Elizabeth Hurley, fashion -icons and other Hollywood stars gathered on Monday evening in Lincoln Center to pay tribute to Leonard A. Lauder, the Estee Lauder Visionary who died on June 14 at the age of 92.
The monument entitled Leonard A. Lauder: A Celebration of Life & Legacywas held in the David H. Koch Theater and pulled a crowd littered with stars that reflected the far -reaching influence of the Mogul.
Among those present were designers Michael Kors, Vera Wang, Tory Burch, Donna Karan, Tommy Hilfiger and Diane von Furstenberg, together with models Elizabeth Hurley, Karlie Kloss, Paulina Porizkova and Carolyn Murphy.
Disney CEO Bob Iger and actress Candice Bergen were also present in honor of Lauder’s Legacy.
Hurley, who was personally chosen by Lauder to represent Estee Lauder early in her career, shared genuine memories of the man she has credited to changing her life.
“He chose me personally to be the new face of Estee Lauder, and I was just an actress,” said Hurley, 60.
“I had never modeled a day in my life, and I was only 29 … that in 1995 a model that was considered age far beyond her sales-it date. So he took a great risk. And that was typical for the Leonard that I grew to know and love.”
The actress and the model remembered the generosity of Lauder and relying support through both highlights and lows.
“He was beautiful, but more than he was one of the friendliest and most loyal people I have ever met,” she said, adding that he was “always the first person to take the phone to call me.”
Hurley became emotional when she described the presence of the businessman at her wedding in India in India, reminded that he danced joyfully in a pink turban and charming her friends while he ‘held the court’ with his characteristic charisma.
She also told how he once designed a Lauder lipstick to close with the ‘thunk of an expensive car door closing’, a reflection of his unique genius and his drive to make even the smallest details extraordinary.
“For a very male man, he certainly knew his onions when it came to what women wanted in their bathrooms,” Hurley said with a smile.
She closed her tribute in a tearful tone and quoted Romeo and Juliet as she remembered his warmth and kindness.
“Leonard was not a friend of an honest weather,” she added. “I’m going to miss that big smile from him and those enormous vast arms.”
The evening was not only a farewell, but also a celebration of Lauder’s lasting impact on beauty, fashion and the people whose life he touched.
