Oct. 17, 2013 9:45 p.m. ET
At first, when Sigourney Weaver replied, "Hurry up," to the question of what words immediately come to mind when she thinks of Hillary Clinton, we thought she meant that in a literal way.
Mrs. Clinton was expected at Spring Studios downtown Wednesday evening to receive the first-ever Michael Kors Award for Outstanding Community Service at the God's Love We Deliver Golden Heart Awards ceremony. Unlike Ms. Weaver, Mrs. Clinton wouldn't be walking the red carpet. As cocktails and arrivals were winding down, the former first lady and Secretary of State was nowhere in sight.
But then Ms. Weaver quickly followed up her "Hurry up," with "Run!," as in run for president. "Please save us from this Congress! They just need someone to kick their as—s and I think Hillary can do it," said the actress who recently played a Hillary Clinton-like character on TV in "Political Animals."
The gridlock in Washington, now cleared, came up frequently during this fun, glamorous evening, usually in the context of a contrast with God's Love We Deliver, the New York metro area organization that delivers meals and nutrition counseling into the homes of people living with severe illnesses.
Mrs. Clinton, wearing, naturally, a pantsuit (this one by Michael Kors), walked into the hall a few minutes after most of the 700 guests were digging into their salads, and her entrance elicited a round of applause. She sat between Mr. Kors and Anna Wintour, two co-chairs of the evening, and directly across from Bette Midler.
Ms. Midler took the stage to welcome the audience as an instrumental version of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" played. She sang a few bars of the song, and, after whipping out a pair of glasses, said "I am old and I don't give a [expletive]." She then purred "But I look good," stretching out the o's and striking a diva pose. She gave props to God's Love for the hands-on work it does "with two things that seem to have gone missing in our Congress—kindness and respect" to much applause.
The Divine Miss M was also wearing Michael Kors, as were many of the boldface names in attendance: Jennifer Hudson, Hilary Swank, Olivia Munn, Karlie Kloss, Blaine Trump, who helped found the organization, and Aerin Lauder, the recipient of the Golden Heart Award for Lifetime Achievement, which was presented by Iman, another co-chair. Julianna Margulies, from "The Good Wife," wore a striking white Michael Kors suit.
"Wonder Woman" Lynda Carter was a notable exception, wearing a bold bright Etro jacket and busily snapping pictures with her phone of the photographers who were snapping pictures of her on the red carpet. She said she planned to upload the pictures of the paparazzi on Twitter. Legendary and legendarily dapper NBA coach Pat Riley wore "vintage Armani" from the '80s and expressed admiration for today's players dressing better but disdain for their "suit jackets that look like they're 10 sizes too small."
Mrs. Clinton, in her acceptance speech, praised God's Love and said what the program represents is part of the American spirit of volunteering and helping others in need.
"It's a good contrast after the preceding days of gridlock and argumentation to come here tonight and think about what this evening and what this organization means," she said.
She did squeeze in some fun with the audience. "It's great being introduced by two of my fellow fashion icons," she said referring to Mr. Kors and Ms. Wintour and poking fun at herself. "I'm also delighted to be anywhere with Bette Midler."
Although the dress code was dress "festive," not too many attendees took that to their golden hearts. On the red carpet, Mr. Kors said he was being festive by wearing a tie and a white shirt with his suit, versus his trademark T-shirt. And no socks. He lifted up his pant leg to show some ankle. "Socks aren't my friend," he said with a big smile.
The designer, who last year donated a whopping $5 million to help renovate and expand the organization's building and who earlier in the day held a series of fundraising and awareness promotions in honor of World Food Day, said, in his remarks, "I know that I speak on behalf of everyone here when I say that Hillary Clinton is an inspiration. She has provided a voice for people around the world who would otherwise never be heard." He called her "true symbol of hope" for many people the world over. "Her community is the world."
Other award recipients, for volunteerism, were Jeff Gates and Mike Moran. The evening raised more than $3 million, making it, organizers said, the most successful event in the organization's history.
Write to Ray A. Smith at ray.smith@wsj.com
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