The Center’s Fashion Centered Dinner Honors The LGBTQIA+ and Fashion Communities

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The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center (The Center) opened its doors at the start of Pride Month for its annual Fashion Centered dinner. The event, which celebrates the overlap of the fashion world and LGBTQIA+ communities, honored Michael Kors and Lance LePere with its Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as Peter Speliopoulos and Robert Turner with its Trailblazer Award. The special night also raised over $350,000 for the organization’s various initiatives and goals in the coming year.

During the evening, guests mingled in the Center’s lush green courtyard for cocktail hour. Stylish attendees gushed over each others’ outfits, which ranged from the edgy to the avant-garde—and many of which hailed from the evening’s fashion label partners, including Jean Paul Gaultier, Ferragamo, Supreme, and Theory. Guests also paid a visit to the venue’s famed second-floor bathroom, fully bedecked in original Keith Haring graphics, as well as the evening’s silent auction—which raised additional funds for the Center, as well.

The night’s emphasis on fashion’s role in the LGBTQIA+ community was especially prevalent for Kors, who—along with husband LePere—accepted the event’s empowering Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by longtime friend and muse Bette Midler.

“The truth is, though, that over the years, whenever we think that things are going well, we get reminded that the fight is certainly not over,” Kors said. “There are setbacks that take us by surprise, cruelties that challenge our hope and bring us crushing and crashing back to Earth. Still, no matter what, we get up, we brush ourselves off, and we move forward. That is what this community does, because we know that queer rights are human rights, trans rights are human rights. It is the diversity in the world that makes this such a rich and wonderful world. How is it that we can go as far as we’ve seen ourselves go, and still have so far to go? I know it’s hard to comprehend, but when you look and you think that not only are there still so many places where being queer is difficult, dangerous, life-threatening, which is why it is so important to support and honor the center. Its mission of celebrating all LGBTQ+ people of all ages, honoring what makes them unique, and showing them what they matter is something we can never take for granted.”

During the Center’s stylish dinner, attendees were seated for a range of special remarks—including memorable speeches from co-chair Dorothy Berwin, CEO Dr. Carla Smith, and congresswoman Sarah McBride. The evening culminated with a live auction, as well as a dynamic musical performance by J. Harrison Ghee. The evening’s fashion-forward guest list included Lourdes Leon, Richie Shazam, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Alok Vaid-Menon, Ann Dexter-Jones, Bailey Moon, Brandon Blackwood, Christian Cowan, Dara Allen, Ian Malone, Elizabeth Sulcer, Isaac Boots, Ivy Getty, J. Harrison Ghee, Ladyfag, Lynn Yaeger, Mel Ottenberg, Mickey Boardman, Miss Benny, Nicky Campbell, Patricia Black, Presley Oldham, Sally Singer, Adam Eli, Adam Charlap Hyman, Sarah Hoover, Tefi Pessoa, James Jebbia, Isiah Magsino, Shannon Beveridge, Susanne Bartsch, and more.

All images: Danté Crichlow/BFA.com

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Aaron Royce is the Fashion News Editor at The Daily Front Row, where he covers all things fashion, beauty, and pop culture—both on and off the runway. Before joining The Daily, he was a freelance contributor for Vogue, Marie Claire, InStyle, and more outlets. Previously, he served as Digital Editor at Footwear News, following internships with The Daily Front Row, Paper, Caroline Vazzana, Capitol File, Anchyi Wei, and more. He was born in northern Virginia and lives in Brooklyn, where he spends copious time shoe shopping, reading fashion memoirs, and scrolling through Instagram. (@aaronjdroyce)