Guests were greeted by a starlit view of the East River and the smell of freshly cut fall flowers at the CFDA’s cocktail reception last night. Held at the home of Kenneth Cole, it’s a longstanding tradition that new members be pinned with an orchid for the occasion, and this year the floral arrangements came courtesy of Maria Cuomo Cole, the designer’s wife. “I’ve been a card-carrying member for eighteen years and a lot has changed since I started,” said Cole. “And though we might be adding 30 members today, it’s still very a tight-knit and exclusive club,” added Diane von Furstenberg.
As newbies like Veronica Miele Beard and Veronica Swanson Beard, Liya Kebede, and Danielle Sherman of Edun raised their glasses, it was a celebratory trip down memory lane for many of the other designers in the room. “I look back now and I can’t believe how much I’ve learned, although it does feel like it was all just yesterday,” said**Jennifer Fisher,** who was in last year’s new member lineup. “With the support that you get it’s like becoming part of a bigger fashion family.” With acoustic performances by the likes of Ben Taylor and Grammy-nominated artist John Forté, a personal friend of Cole’s, who played to a crowd that includedAshley Olsen and Francisco Costa of Calvin Klein Collection, it really was an intimate family affair.