FN SPY
The greatest moments from th 018 FN Achievement Awards.
1 Mr. Bruce Live! Retail legend Bruce Nordstrom was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by his son Erik Nordstrom as dozens of other family members and teammates looked on. “I’m a shoe dog. I say that with all my heart. That doesn’t sound like a complimentary title, but that’s me,” Nordstrom said onstage.
2 Family Matters Christie Brinkley and daughters Alexa Ray Joel and Sailor Brinkley-Cook were the perfect recipients for FN’s first multigenerational Style Influencer Award — and the trio had an unforgettable moment onstage. After being feted by son/brother Jack Brinkley Cook and his girlfriend, model Nina Agdal, Sailor told a story that reminded everyone in the audience about how fashion can be a force for good. She recalled how she spent Thanksgiving giving out donations to the homeless and met a woman who changed something in her. When Sailor asked her what she could do to help, the woman replied, “I just want to feel beautiful and fabulous again.” In response, Sailor gave her a makeover and outfitted her with new clothes. “She was so happy. She just started crying,” Sailor explained onstage. “She was so grateful to be able to feel that again, to be able to own that identity that fashion gives you and that I think I take for granted every day.”
3 Story Time Vogue editor-in-chief and Condé Nast artistic director Anna Wintour made a buzzed-about appear- ance to present Tabitha Simmons with the Designer of the Year Award. Before that, however, Wintour shared a personal story about the time Simmons would go clubbing in a pair of ice skates. Wintour said, “[It’s] no surprise that Tabitha became an extraordinary shoe designer.”
4 Taking Chances Kerby Jean Raymond, founder and creative director of Pyer Moss, who won an FN Achievement Award for his Reebok by Pyer Moss collaboration, expressed the need for companies to look outside the box for rising talent. He said, “There are so many people that look like me, and there are so many kids that come from my background that are equally as talented who are not given the opportunity … and everyone in this room has the ability to reach down — just reach down — and you’ll be surprised what you find.”
5 Game Time Baker Mayfield gave the room a laugh when he shared a remark about Diane Sullivan, to whom he presented FN’s Person of the Year award. “Here’s the last thing she said to me: ‘Really, I wanted a handsome young man to present me with this award — but Tom Brady wasn’t available,’” the Cleveland Browns quarterback joked.
6 Humble Beginnings While accepting the award for Launch of the Year, Amina Muaddi couldn’t help but get emotional. She said, “For a girl who comes where I come from — I’m half Jordanian and half Romanian — to be here, to be able to live my dreams and inspire Middle Eastern women to live their own dreams and be able to dress women I could have never imagined I’d be able to dress, it’s an honor.”
7 Newcomers While Pierre Hardy, Marc Fisher and Peter Harris were inducted into the FN Hall of Fame, this year’s Achievement Awards also honored two emerging talents: Mike Amiri and Chloe Gosselin. Both were beyond proud to accept their awards on behalf of their blossoming companies. Said Amiri, “It’s a bunch of losses that give you the experience to add up the wins, and it’s sometimes those wins that give you the extra energy to go to the next level, so this means so much to me.” Diane von Furstenberg was on hand to present Gosselin with her award, and the industry legend called the rising star “the most lovely and beautiful person.” Gosselin said, “I want to thank all the women out there who are wearing my shoes. I know that you’re fierce, full of dreams and ambition, and I’m honored that you’re choosing to walk through life in my creations.”
8 Giving Back Martha Stewart recounted the history of FFANY Shoes on Sale as she presented the charity and its partner, QVC, with the Icon Award for Philanthropy. She praised the organization, which has raised $55 million, saying: “This funding at the spark of an idea is the hardest research to get funding for, but it creates game-changing results. … As we mark the 25th anniversary, the industry stops to recognize this iconic effort.”