Much-Deserved Kudos

The fashion industry honours two well-deserving individuals this month.

First, on January 23, Valentino received the Grand Medaille de Vermeil de la Ville de Paris, the equivalent to making him an honorary citizen of the French capital. According to FashionWireDaily.com, the city’s mayor, Bertrand Delanoe, pinned the great honour on the couturier during his final, emotionally-charged runway show. Previous winners of the award include the great fashion illustrator Erte, designer Gianni Versace, actress Maggie Cheung, and Nobel Prize winning scientist Linus Pauling. The honour comes as a finale to an event-filled year for Valentino: his namesake company, the Valentino Fashion Group, was taken over by equity fund Permira, valued at $380 million USD. Shortly afterward, Valentino celebrated his 45th anniversary in Rome, and in September, announced his retirement.

Later this month, on January 31, to mark the beginning of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld will be honoured for her philanthrophy by the American Foundation for AIDS research (amfAR). The editor will receive her accolade at the annual New York gala, which will be co-chaired by such fashion insiders as Kenneth Cole, Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Sharon Stone, and Natasha Richardson. Other recipients will include Julian Schnabel and Bobby Shriver, the chairman of Product (RED).