Beyoncé, Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan took home the big prizes at the CFDA Awards last night, as the industry’s finest turned out to celebrate the best of American style.
Beyoncé, Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan took home the big prizes at the CFDA Awards last night, as the fashion industry’s finest turned out to celebrate the best of American style.
The annual ceremony, held in New York, is hosted and judged by the Council of Fashion Designers Of America and also celebrates other global talents who have made an impact on fashion in the US. Gucci’s Alessandro Michele was given the International Award, acknowledging his meteoric rise to fashion fame, and a posthumous tribute was made to the true style icon, David Bowie.
On the CFDA red carpet, the best date to have on your arm is a designer – hopefully they’ll lend you a frock for the night, too, earning you bonus style points amongst your fellow, equally stylish, attendees. Elizabeth Olsen came on the arms of her sisters, The Row designers Mary-Kate and Ashley, while Rosie Huntington-Whiteley worked Michael Kors on the arm of, well, Michael Kors, obviously.
CFDA chairwoman Diane von Furstenberg presented Beyoncé with the night’s top gong, the Fashion Icon Award, a prize that has previously been given to Pharrell and Rihanna. The Lemonade singer used the moment to thank her mum, Tina Knowles, who she credits as the biggest influencer on her wardrobe.
‘My mother and my Uncle Johnny, God bless his soul, designed all of our first costumes and made each piece by hand, individually sewing hundreds of crystals and pearls, putting so much passion and love into every small detail,’ she explained to the crowd. ‘My mother actually designed my wedding dress, my prom dress, my first CFDA Awards dress, my first Grammy dress, and the list goes on and on and this to me is the true power and potential of fashion.’
See a full list of CFDA 2016 winners below, and see all the night’s best dressed in the gallery above. Womenswear Designer of the Year Marc Jacobs
Menswear Designer of the Year Thom Browne
Fashion Icon Award Beyoncé
Accessories Designer of the Year Mansur Gavriel: Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel
Swarovski Award for Womenswear Brandon Maxwell
Swarovski Award for Menswear Orley: Alex Orley, Matthew Orley, Samantha Orley
Swarovski Award for Accessory Design Paul Andrew
Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award Norma Kamali The Founder's Award in Honour of Eleanor Lambert Donna Karan
International Award Gucci: Alessandro Michele
The Board of Directors' Special Tribute Award David Bowie
The Media Award in Honour of Eugenia Sheppard Imran Amed, editor-in-chief of The Business of Fashion