Laura Bush Loves Design; No Mention of "NDA 5" Scandal

If Laura Bush indeed received the letter from five designers boycotting the National Design Awards breakfast yesterday morning, it did not dim her glowing appreciation for designers in general, who she praised for “using your creativity to make life better for people around the world.”

Read her speech in its entirety here, a photo with 2005 lifetime achievement honoree Eva Zeisel to the left of Bush here, and be sure to also read Chip Kidd’s report about the event.

Now for the real news: apparently, Robert Downey Jr. was also in attendance, and “he was there at the behest of a friend who was one of the winners.” Questions: 1) What designer is BFF with RDJr.? and 2) When is he going to give us a little Brad Pitt love?