A VIEW FROM THE TOP: Oscar de la Renta appreciates a good view. On Wednesday, the designer accepted the first-ever Biella: The Art of Excellence Award at a party hosted by Esquire, the Italian Trade Commission and Italian region of Biella on the airy 44th floor of the Hearst Tower, where guests enjoyed a sun-drenched view of Central Park and the Hudson River. After Esquire publisher Kevin O'Malley gushed like a docent about the towers eco-friendly features and Lord Norman Foster design, de la Renta referred to the tower as a "spectacular place" and added there was double meaning to O'Malley's informative description of the tower. "I think you were trying to tell us this building cost a lot of money," he said. Biella singled out de la Renta for his work two days after the designer shared this year's CFDA award for Womenswear Designer of the Year with Proenza Schouler. Of the tie, de la Renta felt "it was so great and terrific to be sharing the award with such young and talented designers," but admitted he was especially fond of Proenza designer and co-founder Lazaro Hernandez, since they both hail from the same part of the world. When asked if Hernandez was also Dominican, the designer said, "No, I think he's Puerto Rican. But it's all the same," he laughed. Hernandez actually is Cuban and was raised in Miami. — Stephanie D. Smith

WE DID IT FOR THE READER: Bonnie Fuller has a long list of celebrities she'd like to thank for making her job easier. Near the top of her list sits Paris Hilton and Tom Cruise and his "ridiculous couch-jumping incident." Fuller, who had a bad case of strep throat, spoke to a group of magazine editors and wannabes on Wednesday night at Mo Pitkins, as part of an event for the networking group Ed2010.

At the gathering, young, mainly female, magazine hopefuls sipped cocktails called The Bonnie, in honor of Fuller. The drink had a mix of Stoli citrus and vanilla vodka, fresh lemon juice, with a touch of sugar and mango juice. Fuller, who passed on the drink for hot tea, said, "Eat your heart out Paris Hilton because you're not going to be able to have one tonight."