Brooke Shields Has a Tip for Stepping Out of a Car While Wearing a Short Dress

Brooke Shields, supermodel, stepped inside New York's Cipriani 42nd Street Monday night in one thing: her Calvins.

The 52-year-old model turned to an angelic all-white Calvin Klein 205W39NYC cocktail dress with matching shoes and a bejeweled handbag for the 21st annual ACE Awards, hosted by the Accessories Council and sponsored in part by Swarovski. There, she took a moment to thank the brand's current creative director, Raf Simons, for keeping her in the spotlight.

"In this business, you're over in a second, and longevity has always been important to me. But it's not always easy to reach that place, and so this is sort of a testament to that—it just made me pretty honored and happy," she told InStyle of getting to wear Simons's designs. Shields was on hand to present the evening's Sustainability Award to PVH Corp. Chairman and CEO Emanuel "Manny" Chirico and reminisced about the most unforgettable accessory moments in her life.

Specifically, she recalled a time during which one shoe she wore lost its heel in a grate. "I literally spent the rest of the day walking on the tip-toe of one foot and the heel of the other. I would just keep the foot elevated, sort of like this, and stand on the other lips," she told us, offering funny advice for preventing a wardrobe malfunction.

"Here's a tip: When getting out of a car, especially if you're in a short dress, and there's somebody offering their hand, make eye contact with them first so they don't look up your dress. My mother taught me that," she said. Noted.

Later, Shields greeted Style Icon Award recipient Betsey Johnson, who managed to do the splits on the red carpet and arrive in true, ultra colorful Betsey style, champagne glass in hand. On stage, after delivering a nearly 10-minute acceptance speech, she told the crowd, "I feel so loved!" Seconds later, she asked guests to sing her a happy birthday in honor of her upcoming 75th milestone.

Victoria Justice, who presented the award to Johnson, delivered solid words of advice for young girls earlier in the evening. "Be kind to yourself. None of us are perfect and just try to be your own best friend and support yourself as much as you can," she told us.

RELATED VIDEO: Brooke Shields's Red Carpet Evolution

Like everyone else in the room, Eva Longoria, Style Ambassador honoree, recalled her favorite accessories, particularly ones from an '80s TV show: "Designing Women! With the shoulder pads and the earrings and the bracelets. That's my kind of women."

Throughout her years in the limelight, she has picked up style tricks from a variety of places including one very famous source: BFF Victoria Beckham. "She's really big on simple accessories, and that's something I've learned from her," Longoria told us.

As for what she has taught Beckham? "Laser hair removal!"

Scroll down to see the best from the evening.