Vogue magazine's Editor-at-Large André Leon Talley and Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons came out in full force for a special philanthropic effort.
On June 2, the North Carolina native and some of his A-list pals gathered together for a the 'Celebrating Fashion' dinner at New York's Gotham Hall. The event was held to preserve the work and legacy of groundbreaking African-American photographer Gordon Parks.
Simmons, model Liya Kebede, renowned photographer/filmmaker Bruce Weber and clothing designer Isabel Toledo were honored at the gathering, and even, Vogue's esteemed Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour made an appearance to introduce the honorees.
At the dinner, a Purchase College student was also honored with the first annual Nikon/Gordon Parks Foundation scholarship.
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Russell Simmons Pictures
NEW YORK - MARCH 25: Russell Simmons rallies against New York's Rockefeller drug laws outside Governor David Paterson's office on March 25, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK - MARCH 25: Russell Simmons rallies against New York's Rockefeller drug laws outside Governor David Paterson's office on March 25, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK - MARCH 25: Russell Simmons rallies against New York's Rockefeller drug laws outside Governor David Paterson's office on March 25, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK - MARCH 25: Russell Simmons rallies against New York's Rockefeller drug laws outside Governor David Paterson's office on March 25, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK - MARCH 25: Russell Simmons rallies against New York's Rockefeller drug laws outside Governor David Paterson's office on March 25, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK - MARCH 04: Russell Simmons and Tommy Hilfiger attend the Marky Ramone Rock Scene Collection launch hosted by Paper Magazine at Tommy Hilfiger on March 4, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK - MARCH 04: Russell Simmons and Tommy Hilfiger attend the Marky Ramone Rock Scene Collection launch hosted by Paper Magazine at Tommy Hilfiger on March 4, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)
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WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 22: Russell Simmons (R) arrives at the 17th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation's Academy Award Viewing Party held at the Pacific Design Center on February 22, 2009 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 22: Russell Simmons (R) arrives at the 17th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation's Academy Award Viewing Party held at the Pacific Design Center on February 22, 2009 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 22: Russell Simmons (R) and guest arrives at the 2009 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter held at the Sunset Tower on February 22, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
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The event highlighted the fashion side of Parks' work – with some of Park's photographs being auctioned alongside those of countless other revered fashion photographers like Herb Ritts, Annie Leibovitz, Richard Avedon and Peter Beard.
The photos included stunning recent portraits of President Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle Obama. A print of Parks's 1955 photo "Drugstore Cowboys" netted the highest live auction bid of $20,000.
In total, 'Celebration Fashion' raised $350,000.
Proceeds from the event will go towards preserving over 4,000 prints and 20,000 negatives at the Gordon Parks Foundation's new repository at Purchase College/State University of New York.
Those images will be carefully stored and made available to the public and to schools, museums and communities around the world. However, a spokesperson mandated that the images are still the property of the Gordon Parks Foundation.
