But the evening's marquee moment came when Bill Murray took the stage to introduce Sofia Coppola, who would receive a Special Filmmaking Achievement Award for her triple duties of writing, producing and directing Somewhere. And what is Bill Murray's strategy for cramming his digressions and non sequiturs and other assorted bits of lunacy into the two-minute speech limit? Gobbling cinnamon-spiced Red Hots, of course.

The Carpetbagger had the tact to run the speech in its entirety, and we dutifully do the same here. Enjoy.

They told me I have two minutes. I’m going to pop this Red Hot, so I can finish in two minutes. [He pops the Red Hot.]

Why to give this award, why? Because you have to throw a party. Because you have to compete with the Golden Globes. We all ask that question, if you were able to get out tonight, celebrate, without your relatives, you’ve earned it, you deserve it. Meredith [Viera, the host] is doing a really a good job moving the crowd along, isn’t she? [Applause as he mouths the Red Hot] Why would you give it to Sofia Coppola, why? Because you want to encourage her, I think. I think that’s the real reason. Look at her. [yelling] Look at her! She comes from a family, mother and father, both very successful creating entertainments and amusements and thought-provoking work. She wrote a spec on script for the ‘Virgin Suicides.’ The ambition of these young people, can you believe it? The ambition. She got the job as the director. She directed ‘Lost in Translation’ in another country and another language and got a prize for it. God, this is a hot, hot Red Hot. I’m not going to fool you people because I got another half in my pocket. [He pops it in.] I got one-and-a-half in my mouth right now.

Then she decided to work in France and do ‘Marie Antoinette.’ A woman who was beheaded, not a sympathetic creature, you know what I mean. A lot of directors who would pass on that. Who do you root for, you know? She did that beautiful, beautiful movie and now she’s done this ‘Somewhere,’ which takes place – somewhere. I know, it’s the west coast, southern California basin. So why do you give this person an award? You give them an award because they need to be encouraged. You can look around this room and you could look around the world of film and you can see people that had great success early in your career. Some earned it, some were lucky, some got it, but in a certain point they live life, they get into life. Like Sofia’s gotten into life. She’s married, now she’s got a French lover [Thomas Mars, the singer of the band Phoenix]. She has two children, beautiful children by this French lover — and honestly I’m sick of these directors with the homely kids, I can’t stand it anymore! – she’s got beautiful children and she lives with a man who is the only Frenchman that could ever play rock and roll, ever. [Expletive] Johnny Hallyday! [Beat] Pardon [beat] my [beat] French.

So why do you encourage these people, because now she’s had this success, she’s had this work, she has this life, she has this family, she has this thing going and now is when people like you have chosen well to say, let’s give this person another boost, let’s give this public person another boost, to say, keep going, because now life will come to you, hard, like it’s come to everyone that’s lived long enough, it comes hard, it gets in the way of your career, it stops your career, it stunts your life. It definitely will make your career go left. You show me an actor doing a [expletive for terrible] movie, I’ll show you a guy with a bad divorce. [Looking directly at someone in the audience] You know who I’m talking about!

I want the best for her because she’s a lady, she acts like a lady. The women in her movies are ladies, they have strength and they have power and they’re strong. Even the pole dancers in this movie had enough of themselves to call the lead actor a moron, as all you women should call your men this evening – pole or not. Give her a boost to say, go on, you’ve made it this far, push her out into the deep water, push her out into bigger and deeper films, more and more films. She has a beautiful eye, she has great taste in the people she chooses to work with, she’s a kind and thoughtful director and editor and producer. She’s all the things that we hoped we could be when we work like this. She’s been lucky so far and she’s been strong so far. Let’s keep her going. I appreciate your asking her to receive this award for filmmaking achievement. Miss, Ms. Ms. Ms. Sofia Coppola.

Click for What Twitter Taught Us: Piers Morgan Defends A Cell-Abusing Arianna

nfreeman [at] observer.com | @nfreeman1234

Ms. Gyllenhaal was approached by a tabloid reporter who asked her if her little daughter, 2-year-old Ramona, likes rummaging through her closet.

"I'm sorry, who are you interviewing me for?" Ms. Gyllenhaal asked. The Transom couldn't quite make out the answer, but then overheard: "Oh, you know, I'm sorry. The ones with the paparazzi pictures I just try to avoid," she said, starting to move away. "I know it's not your fault."

Ms. Gyllenhaal told the Transom that she would not be attending Fashion Week because her daughter is starting school, but wanted to be here for Mr. van Noten. "I'm a huge fan of Dries' clothes. I love them. I wear them all the time. I think he's my favorite. I felt like he's given me so many beautiful clothes and designed things for me and I really wanted to give something back to him."

