The Fashion Los Angeles Awards’ Sweetest Moments

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Our eighth annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards (FLAs) were held on Sunday night at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The evening honored the top names and innovators across fashion, beauty, entertainment, and more. To take you into the front row, we wanted to share some of the most special moments from speeches throughout the evening. Enjoy! 

Sarah Michelle Gellar, presenting Makeup Artist of the Year to Rachel Goodwin

“For all of us here tonight, we know the job is about so much more than just makeup. And let me say right now, Rachel’s makeup is flawless. We know the endless weeks of travel, leaving your family behind while hopping from country-to-country jet lagged with little to no sleep. It’s these times when your glam squad truly becomes family, as well as therapist, confidante, and hype team. This is what makes me so fortunate to have Rachel by my side. In those quick minutes while she touches up my face she is actually touching up my soul.”

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Rachel Goodwin, accepting Makeup Artist of the Year

“My sons ask me why I’m so fancy all the time. I tell them that that’s my actual job—and they don’t believe me! And then they refuse to brush their hair.”

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Rachel Goodwin

Dani Michelle, presenting Entrepreneur of the Year to Elsa Hosk

“Elsa posted something the other day that I’ll never forget. Ready? ‘Moms are supposed to take care of their kids like we don’t work, and show up to work like we don’t have kids.’ Let that sink in. To me, as a working mom, that hits harder than the famous Barbie quote that won an Oscar. Somehow, Elsa, we did it, and you should feel all the pride for yourself, your family, your vision, and the example you set for female fashion entrepreneurs. You are a force, you are one of a kind, and your influence in the fashion world is undeniable.”

Dani Michelle

Elsa Hosk, accepting Entrepreneur of the Year

“The day we launched, I was on a flight from LA to New York, and I was decked out in this leather trench coat from the first collection. I was so nervous until this encounter changed everything. Sitting next to me was a woman who reminded me so much of my mom. She noticed my coat, leaned over and said, ‘Oh my gosh, where did you get that? It’s fabulous!’ And with nearly tears in my eyes, I proudly told her, ‘This is my brand, Helsa, and it’s launching right now.’ So she immediately bought the coat right there in front of me, and that was the universe telling me that I was on the right path.”

Elsa Hosk

Rachel Zoe, presenting Style Curator to Erin Walsh

“I think that there’s a highlight reel of what people think being a stylist means. That highlight reel looks very glamorous, and recognition, especially like tonight, can be so beautiful and means truthfully everything. But I have to say, being a stylist, what you don’t see is the nights you wake up in a cold panic—like, an absolute panic attack and a cold sweat—thinking about your client’s shoe not going with the look. About the custom gown that you had made, and it’s coming in from Paris the nigh before the Oscars.”

Rachel Zoe

Erin Walsh, accepting Stylist of the Year

“All these years later, my biggest takeaway is this: many people look at fashion and what they wear asa challenge, as a source of discomfort, and disease. It makes them feel they’re not enough, they don’t understand it, it makes them feel bad about themselves, but what I know to be true is the opposite. If you can be brave enough to see all of yourself, even the bits on the outside and the inside that perhaps you’re not so proud of, and then you can learn to let fashion be your superpower and to let your clothes help you tell the story of the legacy that you leave behind. You can learn to curate your life by letting fashion align with your very soul. ”

Erin Walsh, Rachel Zoe

Lisa Rinna, introducing Katie Grand

“Katie was one of the first to identify the unquenched ambition and endless potential that I’ve always known lived inside Amelia Gray Hamlin. Not one did Katie identify those qualities in Amelia, but she championed them—and she opened the doors to opportunities that Amelia has spent a lifetime dreaming about.”

Lisa Rinna

Katie Grand, presenting Model of the Year to Amelia Gray

“I’m so proud of you. There’s not many people that want this, and you’ve really, really wanted it. And you always show up. You’ve shown up for me so many times and you’ve really trusted in me, and we’ve had a real laugh together.”

Katie Grand

Amelia Gray, accepting Model of the Year

“I feel like I need to dedicate this award to my younger self, the girl that never gave up on her dreams, the girl that fought even harder with every ‘No’ that she was told. I can’t believe how strong she was, and I’m really proud of her. It’s really surreal. Nobody really tells you what it feels like when your dreams come true. I’m sure a lot of you in this room experienced that. It’s a lot of gratitude, and a lot of pinch-me moments, but I couldn’t have done any of this on my own.”

Amelia Gray (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Daily Front Row)

Ryan Murphy, presenting Editor of the Year to Maer Roshan

“I’m confused, because I thought my friend Lisa Rinna, who I recently employed on an episode of American Horror Stories called ‘Tapeworm,’ was presenting me with Model of the Year.”

