Finally, an awards ceremony to give this year’s Cannes Film Festival fashion a run for its money! Always a captivating red carpet, this year’s CFDA Awards had nearly every major fashion player in attendance and that included designers, editors, and celebrities.
Anna Wintour arrived in her signature Manolo Blahnik nude sandals (has anyone else ever wondered how many of these she owns? 50? 100? 200?), which she paired with a Fall 2011 Marc Jacobs two-piece. It was nice to see her branch out of her Prada and Chanel comfort zone and Marc Jacobs was a fitting choice given that he was being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony. If only she had opted to honor Alexander McQueen in the same way at this year’s Met Gala. Haider Ackermann, who was photographed with Anna Wintour, opted for a fantastic metallic blue blazer that I sincerely hope makes it into one of his womenswear collections.
Ackermann wasn’t the only one who went the metallic route unfortunately he was arguably the only successful one, judging by Italo Zucchelli and Estelle.
One of the most exciting red carpet moments of the night was when the Olsen twins walked the carpet showing off handbags from their debut The Row handbag collection (Fall 2011). This was the perfect occasion for the purses to make their debut, given the flops that were the ill-fitting The Row skirt and Chanel gold jacket that Mary-Kate wore and the boringly simple blue The Row dress Ashley opted for (thankfully she did a wonderful job accessorizing with statement rings). Living up to a Style Icon award must certainly be a daunting task, but not one that Lady Gaga can’t handle and she proved that with her custom Mugler.
Kirsten Dunst honored menswear designer Patrik Ervell (whom she was photographed with above), in a black suit with contrasting lapels, perhaps she should stick to frilly womenswear. Bergdorf Goodman’s Linda Fargo did a far better job in her bright orange suit with a contrasting black top, while over on Barneys’ side, Amanda Brooks dazzled in Jil Sander.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Kerry Washington appeared nothing short of angelic in a white Calvin Klein mini — simple done right. Also one of the night’s best dressed was Jessica Alba and she deserves an extra thumbs up for that because she’s pregnant. The actress opted for a color-blocked custom Diane von Furstenberg dress, proving that this won’t be a trend dying anytime soon. The piece de resistance, however, were her accessories, all of which were Fallon.
Images: WWD.
