Fashion insider Freddie Leiba (left) receives the OCEAN Style Icon award from the lifestyle mag’s editor-in-chiefDouglas Gordon. (PHOTOS: ACEION CUNNINGHAM)

Lifestyle, Local Lifestyle, Style, Style Observer, Tuesday Style

October 31, 2014

On The Honour Roll

When one is a constant standby for Donna Karan behind the scenes at her New York Fashion Week collections, is the preferred stylist for Elizabeth Hurley who also calls you a lifelong friend, and has Janet Jackson telephoning with best wishes, it’s not quite a stretch to affix the labels “well-connected” and “accomplished”.

The Trinidad-born, Gotham-resident stylist par excellence Freddie Leiba was a most deserving recipient of the OCEAN Style Icon Award. Leiba was feted at a celebratory dinner last weekend at the Iberostar Rose Hall Resort and Spa’s surf and turf-themed Galleon Restaurant.

Humble, soft-spoken, and engaging in a Caribbean-meets-metropolitan sophisticated manner, Leiba was joined by friends, celebrity fashion designer Angel Sanchez and former ESSENCE editor-in-chief and fashion journalist Constance White, Hollywood actors Mekhi Phifer and Flex Alexander, former NBA stars John Salley and Julius Erving, for an all-white dress code dinner that featured a seafood-centric menu of crab nippers and mussel entrées, lobster bisque and classic surf and turf — buttered lobster tail and tender grilled filet mignon.

For Leiba, who shaped an enviable career as an in-demand stylist working with Beyoncé, Diana Ross, Johnny Depp, Naomi Campbell, Gwen Stefani and Madonna, and the go-to man for respected publications Vanity Fair, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and In Style, being acknowledged by his Caribbean people, and Trinidadian countryman and OCEAN Style editor-in-chief Douglas Gordon meant the world to him.

“This is truly an honour,” a visibly touched Leiba remarked after being presented with the award by Gordon.

The dinner party then watched, alongside the honoree, a montage of video-recorded congratulatory messages from American fashion designing icon Donna Karan, actress Elizabeth Hurley, opera singer Renée Fleming, boutique hotelier Ian Schrager, and pop superstar Janet Jackson, who all paid tribute to Leiba’s artistic brilliance, on-point work ethic, and gentle spirit.

— Omar Tomlinson

(PHOTOS: ACEION CUNNINGHAM)

The Pierre Hardy shoes wornby fashion designer AngelSanchez — a couturier ofchoice for A-listers Beyoncé,Sandra Bullock and EvaLongoria — caught our eye.

OCEAN Style iconawardee Freddie Leiba(second right) getsin-between the pagesof a recent StyleObserver profile thatfeatured hisaccomplished workwith (from left) withJamaica ObserverSenior Associate Editorand previous OCEANStyle awardee NoviaMcDonald-Whyte,former ESSENCE editorand fashion journalistConstance White andfashion designer AngelSanchez.

The Trinidad-born, New York-residing Leiba addresses the dinner party after receivinghis Icon Award.

Rock designer AngelieMartin-Spencer lookingoh-so-fab in drennaLUNA.

The menu for the tribute wasseafood-centric with suchcourses as Caribbean lobsterbisque and classic surf and turf.

Iberostar Rose Hall Resort and Spa general manager Phillip Hofer (second right)welcomed the Secrets Resorts management team of (from left) general manager DerykMeany, rooms director Oscar Ramirez, entertainment director Hans Brouwer, generalmanager Emilio Huhn, director of engineering Alfonso Elizondo, and WE Constructiongeneral manager Israel Carmit.

From left: Secrets Resorts general manager Deryk Meany, Secrets Resorts general managerEmilio Huhn, WE Construction general manager Israel Carmit, Secrets Resorts director ofentertainment Hans Brouwer, Secrets Resorts executive administrative assistant Dawn Chin,Secrets Resorts executive officer manager Caulette Mornan, Secrets Resorts rooms directorOscar Ramirez, and Secrets Resorts engineering director Alfonso Elizondo.

After receivingthe OCEANStyle Iconaward,honoreeFreddie Leibashared asnapshot with(from secondleft) NoviaMcDonald-Whyte, AngelSanchez andConstanceWhite.

Crab nippers, lobster, shrimp and mussel.Tender grilled filet mignon with buttered lobster tail.

From left: Brand manager Ornella Schneider, costume designer Keisha Als,attorney-at-law Denrick Cooper, OCEAN Style icon awardee Freddie Leiba,fashion journalist Constance White, fashion designer Angel Sanchez andJamaica Observer senior associate editor Novia McDonald-Whyte.

From left: Consumer Brands exec Simon Casserly, Kerry Ann Casserly, Royalton White Sandsresident manager Alexander Arias, Giovanni Davis, Stacye Ingram, sales and marketing directorat Royalton White Sands, and Andre Hudson.

On The Honour Roll

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