According to Chrissy Teigen, the Accessories Council Excellence Awards, aka ACE Awards, are officially becoming the First Tuesday in May. The annual event marked its 28th anniversary with a new location, the Pierre Hotel, and since moving from November to May in 2023, a new energy. Guests arriving at the affair on a seasonably warm evening were still buzzing with excitement from the Met Gala the night before and also upped the ante on the dress code, albeit without an official theme.

After moving from drinks in the Cotillion ballroom, the crowd moved into the hotel Grand Ballroom for the seated dinner and awards presentation. Honorees and presenters included Coach, accepted by Todd Kahn and presented by Sophie Thatcher for Brand of the Year; Prabal Gurung for Designer of the Year presented by “The Slayasians” Laura Kim, Tina Leung, Phillip Lim and Ezra J. William; Fern Mallis for Hall of Fame presented by Tamron Hall, Larroudé, and accepted by Marina Larroudé and presented by Awkwafina, for Rising Star; Cult Gaia accepted by Jasmin Larrian Hekmat and presented by Chrissy Teigen for Design Innovation; Jared accepted by Claudia Cividino and presented by LaQuan Smith for Retailer of the year; Style Influencer Award presented to costume designer Dana Covarrubias by ‘Only Murders in the Building’ actor Michael Cyril Creighton; Style Icon award given to Linda Fargo by Michael Kors; Legacy Award given to Foster Grant accepted by Sal Mauceri and presented by Kat Graham and specialty retailer Elyse Walker presented by Marni Senofonte.

“Through the years, our industry has seen seismic shifts in manufacturing, materials, marketing, and technology. We are so proud to recognize this year’s ACE Award winners tonight as we celebrate not only the pioneers and icons of our industry but the new leaders who are paving the way forward to ensure that our businesses thrive,” said Accessories Council president and CEO Karen Giberson.

As guests such as Vera Wang, Coco Rocha, and Stuart Vevers, among others, enjoyed beef tenderloin and tilapia, Giberson kicked off the evening’s lineup quoting David Bowie’s ‘Changes’ song before introducing the Operation Excellence Award, a debut category to female-owned and led trucking company Aria Logistics who distributed gift bags off the back of a truck as the evening ended in a very New York City-centric moment.
 
The crowd was seemingly still revved up from the previous evening’s event and sometimes almost drowned out those on stage, but overall, the introductions and speeches were positive and heartwarming. FashionNetwork.com interviewed several guests and recorded the festivities; below some highlights:
 
TV personality Tamron Hall:
On being recognized: “I still feel like a small kid from Texas whose grandfather couldn’t read. But I make my living with words my grandfather could not read. Fern Mallis wants to know everyone at the table; she recognizes in our silence and social insecurity that the core of who we are is that we want to be seen,” she told the room.

Fern Mallis:
On legacy: “Today Tommy Hilfiger unveiled a park bench in Bryant Park today dedicated to Stan Herman and me,” said Mallis, visibly moved, expressing gratitude for the much-deserved accolades for her award.
 
Michael Kors:
On fashion friendships and style: “I am thrilled to be here to introduce a woman who has truly shaped the fashion industry that we know today. We have known each other for 30 years. Linda is a rarity today; she is excited by style and fashion and is effortlessly stylish; she cares about the industry and always looks amazing. Her style is legendary, and her unique sensibilities set her apart. For Linda, leopard is an everyday basic. Platinum bob and red lips are known the world over. Linda has designed over 1,000 windows at Bergdorf Goodman; not bad for a girl from Milwaukee who started designing collage boxes,” Kors said, noting the store was the first to carry his label when it launched in 1981.
 
Linda Fargo:
On humble beginnings and glamourous additions: “I arrived here in an unreliable car with a not-so-stylish wardrobe, and to find myself here tonight doesn’t really fit. We didn’t have a local culture in Milwaukee, but we had a library and our parents’ bookshelves; there was Time and Newsweek, but no Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. We did have TV and movies; there was Tippi Hedren in a French twist hairdo in ‘The Birds’; Ginger, the movie star from ‘Gilligan’s Island’ seemingly always glamorous stranded on a deserted island; Morticia Adam with her long back hair or Audrey Hepburn‘s styles in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s‘, ‘Funny Face’ and ragamuffin to princess in ‘My Fair Lady’. These were my style education, she recalled, adding, “The words style icon sound so big like the Mount Rushmore of fashion; its clothes, accessories, hair, and lipstick. It doesn’t cure cancer or stop war, but making an effort matters. I’ve never related to effortless chic; I work on it. You have to make your way through it. Developing a style doesn’t happen overnight; mistakes are made, but it should be fun and creative. Accessories can transform; they are not always the supporting actress; they are the star!”
 
