Jonathan Simkhai, Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger Honored in Dallas
DALLAS — “I love the energy here, and y’all know how to bring the glam,” Jonathan Simkhai said Friday after accepting the Fashion Excellence award from the Dallas chapter of Fashion Group International.
But it was the designer himself who dazzled, sending 28 intricately beaded and embroidered looks down the runway, including lavish Met Gala creations worn last year by Mindy Kaling and in 2021 by Barbie Ferrera.
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“They’re some of the most elaborate pieces from the last 15 years,” the designer told WWD. “My grandfather had a lace and embroidery mill in Tehran in the ’70s, so I’ve always loved lace, embroidery and really beautiful workmanship and craftsmanship.”
Simkhai’s show served as finale for the nonprofit’s annual Night of Stars presentation.
Held at the Ritz-Carlton to fund scholarships for regional fashion and merchandising students, the soiree attracted 250 people, including honorees Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger, interior designer Martin Lawrence Bullard and illustrator Donald Robertson.
Moda Operandi chief merchandising and marketing officer April Hennig, who worked for Simkhai for six years, presented him with the angular crystal trophy.
“Jonathan is not only an extraordinary designer, he’s a visionary, an innovator, and, to me, a very dear friend,” Hennig said.
In addition to his thriving wholesale business, Simkhai has four monobrand stores — Beverly Hills, Dallas, New York and Southampton, N.Y. — and is evaluating other markets for potential openings. They include Palm Beach, Miami, Aventura and Bal Harbour in Florida; Houston, and a seasonal shop in Nantucket, Mass.
“We are always trying to grow,” he told WWD, noting that footwear has exceeded expectations since its 2021 launch and he’s considering adding beauty or fragrance.
FGI global president Maryanne Gris credited accessories honoree Ocleppo Hilfiger with creating “a world where talent, beauty, love, meaning and grace live together.”
Bullard, who stepped in to present the award to Ocleppo because artist Ashley Longshore had fallen ill with the flu, called her “one of the most extraordinary women this planet has ever seen.”
The creative director for Judith Leiber as well as her namesake label, Ocleppo Hilfiger said it was “almost surreal” to accept the award in the same city where her fashion journey started in the Eighties when she began modeling while studying at Southern Methodist University.
“I am so grateful for you to be here tonight,” she told the crowd. “This is a tough grind, and I think it’s so important to support our up-and-coming and emerging artists.”
Ocleppo Hilfiger is best known for shoes and handbags, which is where she started, but those licenses are ending this season, she told WWD.
“I just have to find the right partners for that,” she said.
Meanwhile, she is launching a home collection called Mrs. H on QVC on Nov. 26 and working on new collaborations for Judith Leiber.
Bullard, who has designed homes for Cher, Elton John, Ru Paul and others, received his award for Excellence in Interior Design from Tommy Hilfiger.
“Your creativity turns every project into a dream of a place to live,” Hilfiger said. “Dee and I have been fortunate enough to experience your work first hand with many of our homes.…You are outstanding, you are a superstar, but what I love ab out you is that you are funny, fun, humble and loving. You are family.”
Working with “all of these unbelievable talents,” Bullard said, was “a dream come true.”
Honored for Innovation in Art, Dallas-based Donald Robertson has served as creative director for top fashion magazines, collaborated with major beauty and fashion brands and published two books of his whimsical work. His Instagram handle, Drawbertson, has 227,000 followers.
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