If you build it, they will come -- especially in the fashion industry.
And because the business is such a draw, from Fashion Week to Fashion's Night Out, three of its most visible members -- Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren, CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg and Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour -- were honored by the NYC & Company Foundation's Leadership Awards.
Held at the Plaza Hotel, the sold-out gala drew top names from the industry, such as Theory's Andrew Rosen, Liz Claiborne co-founder Art Ortenberg, new Barneys New York CEO Mark Lee, Gap's Patrick Robinson, Simon Doonan, Tory Burch, Vera Wang and others.
"I'm happy to be here to celebrate those wonderful supporters of fashion," Calvin Klein's Francisco Costa told StyleList of Lundgren, von Furstenberg and Wintour. "American fashion has always been very strong and unique. I feel that the emerging markets are embracing it now."
Tommy Hilfiger said the current $55 billion fashion and retail businesses in New York are just a start. "We want to trigger and stir business up. We want to make the city a better place," he told StyleList. "We want to be able to keep the apparel and garment center here in New York and keep the momentum going."
The younger designers were fondly retrospective about past Fashion's Night Out events. "I remember going to 10 places in one night and buying something in every place," Jason Wu told StyleList. "I took a little souvenir from every place, mainly books -- I collect books."
Zac Posen was a bit more manic. In the window at Bergdorf Goodman, "I painted my fit model and my muse Anna Cleveland. We took editions of (dress) styles in bright white and then took ink to them. Then we had to go to Fred Leighton, where we had sewn together all kinds of archived jewelry."
Leelee Sobieski, who has been rocking fashion events these days in support of her husband, menswear designer Adam Kimmel, looked long and lean in a short Diane von Furstenberg. The actress, who has one of the flattest stomachs on record, also has an 11-month-old daughter