New York, October 22, 2009 – Fashion Group International’s annual Night of Stars gala lived up to its title, as usual, with a bevy of A-listers from the worlds of fashion and Hollywood at the awards dinner, this year honoring "The Storytellers."

Gwen Stefani, Michael Stipe and Jon Bon Jovi were among those who presented awards to fashion luminaries like Kenneth Cole, Diesel’s Renzo Ross and Coty’s Catherine Walsh.  Dita Von Teese wore a glittering hat designed by Stephen Jones, one of the evening’s honorees.  Mary J. Blige and James Franco presented Gucci’s Frida Giannini with an award.  Blige gushed that Giannini had accompanied her earlier that day when she opened her first Mary J. Blige Center for Women in her hometown of Yonkers, NY. 

Legendary Oscar de la Renta received the Superstar award from Vogue’s Grace Coddington and Hamish Bowles, and the Bravo channel was honored as a “fashion oracle.” 

Also floating around Cipriani Wall Street at the gala were Iman, Evan Rachel Wood, Vera Wang, Tommy Hilfiger, Emmy Rossum, Michael Kors and Eva Mendes, who stopped by briefly on her way to the National Design Awards uptown.

With Caroline Torem Craig

New York, October 19, 2009 – Donatella Versace sponsored the Whitney Gala for the second year in a row, and we absolutely swooned when she walked in with Jet Li as her date!  Is there a more fabulous couple?  Li explained that the two found common ground while working to aid victims of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan, China.  “So this time we asked [hundreds of] children to draw a picture, and Versace put the pictures on bags and sells them, and the money comes back to Sichuan to help the children again,” LI explained.  “So we have a long relationship in helping people.”

But the fashion queen and movie king were but two of the A-list names at the gala.  Jennifer Hudson sang for a crowd that included Shakira, Gerard Butler, Mischa Barton, Chuck Close, Jeff Koons and Ellsworth Kelly.  A dance party followed the dinner - Taylor Momsen took a turn in the DJ booth – and as the evening wore on, the guest list swelled. 

Lindsay Lohan swooped in, and spent ten chaotic minutes marching back and forth across the museum lobby, trying to figure out where to check her coat and how to get downstairs to the party on the lower level.  Late in the evening, we realized that the mustachioed gentleman standing near us was none other than 007 himself, Daniel Craig. 

With Luisa Johns

New York, October 19, 2009 – Rag & Bone opened their third New York shop, at 119 Mercer Street in Soho, with a party on Monday.  The label’s designers Marcus Wainwright and David Neville hosted a gang of fashion types like GQ’s Jim Nelson and Jim Moore, as well as friends like Sienna Miller, who knows the guys from way back and has attended their runway shows.  Miller is staying in New York at this time, rehearsing for her Broadway run in After Miss Julie, which opens this week.

Photo: Caroline Torem Craig

New York, October 10, 2009 – Pedro Almodovar’s film Broken Embraces closed the New York Film Festival on Sunday, but Paper magazine celebrated a day in advance, feting the Spanish director and his star Penelope Cruz at a star-studded dinner Saturday evening at the new eatery Casa Lever. 

None other than Madonna popped in at the party, unannounced.  Fashion designers Isabel and Ruben Toledo, Cynthia Rowley, Catherine Malandrino, Jeremy Scott and ThreeAsFour’s Gabi, Ange and Adi joined Paper’s Kim Hastreiter and David Hershkovitz at the bash.  Debbie Harry, Beth Ditto, Joey Arias, Alison Pill, Jeffrey Deitch, Kenny Scharf and Albert Maysles all sang Happy Birthday to Paper mag’s beloved Mickey Boardman.

Photos: Caroline Torem Craig

New York, October 7, 2009 – The fall cultural season is heating up.  The American Ballet Theater opened its fall season on Wednesday with live performances followed by a dinner dance at Avery Fisher Hall. Longtime ABT suppoerters Veronica Webb and Iman served as honorary gala chairs, and along with New York’s social and power elite, a smattering of Hollywood types took in the ballet.   Actresses Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis and musician Rufus Wainwright attended, and 23-year-old Emmy Rossum went public with her romance with 45-year-old Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz. Go figure.

Photos: Caroline Torem Craig

New York, October 3, 2009 – Sundance favorite Precious has been making the film festival rounds, and perhaps there was some extra emotion at this week’s New York Film Festival screening – the story is set in New York City, which is hometown to director Lee Daniels and breakout star Gabourey Sidibe.  Many of the actors that Daniels cast, including Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz and Sherri Shepherd, call NYC home, too. 

Daniels told us that all the acclaim hasn’t sunk in.  “I still keep thinking that somebody’s going to wake me up and tell me that it’s not for real.  I think they’re going to wake me up and say it’s going to video.  Like, that’s been my luck,” the director said.

Boldface New Yorkers like Robert De Niro, Mary J. Blige, Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi and Jane Fonda came out to get a first look at Precious, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. 

After the screening, everybody headed over to the Oak Room for a 42 Below-sponsored party.  Mariah sat happily with hubby Nick Cannon, and we spotted Queen Latifah late in the evening. 

Photos: Joy E. Scheller

Atlantic City, NJ, October 3, 2009 – Mario Lopez turns 36 this week, and he celebrated over the weekend at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa with a cake curiously topped with a photograph of the shirtless birthday boy flaunting his ripped abs.  Gives new meaning to the word “beefcake,” doesn’t it? 

During the festivities, the former Dancing with the Stars contestant kept his shirt on, so only his new lady friend, Courtney Mazza, got to see the famous six pack in the flesh.  She sang “Happy Birthday” to him during dinner at Izakaya, and later the twosome whispered and laughed together at club mur.mur.  Once DJ Samanth Ronson hit the turntables, the couple hit the dance floor.