Cipriani Wall Street was packed with some of the industry’s biggest talents for the Fashion Group International’s 26th annual Night of Stars on Thursday night. The non-profit organization’s annual event celebrates outstanding individuals in the worlds of fashion, architecture, beauty, corporate leadership, entertainment and humanitarian efforts.

Host Simon Doonan embraced the evening’s “Storytellers” theme, opening the program with a rundown of the evening’s honorees by means of a comic tale that involved all of them helping Oscar de la Renta open a fictional Parisian strip club called Le Sexy J’Adore. De la Renta later accepted the Super Star Award from Vogue’s Grace Coddington and Hamish Bowles. Oscar brought his family, including Eliza Bolen and his son, Moises, along for the moment saying, “I am lucky because I have been given the opportunity to do what I love most, which is designing clothes and designing for women the best that I can. This is an extraordinary industry,” he said from the podium. Offstage, he said, “We have to do everything we can to live life the very best we can—that way we can always love and laugh.”

“I hate doing this. This is like my hell,” said Gwen Stefani (in her own design) as she introduced Beauty Award winner Catherine Walsh. “I don’t want to say a lot because I’m about to throw up now.” The former No Doubt star kept to wearing her trademark black, but with her pale skin, pink lipstick, strong black eye liner and tousled wavy hair, she looked nothing like her usual self.

Mary J. Blige (in Gucci) was there to give payback to fashion award winner Frida Giannini of Gucci. “Frida came with me today to open the first Mary J. Blige Center for Women in Yonkers, N.Y.,” she said. “She came with me to my hometown. It was really emotional. I cried.”

Dita Von Teese, wearing a vintage gown from Vintageous.com with a Stephen Jones “Snowflake Pearls” headpiece was thrilled to be able to present to milliner Stephen Jones with an award. “I can’t believe they are going to let me speak. They never let me do that,” said the burlesque dancer, before bestowing upon Jones a crown of his own design. “I was getting an award, so I didn’t have many choices,” he explained later. “A tiara is a bit feminine.”

Iman (in Michael Kors) could have easily picked up “crowd favorite” for her speech introducing fashion award winner Michael Kors, which had everyone in stitches. “Thank you, Vera Wang, Tommy Hilfiger, Oscar de la Renta and all the other designers who told me, ‘Oh my god, you look more beautiful and younger than ever.’ But ladies, don’t kid—getting older is a bitch,” she said. Happily for her, “[Kors'] stories speak to a jet-set lifestyle where everyone is sun-kissed—check—superchic—check, check—and full of confidence—triple check,” she said, to much laughter.

The extensive guest list included a who’s who of fashion and Hollywood including Evan Rachel Wood, Emmy Rossum (in Donna Karan), Eva Mendes (in Calvin Klein), Michael Stipe, James Franco and the woman to whom Stefani was presenting, Coty’s Catherine Walsh. The parade of celebrities was there to help dole out prizes to their fashion-designer pals. “I’m here for my friend,” said Jon Bon Jovi before presenting the Humanitarian Award to Kenneth Cole, with whom he is opening an affordable housing complex in Newark, N.J., on Dec. 9. “It’s great to be able to be here for him.