview to an editor, and then made her way to Me and Desiree. She was very sweet and so freaking cool! I overheard her talking to the editor in front of me saying that she loves Virgos! I am a proud Virgo and told her so! After a quick interview, the time was approaching for the award show to begin.
We took a few more pics, with Donna Karan and began to said our goodbyes. It was by far, the best night of my life. Not only this was a fashionable event but also a great event for a great cause. *Over 1.1 million dollars were raised for the awareness of prostate cancer. For more info on The Prostate Cancer Foundation & to donate, please visit PFC.org
*Source: Daily Front Row
Photos via Phillippe Noisette/Wenn, The Bromley Group and Wireimage.
Special thanks to The Bromley Group, AAFA & Amanda (Rebecca Taylor)
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