Everyone knows that HJ's British Hairdressing Awards, sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional, are the highlight of the hairdressing calendar; so celebrating 25 years of the Awards was always going to make for a special evening.
With a stunning set, an amazing host, as well as a famous guest presenter and 16 very worthy winners the British Hairdressing Awards 2009 certainly lived up to its billing.
Here's a summary of how the memorable night unfolded.
The venue
Park Lane's exclusive Grosvenor House Hotel was transformed into a glittering hot spot that crowned the nine regional winners, six specialist categories and the ultimate accolade, British Hairdresser of the Year 2009.
In homage to the 25 year anniversary, the stage was lit in red, white and blue for the perfect celebration of all things British.
The guests
Guests included the who's who of the hairdressing industry, including hairdressing legends and previous British Hairdresser of the Year winners, Trevor Sorbie, Charles Worthington, John Frieda, Anthony Mascolo and Andrew Collinge.
There was also a cameo appearance from TV's Gok Wan, who presented the Newcomer of the Year Award and asked the high-spirited audience "do you look good naked?"
The Food
After a tasty goats cheese tart, guests tucked into a delicious main course of lamb with a sweet potato cake, while the non-meat eaters enjoyed asparagus ravioli. Sticky toffee pudding, coffee and petit fours rounded off a lovely meal.
The Host
The delectable Dermot O'Leary was quite a hit with the crowd. Dishing out his trademark man-hugs and delivering witty one-liners galore, Dermot showed all the charm that has made him a hit on the 'X Factor'.
"Tonight we are celebrating 25 years of these bad boys," he told the raptuous crowd as he raised one of the prestigious trophies into the air. "British Hairdressing is the envy of the world."
"But if we truly have the cream of the crop of British hairdressing here, and if it is true that you will drink Britain dry, then who the hell is minding the salon tomorrow?" he joked.
The Entertainment
Guests clapped and sang along to the soulful sounds of the London Gospel Choir, but the evening's big event was the British Hairdresser of the Year nominees' show.
Andrew Barton, Errol Douglas, Mark Hayes, Gary Hooker and Michael Young, Akin Konizi, Angelo Seminara, Lisa Shepherd and Phil Smith had all styled models that reflected their personalities and showcased their collections.
The Awards
Big screens played out packages of all the finalists' images and, with work of such an incredibly high standard, picking a winner was a tough task.
However, when it came to the presentations, the magnanimous winners took to the stage and gave their thanks to friends, loved ones, their product companies and HJ and Schwarzkopf for hosting the awards. You can read full details of at the British Hairdressing Awards 09 Winners here.
As well as the winners, there was also a presentation to acknowlege the successes of Tracey Devine, who entered the Hairdressing Hall of Fame for winning Scottish Hairdresser of the Year three times, and Claire Rothstein who has won a hat-trick of Afro Hairdresser of the Year accolades.
The Party
With the drinks flowing freely it was time to celebrate, commiserate and catch up with old friends in the party in the ballroom.