Main Performers | Bruce Oldfield, Janet Street-Porter, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Ruby Wax, HRH Princess Diana - award presenters, Caron Wheeler (Wumni) - vocal |
Set List | Young Contemporary Designer Award Nominees: Nicolas Georgiou, Pamm Hogg, Jigsaw (winner), Monix, Helen Storey, Whistles
Comedy sketch (French and Saunders)
British Classics Award Nominees (French and Saunders): Paul Costelloe, Nicole Farhi (winner), Margaret Howell, Joseph, Arabella Pollen, Edina Ronay
British Accessory Designer Award Nominees (Ruby Wax): Slim Barrett, Manolo Blahnik, Dinny Hall (winner), Emma Hope, Mulberry, Wright and Teague
British Glamour Award Nominees (Janet Street-Porter): Victor Edelstein, Bruce Oldfield, Rifat Ozbek, Antony Price (Winner), Helen Storey, Catherine Walker
British Fashion Photographer Award Nominees (Liz Tilberis, Vogue): Robert Erdmann, Neil Kirk, Nick Knight, Andrew Macpherson, Eammon McCabe (winner), Mike Owen
Designer of the Year Award (sponsored by Clairol) Nominees (Princess Diana): Joe Casely-Hayford, Katharine Hamnett, Rifat Ozbek, Arabella Pollen, Vivienne Westwood, Workers for Freedom - Graham Fraser and Richard Nott (Winner)
Special Lifetime Contribution to Fashion (Bruce Oldfield): Sir Hardy Amies |
Royal Presence | HRH Princess Diana The Princess of Wales |
Performance Notes | This was the very first British Fashion Awards celebrating the contributions of British designers, creatives and models to the international fashion scene and was attended by HRH Princess Diana..
Billed as the largest and most lavish fashion show ever seen in London, the event drew more than 3,000 guests. The awards ceremony saw some interesting fashions, including Vivienne Westwood`s bodysuit with a fig leaf-covered crotch and Katherine Hamnett`s silver-studded, leather G-strings.
HRH Princess Diana wore the iconic Elvis white beaded dress and jacket, hand-embroidered with 28,600 pearl beads, designed by Catherine Walker to attend the event. Bruce Oldfield on behalf of The Princess presented the British Fashion Council Hall of Fame Award to Sir Hardy Amies, longtime couturier to Queen Elizabeth II.
Guests at the event included Yasmin Le Bon (model), Zandra Rhodes (designer), Lucille Lewin (Whistles), Paul Howie (PR), Monica Chong (designer) and Naomi Campbell (model).
The British Fashion awards were held at the Hall on a further three occasions, in 1990, 1996 and 1997.
The event was filmed by Thames Televsion, directed by Nick Bigsby and broadcast on Thames Television on 18 October 1989 at 22:30 (British Film Institute identifier 352895).
Proceeds from the event went to the Commonwealth Society for the Deaf.
Miss Alexandra Loyd, Lieutenant-Commander Patrick Jephson RN and Mr Richard Arbiter were in attendance.
Following the event a reception and dinner was held for 400 people at the Royal College of Art for the winners, international buyers and press, organised by the BFC's Annette Worsley-Taylor. |
Related Archival Material | Programme (RAHE/1/1989/132), Handbill (RAHE/6/1989/8) |