The Fashion Group International has lined up all sorts of luminaries for this year’s Night of Stars. Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz will receive the prestigious Superstar award and Justin Timberlake will take home the Lord & Taylor Fashion Oracle award at the Oct. 22 gala at Cipriani Wall Street.
The nine-time Grammy-winning musician and his stylish wife Jessica Biel have always been in with the fashion crowd. (The William Rast sportswear label he cofounded in 2006 is sold at Lord & Taylor.) And Timberlake, in turn, is in tight with various power players. He fronts the iPhone 6 with Jimmy Fallon and has a stake in the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies among other business pursuits. The actor-musician is also president of Tennman Entertainment, which reportedly plunked down $4 million for about 130 acres in Tennessee through a public trust. While the plan for that property has not been revealed, Timberlake will have other reasons to celebrate. As parents of their three-month-old son Silas, he and Biel will no doubt appreciate a night out on the town.
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The 2015 Night of Stars lineup for honorees for fashion includes Jonathan Anderson, Bruno Frisoni for Roger Vivier and Jason Wu. Perhaps a wink to the event’s glittery theme, FGI will honor Bulgari with the Brand Heritage award. And what some might consider to be the upside of selling with near-blinding speed eBay will be awarded the Retail Trailblazer. Another digital favorite with the fashion crowd — Pinterest — will be given the Technology Innovation award.
Other image-making-minded winners include Estée Lauder’s Karyn Khoury for Beauty and Yabu Pushelberg’s George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg for Interior Design. Eileen Fisher has won for Sustainability, and with good reason. The designer aims to be 100 percent sustainable over the next five years. Lastly, Karen Harvey will be handed the Humanitarian award at the Simon Doonan-emceed event. Ruben Toledo will be another repeat performer, by illustrating the event’s invitations and program.
FGI’s president and chief executive officer Margaret Hayes noted Elbaz was being celebrated for his “revolutionary vision has rejuvenated the oldest and, arguably, most revered, fashion house in the world.” While eBay has “revolutionized the way we shop,” Eileen Fisher’s “sustainable and ethical principles are helping to revolutionize the way we approach the future of the planet,” according to Hayes.
Lead sponsor Lord & Taylor will have added support from Arcade Beauty, Hearst Magazines, Givaudan and LIM College. Timberlake hasn’t committed to a performance of any kind but that is not an out-of-this-galaxy possibility if last year’s gala is any indication. Aretha Franklin stepped up and surprised the black-tie crowd with an impromptu medley.