Prabal Gurung:
On setting social trends: “There is power in this community we take for granted, especially during one of the most challenging times we are living through right now, politically, culturally, and socially, where we don’t know how to have a conversation. It’s in a climate where the support of one immediately means or people assume it’s denouncing someone else’s feelings. In this industry, we are constantly talking about the nuance of things: a half-inch of a skirt or a side-swept hairstyle, for instance. I’m quite surprised and astounded we can’t have a nuanced conversation about what is happening in the world and around us because I believe in community. Our fashion industry is a trend-setting industry; if we can start a trend where we can have these difficult conversations yet not hate each other, where we hear each other out, see each other, and disagree gracefully and unapologetically but also love wholeheartedly, that is a trend that I want to support. I could talk about my brand, but it’s far more important to talk about what is happening now. I hope we have these conversations more and more,” Gurung said in a powerful acceptance speech.
 
Creative director Stuart Vevers:
On Coach legacy and design: “It’s a huge responsibility. Coach is America’s house of leather and has the heritage and the story. It’s what makes Coach the brand that it is and that I can reference to bring it forward hopefully,” he told FashionNetwork.com preshow. He also promised that the newly opened Coach Coffee Shop, designed in conjunction with William Sofield, in Jakarta, would expand into more locations.

“I would collaborate with someone who knows what I don’t. When I started, we started a fragrance business from scratch; I hadn’t worked on fragrance before. It’s about listening to the people who know their stuff but bringing what you know to the table; I like packaging, bottle design, and imagery. In terms of the smell, I rely on people I know to guide me,” he added.
 
Actress Sophie Thatcher:
On Coach: “I have had vintage Coach bags my entire life, and they are a part of me,” she told FashionNetwork.com preshow, bedecked in a custom bustier dress and carrying a Coach bag bearing crystal-covered pretzel. “A hot dog one would be cool, too,” she added.
 
Todd Kahn:
On job reality: “Some jobs alleviate pain and suffering; others focus on pleasure, joy, and beauty. No one truly needs what we create, but they love it because it creates desire and brings joy and happiness into their lives; I’m proud to be part of the industry that does that,” he said while accepting the award.”
 
Designer LaQuan Smith:
On personal style and presenting: “The first jewelry piece that I invested in was an emerald stone piece from Los Angeles-based jeweler Azature,” he told FashionNetwork.com preshow and bedecked Jared diamond strands. “This is a real New York moment; I got in at 5 a.m. this morning, and I feel fab; this is what New York is about, nightlife and glamour, and it’s a real New York moment for Jared Atelier jewelry,” he said to the crowd who were each served diamond stud earrings by the waitstaff.
 
Jared president Claudia Cividino:
On fun facts: “When you fly from New York to California, in between in those 6 hours, you pass 240 of our stores where we have customers who spend $500, $5,000, and even $500,000,” she told the room, adding that Jared parent company Signet Group was among the Responsible Jewellry Council aka RJC founding members in 2005 that now boasts 1,800 members worldwide.
 
Larroudé co-founder Marina Larroude:
On fandom: “I watched everything she acted in or sang; I’m a stalker,” she said of Awkwafina, who was presenting her award, adding, “I DM’d her when I saw her wearing her shoes and that she was a fan of Larroudé.”

Actress and DJ Awkwafina:
On shoes and comedy: “I could run and breakdance in these, which is important when you might be standing on a carpet for 9 hours!” Awkwafina, aka Nora Lum, said of the Larroudé Dolly shoes she was wearing. She joked she was initially thinking of a Bowler hat and bowtie but was advised against it. She asked the noisy part of the room what they were chattering about and the entire audience to finish her words by spouting “Ac,” to which the crowd replied, “Cessories.”
 
Actor Michael Cyril Creighton
On accessories defining a character: “They can be little secrets; no one knows this, but my character Howard Morris on ‘Only Murders in the Building’ wears a pendant engraved with the name of my dead pet cats in every episode that our costume designer Dana had made,” he said. He sported a Dior brooch on his lapel, which he had bought for a previous SAG award.
 
Founder Jasmin Larrian Hekmat:
On ‘pinch me’ moments: “It’s thrilling to be in the same room as design greats Michael Kors, Phillip Lim, and Prabal Gurung; but also I love seeing people wear Cult Gaia pieces and hear them ask, ‘Where is that from?’ ‘Is it a vase?’ ‘Can you wear that?'” she quipped to the room.