Bailey Wins BFC Designer of the Year Award

Two months after bringing Burberry back to the London catwalk, the house’s creative boss Christopher Bailey has won the U.K.’s top fashion award, the British Fashion Council’s prize of Designer of the Year.

Victoria Beckham presented Bailey with the award late Wednesday night in London at a gala dinner for the 2009 British Fashion Awards in the Royal Courts of Justice.

Also nabbing a hefty prize was Kate Moss, who snagged the recently invented London 25 Award, created as this past September season in London marked the 25th anniversary of fashion week in the U.K. capital. Unlike most of the other awards at this event, which are voted on by committee of distinguished editors, critics and buyers, the London 25 Award is decided entirely by public vote, testifying to the immense popularity of Britain’s most famous model.

London 25 was designed to recognize an individual who embodies the spirit of London and is an international ambassador for the capital’s fashion industry.

The Model of the Year prize went to Georgia Jagger, daughter of rock star Mick, who beat out two other youthful “rocker” models - Daisy Lowe, daughter of guitarist Gavin Rossdale, and Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley, former girlfriend of Ronnie Wood's son, Tyrone – for the prize. The current face of Hudson Jeans and the new star of Versace’s Spring 2010 ad campaign, Georgia Jagger is 17.

The evening represented a double whammy for Burberry, which also nabbed the Designer Brand award.

"I am extremely pleased to announce that the Burberry Prorsum women’s wear show will stay in London again this season and will be held during London Fashion Week in February,” Bailey told the audience to cheers. The news was something of a surprise, as it had been widely assumed Burberry would revert to its long-time strategy of staging its top collection Prorsum, which means forwards in Latin, in Milan. The U.K. brand’s next catwalk outing will be in January when it stages its men’s collection in Milan during the next Italian menswear season.

“London is our home and our global headquarters and we are thrilled to be showing again in this, our magnificent and creative city,” added Bailey, whose title is chief creative officer.

The prize of British Collection of the Year went to Christopher Kane, the Scottish-born talent whose night jobs include designing a special range for mass retailer Topshop, and developing the edgier more youthful Versus second label for Donatella Versace in Milan.

Grace Coddington of American Vogue collected the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator. The redhead, former model and, latterly, New York based fashion editor was seen at great length in “The September Issue,” this year’s acclaimed documentary on life inside U.S. Vogue.

In another returning hero moment, John Galliano received the award for Outstanding Achievement in Fashion Design in recognition for his unique career from his famed graduate collection in London, through to his internationally recognized runway success at Paris couture houses Givenchy and Christian Dior, and his own epic-making signature collections.

Katie Hillier, who has worked with Marc by Marc Jacobs, Luella and House of Holland, won the Accessory Designer award. Hillier launched the first piece of her own line earlier this year, the Hillier bunny, selling the look to Europe’s two hippest boutiques - Dover Street Market in London and Colette in Paris.

The Swarovski Emerging Talent Awards for Ready-to-Wear and Accessories went to Peter Pilotto and Holly Fulton respectively. The Austria-based crystal maker Swarovski is the key sponsor of the U.K. fashion awards.

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