Mirror, Mirror: Media's Karen Giberson gets the credit for star-studded ACE Awards

NEW YORK - Attending the Accessories Council's annual ACE Awards - with its bottomless bellinis and butlered caviar hors d'oeuvres - is like spending the evening inside a luxe jewelry box lined with burgundy crushed velvet.

Look, there's designer Carolina Herrera. And did you see Ivanka Trump? Oh, snap - Alexander Wang (I just love his hair). And, clutch my Judith Leiber, there is actress Taraji P. Henson, better known as Cookie Lyon on Fox's hit TV series Empire, clutching a Judith Leiber.

"Ooh, I just love it," Henson squealed as she opened one of the Swarovski crystal-encrusted Leiber minaudières Wang presented to her and Empire costume designer Paolo Nieddu on Monday night on behalf of the council.

"This bag is going with me everywhere," Henson grinned.

Karen Giberson, the council president, nailed the accessory industry's most dreamy night of the year, yet again.

But it wasn't always this way. Insiders give all the credit to Giberson, who lives in Media and commutes a few times a week to New York City, for turning the annual November ode to glamour and handbags into a red-carpet event on par with the Council of Fashion Design Awards and the Met Ball.

This year, 580 attendees - industry professionals and celebrities - went to swank Cipriani for the star-studded gala.

"Each year we make ACE bigger and better," said Giberson, 50, who has served as council president for 10 years. At the gala, Giberson wore a Diane von Furstenberg gown with long sleeves in black lace. (Lacy long sleeves were the look of the evening.) "We strive to keep things fresh and ahead of the curve. But most importantly, we want to recognize our members and keep the excitement going about the industry."

Fashion icon Iris Apfel presented a Legacy Award to Swarovski in an ankle-length duster overrun with orange feathers (something only Apfel can pull off). And Bergdorf Goodman top executive Linda Fargo bestowed an ACE Award for innovation on handbag designer Nancy Gonzalez. Menswear czar John Varvatos snatched up the Designer of the Year Award.

The Accessories Council, a Manhattan nonprofit with more than 300 members, helps accessories designers build their businesses through networking, marketing, and education. Through the ACE Awards, the council raises hundreds of thousands of dollars needed to run day-to-day operations, as well as fund its incubator program, which helps young designers better understand the business of fashion.

"She's done a great job at raising the awareness, [and that's important] because, let's face it, the accessories industry in many ways is the fashion industry," said Frank Zambrelli, council board chairman and CEO of Banfi Zambrelli, which designs accessories for Monique Lhuillier and Calvin Klein.

Accessories generated $54 billion in U.S. sales from November 2014 to now, a $1.5 billion increase compared with sales from November 2013 through 2014.

Giberson, who grew up in Mountain Top, Pa., outside Wilkes-Barre, worked as an assistant buyer during the late 1980s and early '90s before taking a job at QVC, where she eventually became director of accessories.

In the early 1990s, minimalism was big and accessories designers were feeling left out. A handful of companies making accessories came together to lobby for exposure and formed the council.

Giberson joined the new council to find a pool of designers willing to sell wares on TV, a hard sell when home shopping was the antithesis of trendy. Within two years, she was voted in as secretary.

"Even then, Karen had a spark about her," said Joel Pinsky, an early founder of the Accessories Council who ran a company that manufactured belts.

In 2005, Giberson quit the QVC gig and became the council's first full-time president. Her first order of business was to reach out to Swarovski so ACE Award winners could take home an actual award.

Giberson is credited with keeping the council relevant during the recession of 2008 and 2009. She invited bloggers and journalists to check out the industry's newest items through social media. Also, under her leadership, the council has tried to help designers make their accessories in America.

One of her biggest achievements has been bringing a celebrity air to the gala festivities. Giberson has a knack for recognizing who the people of the moment are, and for being just ahead of the zeitgeist to pique tastemakers' interest.

During her first year as president, she picked Sean "Diddy" Combs as an ACE Influencer, and in 2009 - well before the famous meat suit - Lady Gaga won a Stylemaker ACE Award. Kanye West was named Stylemaker in 2010.

And, this year, it was sublime that Nieddu and Henson were crowned Influencer of the Year. After all, animal-print accessories' huge comeback can be traced to Cookie Lyon.

"I think Karen has made the ACE Awards a fabulous event," said Marylou Luther, creative director of Fashion Group International and the journalist for whom an ACE Award is named.

"The caliber of winners has vastly improved since Karen has taken over, and the whole evening has risen to a level of importance."

ewellington@phillynews.com

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