Mourning and celebration mingle at the Fashion Awards in London

London

IT WAS bitingly cold in London on the evening of the Fashion Awards, Britain's glitziest annual style event, and on the red carpet, model Jourdan Dunn snuggled into makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury for warmth.

"Have you seen Maria Sharapova," a producer barked, clipboard in hand. "Where is Sharapova?"

The retired Russian tennis star arrived a few moments later in a dress created from recycled water bottles, a collaboration between Iris van Herpen and Evian.

Inside, Rick Owens, svelte in black, posed with model Adriana Lima, in plunging white. Tommy Hilfiger, who was there to receive the Outstanding Achievement Award, sat close to Kris Jenner, wrapped in a satin shawl in the red, navy and white colors of Hilfiger's brand's logo.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, in a Boss suit, sat between Anna Wintour and Edward Enninful, the editor-in-chief of British Vogue and European editorial director of Condé Nast.

"Oh my God, that's John!" said designer Henry Holland, pointing to John Galliano, on Wintour's right. Next to Enninful was musician Dua Lipa, in sombre black.

"I love Dua Lipa. She's the best Londoner - don't tell Adele. Future Nostalgia got me through the pandemic," Khan said, referring to the title of Dua Lipa's album. He was feeling buoyant. Gesturing to the throng of sequins, frills and tuxedos, he declared: "This shows that London's back."

The jubilation had a frenetic air; the mood of a last party, a final blowout, with a fearful mania beneath the fun.

It was a reflection of the emergence of the Omicron coronavirus variant and the possibility of another lockdown, and on the news, received the day before the event, that designer Virgil Abloh had died at 41.

He was a lingering presence in the room, with almost every winner paying homage to him.

"Virgil told me that he didn't go a day in high school without wearing my clothes," Tommy Hilfiger said in his speech, just after a mini catwalk show of models, who lip-synced and strutted to hits including Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones and Naughty by Nature's O.P.P. Actor Idris Elba read Maya Angelou's poem "When Great Trees Fall" in Abloh's honour.

Later, Enninful read a quotation by the designer from a manifesto given out at Abloh's spring 2021 show for Louis Vuitton: "'As a Black man in a French luxury house, I am well aware of my responsibilities. Rather than preaching about it, I hope to lead by example, and unlock the door for future generations. I believe in making my mark with poise, style and grace.'"

The words offered a rare moment of self-effacement in an evening rich with posturing that twisted and turned, uniting not just the great and good of the fashion industry, but also often disparate characters that even the strangest dinner party dream couldn't summon.

There was actress Demi Moore, striding in with Olympic diver Tom Daley to present the award for Designer of the Year to Kim Jones; former Manchester United player Patrice Evra presenting an award to former GQ editor Dylan Jones for Culture Commentary; and Kylie Minogue, performing a special rendition of her hit song Slow in bespoke Richard Quinn, while surrounded by dancers in full face-covering floral bodysuits.

The evening's host, Billy Porter, used wit to puncture the pomposity, welcoming "the old, the young and the old who have made their faces young".

Between several outfit changes, he quipped: "I really didn't think I was going to make it, but luckily I got a job as a truck driver and they let me in." It was a reference to Britain's supply-chain issues and the fallout of Brexit, another of fashion's many headaches.

The award categories, in the past simple and to the point (Best Womenswear Designer, Best Menswear Designer, Best Model), had been expanded to include looser, and more grandiose, themes, including "Leaders of Change", an accolade given to 15 industry figures under three different categories: "Creativity", "Environment", and "People".

An absent Alessandro Michele, the creative director of Gucci, was the winner of the Trailblazer Award, presented and accepted on his behalf by activist Sinead Burke, in pink feathers.

"I am physically disabled, I have dwarfism," she said when she introduced herself, noting that the award was dedicated to those who "move hearts and minds".

She praised Gucci for its work in supporting LGBTQ rights and the rights of the disabled. Michele, she said, has made a corner of the world "where people feel safe to be themselves".

Other winners included the up-and-comer Nensi Dojaka, who was given the BFC Foundation Award, stylist Ib Kamara (also absent), who won the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator, and Simone Rocha, who took home the Best Independent British Brand title and whose label recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary.

The pandemic has been tough, she said, especially for those without a big group behind them and with a small, young team.

"It's humbled a lot of people on a lot of different levels. It's humanised the industry, and taken away a bit of the gloss and the sheen," she said. "Anybody who shows, I respect them. Anyone who managed to keep going."

Later, dancer and Internet phenomenon Lil Buck moonwalked and glided his way around the grand hall. His performance was apparently part of honouring Chanel for its contribution to art and culture. "Chanel: Creating the conditions for artists to dare", announced the giant screens behind Lil Buck, before being replaced, inexplicably, by a quotation often attributed to Mother Teresa.

"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples," it read, though most guests seemed primarily focused on the fancy footwork (also footwear).

Even Wintour craned her neck to watch the slides and twists. When Lil Buck finished, she broke into one of her few claps of the evening. NYTIMES