Kendall Jenner
The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Awards was all about honouring style through time, whether emerging artists or lifetime achievers. While awarding the crème de la crème of fashion, this year’s ceremony, which took place on 4 June in partnership with Swarovski, ushered in quite a few firsts. As well as “Insecure” star Issa Rae being the first person of colour to host the awards, it was the first time the event gravitated to The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York. Plus, the 2018 edition saw the debut of the Influencer Award. In true controversial style, when it was time to receive the history-making honour, Kim Kardashian West made a tongue-in-cheek speech. "I am kind of shocked that I am winning a fashion award when I am naked most of the time," she joked.
Busy Philipps in Christian Siriano
As the awards celebrate the fashion industry and its movers and shakers, it’s the perfect opportunity for the stars and designers carefully picked by the select council to pull out all the style stops. Whether they were receiving awards or just attending, they made sure to keep on verifying the CFDA Awards ceremony is one of the biggest nights in fashion. And unlike its cousin, the Met Gala, they didn’t have to think of a challenging dress code.
Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen in The Row
As winners, Naomi Campbell and Kim Kardashian West were expected to go all out. English catwalk queen Campbell, who won the Fashion Icon Award, lit up the night in a red dress featuring red knitted fringe. Kardashian West went for a crop top that showed off her abs and a maxi skirt, accessorising the two-piece outfit with gold cuffs. Issa Rae was also a winner, when it came to verifying her style prowess, that is. The dream host wore a custom, one-shoulder cobalt blue jumpsuit. The sheer sparkling material layered over was embellished with a reported 180,000 Swarovski crystals. Other epic choices included Kendall Jenner’s lilac asymmetrical fur dress and Russian beauty Irina Shayk’s wild layered, cheetah-printed number. Blonde bombshell Martha Hunt also stood out in her architectural, lingerie-like gown.
Naomi Campbell in Calvin Klein
One big trend that ruled the red carpet was the power suit, with Kourtney Kardashian and Busy Philipps adding sparkle to their statement ones. To support her sister, the “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star wore a starry pantsuit with a plunging neckline. Philipps, who is getting her own late-night talk show on “E!,” channelled the 70s in an iridescent aquamarine suit with flared trousers. Other stars who made it all about clean, crisp lines included “13 Reasons Why” actress Katherine Langford, who chose a black ensemble punctuated by some red and white, and stunner Elsa Hosk in all black (except for her some hot pink arm candy). Diane Lane also proved there’s a new era of power dressing in metallic teal.
Kourtney Kardashian in Christian Siriano
Another major style we spotted was long-sleeved gowns. We loved model Lily Aldridge’s graceful white lace frock with a feminine illusion neckline. Another person who proved a long-sleeved dress is an event hero is Eva Chen. Instagram's head of fashion partnerships rocked a cold shoulder dress with floral prints and embellished skirt, which made a striking contrast. And for her CFDA debut, Lili Reinhart opted for a floral print dress with peplum detail. An even more modest look came from Kehlani, who appeared in a billowing yellow dress with a neck tie and high-low hemline. Cate Blanchett also wore a modest design featuring a silver seqin skirt with a black overlay and matching blazer. Additionally, Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen stepped out in black-on-black covered up styles. The impressive sisters won the Accessory Designer of the Year Award for their luxury womenswear and accessories label, The Row, and were nominated for Womenswear Designer of the Year.
Lily Aldridge in Brock Collection
Cate Blanchett in Monse
Diane Lane in Gabriela Hearst
Emily Ratajkowski in Brock Collection
Elsa Hosk in Frame
Eva Chen in Altuzarra
Irina Shayk in Diane von Furstenberg
Issa Rae in Pyer Moss
Jourdan Dunn in Michael Kors
Katherine Langford in Prabal Gurung
Kehlani in 3.1 Phillip Lim
Kendall Jenner in Alexandre Vauthier
Kim Kardashian West in Rick Owens
Laura Harrier in Sies Marjan
Lili Reinhart in Brock Collection
Lupita Nyong'o in Versace
Martha Hunt in Thom Browne
Tracee Ellis Ross in Carolina Herrera
Winnie Harlow in Tommy Hilfiger
Major Winners:
Womenswear Designer of the Year: Raf Simons for Calvin Klein
Menswear Designer of the Year: James Jebbia for Supreme
Accessory Designer of the Year: Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row
Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent: Sander Lak for Sies Marjan
CFDA Influencer Award: Kim Kardashian
CFDA Members Salute: Ralph Lauren
Swarovski Award for Positive Change: Diane von Furstenberg
Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Narciso Rodriguez
Founder's Award: Carolina Herrera
Media Award in Honour of Eugenia Shepherd: Edward Enninful
International Award: Donatella Versace