Ryan Murphy

Maer Roshan, accepting Editor of the Year

“I’ve been reading The Daily for over a decade now, hoping to soak in some fabulosity by osmosis. As someone who’s put together a few publications of my own, I appreciate what a harrowing process it can be to keep an indie publication alive in such a punishing media environment. In the past few years, once mighty giants like Gawker, Vice, and Buzzfeed have closed or died—and the fact that The Daily is alive and thriving is a testament to Brandusa’s  [Niro] superhuman drive and imagination—not to mention her good taste.”

Maer Roshan

Jennifer Garner, presenting Hair Stylist of the Year to Adir Abergel

“The trope, as all of you know too well, about the Hollywood hairstylist holding all the starlet’s secrets? True, true, true, true, true. Adir has the most trusted ear in town. If this man could talk, what he would tell you! But it doesn’t stop with the clients. He has too much love for that. Adir knows our children’s inner worlds. He knows our parents. He knows our housekeepers. He and his brilliant, incredible husband Cello live with such bounty in their hearts. As soon as one of them walks in the room—shoulders relaxed, beaming smile—we become our most beautiful selves in his presence. One of Adir’s great roles—and then we’ll pass this off to the man himself, of my dream—is leader. Oh well, there are a couple more: mentor, colleague, businessman. As Adir and I have grown up together, I’ve had the privilege of watching what it looks like to truly have no competition. Not because jobs are infinite—although for Adir, it seems like they are—but because he’s every artist’s biggest fan. He loves and celebrates every makeup artist, every hair colorist, every editor, every stylist, photographer. Other hairstylists! No one loves another hairstylist more than Adir Abergel. Everyone is family. Under Adir’s tutelage, a legion of new hairstylists have cut their teeth—no pun intended—and spread their wings.”

Jennifer Garner

Adir Abergel, accepting Hair Stylist of the Year

“Hair is a powerful tool that can truly tell so many stories. And it can also make you cry when you get a f-cking terrible haircut. Which is very, very true, by the way—we’ve all have that. My career started assisting in a salon in Beverly Hills at the age of 15, working with an amazing man named Arthur Johns, with people like Tina Turner and Julie Christie and Diahann Carroll, these women became my mothers. They were women who raised, me who showed me the beauty. I want to acknowledge the impact that women have had in my life, because truly I am a feminist through and through. I support women, I will fight for women. I love you guys. I have met unforgettable women who have trusted me with their stories, their struggles, their vulnerabilities, but also so many of their celebrations. Each one of them has impacted my life in extraordinary ways.”

Adir Abergel

Carlos Nazario, presenting Designer of the Year to Jerry Lorenzo

“Fashion as we know is a tough business, even for those of us who spend our lifetimes getting to know intimately the inner workings of the industry. It can be intimidating, overwhelming, unpermissive, unfriendly. For someone like myself who grew up a fashion-obsessed Black kid from Queens, there were no examples of designers or executives who looked like us. There was really no one to look up to. I often wondered if success was possible for someone like me, and I think that’s something that was shared by a lot of people from our generation. It’s one of the reasons why Jerry’s triumphed, and one of the reasons that Fear of God is so much bigger than fashion success story. He’s self-taught, self-possessed, and he’s created an instantly recognizable visual language that reaches far beyond borders, boundaries, nationalities, or culture. Jerry’s leading a generation of American designers and thought leaders that are ensuring that people coming after us never have to wonder if they can do it or if success is attainable. Jerry’s not just a designer, he’s a trailblazer. Fear of God is not just a fashion brand, it is a testament to compassion and taking action.”

Carlos Nazario

Jerry Lorenzo, accepting Designer of the Year

“Everything we do comes from love—the love for people to be the best versions of who they can be. And hopefully through our designs that will allow people to walk in a room, and their lights is seen before their outfit is. My parents had their 50th anniversary a couple days ago, so I want to dedicate this to them. My father managed in the big leagues, but all of my life he was a career minor league guy and we were a check-to-check family. He taught me the importance of how to lead and build a team, and even if you have a vision, it’s more important that you have a great team. So I’m super humble to have people like Carlos here, and everyone that works with me. Nothing I do could be done without them. I would say my creativity comes from my mother, whose embodies elegance and humility. Again, growing up we didn’t have much, but through love and elegance our home felt like luxury.”