They're not lunch buddies or anything. "I don't think we've ever actually met! We always talk on the phone," she said.

Nearby, the designer Phillip Lim was making the rounds. Mr. Lim is doing a men's and a women's show this year. "Being here is surreal right now. I just gussied myself up and ran from the fittings," he said. 

The Transom wondered what he thought of the state of Fashion Week, a topic that has gotten much attention from designers and CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg.

"You have to have Fashion Week because [otherwise] there is no reason for us. You would be taking away the lifeline," said Mr. Lim. "As far as shipments, I think the constant rush is a bit much. It should go back to being closer to the seasons."

And what about Fashion Week becoming too consumer- and celebrity-oriented?

"I think it depends on your mindset. If you want to have a party, have a party, but just prioritize and compartmentalize," he replied. 

The supermodel Iman, who was hosting a raffle with Barneys' [and Observer columnist] Simon Doonan, said she was not attending shows at all this year, but she would be stopping by Rachel Roy, Stella McCartney, Dior and Barneys for Fashion's Night Out. We asked whether she thought models look different nowadays.

"No! I'm a huge fan of today's young models like Raquel Zimmerman and Chanel Iman and Coco Rocha," she replied. "Everyone always says, 'They don't make models like they used to,' but I have no idea what they're talking about!"

When Ms. Gyllenhaal went up to present the award, she got shy. "I am a little nervous about being here today because I am not officially a part of the fashion world, but I like clothes a lot," she began. She proceeded to tell a story about the time she asked Mr. van Noten to design her wedding dress in May for her wedding in Italy to actor Peter Sarsgaard. She described exactly what she wanted over the phone. But when the frock arrived a week before the wedding: "This is nothing like what I was picturing!" she thought. And not in a good way.

But a week later, when Ms. Gyllenhaal took Mr. van Noten's creation out of the box again and put it on, she changed her mind. "It's like he knows better than I do what is beautiful and sexy on me!"

Ms. Barnett, who gave birth to her two children at the hospital and has been involved with the benefit for seven years, is in town for two days, she said. The previous night, she had to attend a benefit at the Spence School for girls on the Upper East Side, which she also still supports.

"Year in and year out I am still involved because I truly think New York hospital is the best hospital in the world," said Ms. Barnett. "I feel very close to New York and its causes and its hospitals." (To be fair, Ms Barnett said that she also now sits on the board of her local San Francisco hospital, the California Pacific Medical Center.)

As Ms. Barnett was speaking, Dr. Frank Cherveneck, the gentle-faced doctor who looks more like a pizza dough maker than a OB/GYN to Manhattan's prominent housewives, had raced behind her to greet Judith Giuliani, who had just walked in wearing a belted, pink suit.

"And I do it all for that man right there," continued Ms. Barnett, looking at the doctor. "He’s like the most delicious man in the world!"

With so many medical advances in women's health, we wondered if there was still anything missing for Ms. Barnett.

"How to be fabulous without suffering through the five-inch platforms?" she joked. "You know, we don’t wear those in San Francisco and I wore them all day yesterday and I couldn’t walk by the end of the day!"

The fashion sponsor for the day was the Swiss label Akris, which had donated looks for the runway show that took place as the ladies sat down to pick at the gazpacho and breaded chicken--"How did they have the nerve to serve us breaded chicken," uttered one health-conscious guest seated at the Daily Transom's table--and outfitted board members like Ms. Barnett, Heather Mnuchin and Lizzie Tisch in its designs. (All three were wearing prim white cocktail dresses.)

"I had my daughter here who will be six next week. I had a c-section and it was sort of unexpected and I had to stay in the hospital for five days," said Ms. Tisch, "But it was the most wonderful experience because of the doctors and the nurses. After that it was like, 'Anything you need!'"

What sorts of medical miracles is Ms. Tisch awaiting in the women's health department?

"How to have men have babies!" she replied. "I remember Nita Lowey, the congresswoman, at a breast cancer lunch years ago saying that it’s come so far that when they used to do the research on all the rats in the laboratories, even all the rats were male!"

Just as the fashion show was about to begin, the president of the hospital, Dr. Herbert Pardes, who said he was "not a sophisticated observer" for the fashion happenings of the day, was standing back taking in all the ladies in expensive dresses and four-inch heels--some with protruding pregnant bellies--discussing their c-sections and now, healthy children.

"Obstetrics and gynecology has always had a strong relationship with many of the prominent women in New York. The obstetrics unit at the hospital does extremely well," he said with a smirk.