However unintentional, Monday night’s SCAD Style Etoile Awards demonstrated just how much design has legs. Three of this year’s recipients Catherine Deneuve, Sir David Tang and Graydon Carter were unable to get to the ceremony at the James Cohan Gallery in Manhattan, but their understudies stepped in and proved to be quite light on their feet. Peter Arnell and the design duo of John Rosselli and Bunny Williams were the other honorees.

After a quick welcome from Jonathan Adler, Savannah College of Art and Design president Paula Wallace noted how the school is readying to unveil a Hong Kong campus in the fall.

Before accepting Tang’s award, Sarah Ferguson apologized for her breathlessness, having just dashed up the street after ducking out of another event. Like Deneuve, who was grounded due to the aeronautical ash problem, Tang was stranded in London. Reading his speech, Ferguson said, “I am highly irritated that I can’t accept this award in person because of some unpronounceable volcano in Iceland.”

As for her own sense of design, Ferguson said, “David always says to me, ‘Fergie, you’ve got no style,’ which is probably dead on.”

Another guest, Michael Douglas, said his design aspirations were nil. “I’m still drawing the little stick figures,” he said. But he made the trip for his friend Carter, who wound up being a no show because he was under the weather. The “Wall Street” star is also a fan of SCAD, which honored him last year. “My son became a complete Civil War buff down there and he still is,” Douglas said.

Carter’s stand in, David Friend, shared the Vanity Fair editor’s bon mots: “As I was struggling with what I was going to say to thank you for this award, which I probably don’t even deserve, I went back and read President Obama’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech.”

During the video presentation, another one of Carter’s one liners also got a rise from the crowd. “Life is all about seating and lighting.”

Before the festivities got under way, Peter Arnell discussed a few of his projects, including developing a luxury sports car for De Tomaso. This month Doubleday will publish his new book, “Shift,” which draws upon his three decades of work experience and encourages readers to develop their own personal brand. What would his be? “Curious,” Arnell said. One curious aside was provided during cocktails by Theory/Helmut Lang’s Andrew Rosen, who mentioned he has a colt named after his friend Arnell. Others in the crowd included Simon Doonan, Chris Benz, William Ivey Long, Dakota Jackson, Bobby Zarem and William Bratten.

Afterward, Fergie said she had no exit strategy about returning to the U.K. “I always believe that God works in the most mysterious ways. In my case, I am a closet American so I am happy to be here.”

That said, she did hope to be back by Sunday for the London marathon. “My daughter Beatrice will be running and she is trying to break a Guinness world record,” Ferguson said. “She will be running with 35 people in caterpillar costume. [Richard] Branson’s girls, Holly and Sam, will be running with her too.”