Jerry Lorenzo

Kris Jenner, presenting Beauty Innovator of the Year to Anastasia Soare

“From the beginning, she was unstoppable and still holds that same fierceness today. Not only did Anastasia put eyebrows on the map and disrupt an entire industry, but she’s continued to push the boundaries. She’s a true changemaker whose influence extends far beyond her iconic products. Anastasia is also a friend like no other. When Anastasia loves you, she loves you really hard. She’s an amazing mom, daughter, sister, girlfriend, and travel buddy. She’s smart, loyal, kind, creative, and the most generous mentor and advisor. She’s always there for what and who she believes in, and her kindness and compassion have had a positive effect on all of us. Anastasia, congratulations on this well-deserved honor. And thank you for showing us what it means to dream big and work hard. I know you will continue to empower women everywhere and to entrepreneurs and future innovators all over the world.”

Kris Jenner

Anastasia Soare, accepting Beauty Innovator of the Year

“Nobody has meant more to me on this journey more than my daughter. As president of our company, she has played a very important role in our innovation to reach a global audience. Claudia was the first one to introduce me to Instagram in 2012, and was the only beauty brand that had a presence. We used to travel and seven days a week. We work seven days a week, and on weekends we used to travel and she couldn’t take it anymore. And one day she came to me and said, ‘Mom, let’s get on this app and maybe we don’t need to travel that much. Then we could post videos and pictures.’ This is how it all started. Instagram. She was the one that really kind of in a way created the influencers. I mean, we used to send products to amazing people, great, talented people that loved makeup, professional and non-professional. And this is how this beautiful community of influencers kind of started in 2012, believe it or not. A commitment to excellence drives us to innovate, and Claudia is an example of this excellence. Nobody works harder than her—I wonder she gets it from. Probably from Kris Jenner! Because she always says that. ‘When I grow up, I want to be like Kris.’ And everybody else here. Last year we celebrated 25 years in business, but I’m just getting started. My focus today is to empower the next generation of innovators. You all are innovators in one way or another. The lesson I’ve learned in business goes beyond beauty. I want to teach people to invest in themselves. I think you have to do that.”

Anastasia Soare

Doja Cat, presenting Music Stylist of the Year to Brett Alan Nelson

“With his sleep-early, work-late lifestyle, he’s managed to cultivate some of the most iconic looks of the decade—and of my career. He’s my voice, my genie, but more Ethan anything, he’s my family. And he’s probably going to start crying in 5…4…3…Brett is currently passing 24 kidney stones…that equals exactly how many awards ceremonies he’s dressed me for, and this is just a testament to how hard he works and how much of a handful I can be. This man will show up to an awards ceremony dressed as Beetlejeuice and still be the cutest meathead in the room. Brett, thank you, and thank you to your beautiful mother for having you and giving me a friend that can help me translate my creative thoughts and teach me things about fashion and myself that I never thought I’d learn. It’s been such an adventure working with you, seeing what you’ve done for my peers and fellow dreamers has inspired other stylists and creatives alike.”

Doja Cat

Brett Alan Nelson, accepting Music Stylist of the Year

“There’s so many people in this room, from Sarah Michelle Gellar to Lisa f-cking Rinna, Rachel Zoe. There’s someone else here that you guys might not know, but her name is Terry Kaye Bronner, who is also Terry Kaye Nelson, which is my mom. I left home when I was 17 because I knew that I could do something so much bigger than I could have in Missouri, and I know that terrified my mom and I would not be standing here today without here. So, thank you, mom.”

Brett Alan Nelson

Law Roach, presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award to Bob Mackie

“I was granted an audience with the king at his LA studio. I spent hours there as he guided me through some of his archives and talked through his inspirations. He told me scandalous stories about some of our favorite divas, which I will never repeat. I wanted to tell him so badly about the moment as a young boy, when I knew I was gay, when I discovered the Time magazine with Cher on the cover wearing a sequined crystal and feather outfit in some of my grandmother’s ancient magazines. But instead, I chose to just ask him, ‘How did you do it all?’ He politely answered, ‘A great team and a few little tricks.’ My most special memory I hold from that day was when Mr. Mackie said to me that my and Zendaya’s relation reminds him of his and Cher’s.”

Law Roach, Bob Mackie

Bob Mackie, accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award

“What an exciting room we’re in tonight. And just don’t stop—just keep doing it. Just keep getting better and better. I don’t think of any of this as fashion, really. Fashion was always boring to me. But that’s why I went into show business. It’s all the same. It makes you happy. When I walked out there tonight through that group in front of the photographers, and I saw some of these people dressed because they wanted to be dressed up, it just made me so happy. We have to keep that up—we can’t stop now!”

Bob Mackie

All images: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Daily Front Row

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