From catwalks to the awards stage
New York- based glossy fashion industry gossip sheet the Daily Front Row, a mainstay of fashion weeks around the world in print and a daily presence online, staged its second Fashion Los Angeles Awards in West Hollywood on March 20, with honorees including Lady Gaga, model Bella Hadid, jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer and stylist and designer Brandon Maxwell.
Nicole Richie served as master of ceremonies for the relatively short- and- sweet, onehour- and- 20- minute event at the Sunset Tower Hotel on Sunset Boulevard. Jennifer Lopez presented the f irst award for women’s stylists to the team of Mariel Haenn and Rob Zangardi. The evening’s second award, presented by model Gigi Hadid, went to Carine Roitfeld, whose CR Fashion Book was recognized as magazine of the year.
Lady Gaga made her f irst of three trips to the stage to present Maxwell with the designer debut award.
Keanu Reeves was in the house to present Jeanne Yang with the award for men’s stylist. The choice of presenter was symbolic because, as Yang had explained earlier in the evening, Reeves was her very first client.
Jeremy Scott presented Bella Hadid with the model of the year award, noting that he had chosen her to model the f inal look at his recent New York runway show. “That’s important,” Scott said, “because you’re the last one to come down the runway, and there’s nothing else to focus on. And she served as the exclamation point to the collection.”
Next up was model Angela Lindvall, who presented Baja East’s Scott Studenberg and John Targon with the emerging designers award.
Kate Hudson’s presentation of the jewelry designer award to Jennifer Meyer included the observation that the two had been friends since before birth. “I was a fetus, and she was a toddler,” Hudson said. “We met because her dad was my mom’s agent.”
Designer Alber Elbaz, on hand to present Eva Chow with the fashion innovator award, was one of the more amusing presenters of the evening, riffing on everything from his dismissal from Lanvin (“I was f ired from my own company — like Steve Jobs”) to the advice he received before traveling to the City of Angels (“I was told, ‘ They will never talk to you with a double chin’ ”).
Lady Gaga took to the stage to accept the penultimate award of the evening, editor of the year, which she received for guest- editing V magazine. That award was presented by V’s Editor in Chief Stephen Gan.
The evening’s f inal honoree, fashion icon award winner Karl Lagerfeld, was not on hand to receive his award. His absence was dutifully explained by the pintsize presenter — 7- year- old model Hudson Kroenig.
“He’s the best designer in the world and he’s my godfather,” Kroenig read from his notes. “And Karl cannot be here tonight because Los Angeles is very far from France. So to receive the award for Karl, may I present to you all Lady Gaga.”
With that, Gaga made her third trip to the stage to accept the award from Kroenig, bringing the star- studded evening to a close.