Style Celebration: Awards & Events- Stylish Winners, Risk Takers & Whacked-Out Looks At The CFDA

2012 CFDA Fashion Awards Show 73F1IMvmgj1l

The CFDA awards are the premiere event where fashion designers are honored every year. Former child stars turned kiddie knick knack makers, turned high fashion designers, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen came out on top as Womenswear designers of the year for their pricey label “The Row.” They also design for a more affordable line called “Elizabeth and James.”

The real showstopper was not a celebrity, stylist or even a designer however. Comedian Seth Myers injected the sometimes stuffy event with a good dose of humor, ultimately trotting out onstage in an identical outfit that Marc Jacobs wore to the Met Gala last month. The designer who helms his namesake label as well as Louis Vuitton, wore a black lace dress and white boxers. Myers’ humorous take on the outfit? This has great ventillation…my nipples have never been so freezing.

Other funny lines from the comedian's act were, “Fashion people like hating things more than they like liking things,” “I hear tangerine orange is the color of the season. Which means Valentino was ahead of the trend since his skin is already that color. Valentino actually couldn’t be here tonight because he’s in the hospital getting another arm surgically attached so he can hold more dogs,” “Who wore it better Marc Jacobs or an Italian funeral home?,” “This fall on NBC tune into Karl Lagerfeld’s new show, ‘Are You Fatter than a Fifth Grader?’.”

Perhaps the best joke of the night though was one that touched on the taboo subject of ousted designer John Galliano being fired from Dior for his anti-Semitic rant and French designer. “Fashion and comedy go together like Galliano and bar mitzvahs.” [Crowd doesn't really know what to do with this one, awkward silence follows.] Meyers continued, “That joke went so badly I’m going to get fired from Dior.” [Everyone exhales, laughs.] “You have to take risks.” (VIA Fashionista)

As has become customary lately all the top models also attended the award show in their favorite designer creation of choice. One of our favorite actresses, that rarely disappoints on the red carpet was Kate Bosworth, in a side cut-out Altuzarra dress and pointy black heels. As usual stylist Rachel Zoe looked great in yet another floor length, long sleeve gown, that was oh so sparkly and sure to continue inspiring fashionable Orthodox Jewish women everywhere. Unlike his Met Ball lace number Marc Jacobs decided on a traditional suit, and Mad Men’s Jessica Paré was refreshingly chic in a Jason Wu black and fuchsia colored dress straight off the runway.

Zoe Saldana might have looked desperately in need of a cheeseburger but nevertheless pulled off a black sheer gown from Prabal Gurung who won last year as womenswear designer of the year. Designer Jen Kao somehow managed to make a midriff baring cropped leather top and long skirt look incredibly elegant, while a slew of other ladies including designer Donna Karan, Kyra Sedgwick and J.Crew creative director Jenna Lyons opted for suits or trousers.

Rachel Zoe’s former styling assistant and blacklisted nemesis Brad Goreski was dapper yet fun in a paisley printed black/white suit. Prints were a thing on the red carpet actually. A quite grown up Dakota Fanning as well as designers Cynthia Rowley, Vivienne Tam and Kate Unger all wore a printed creation of their own making.

Another recurring trend of the season was buttery yellow and golden hues. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff who was the founding fashion director at Lincoln Center for two and a half years and left to start her consulting business SWW Creative, looked stunning in a caped embroidered brocade Zac Posen Pre-Fall 2012 gown. Le sigh. Another popular hue was tangerine, which was selected as color of the year and donned by American Vogue empress Anna Wintour, Sophia Bush, Tommy Hilfiger’s other half Dee Hilfiger and designer Keren Craig. Keren Craig’s Moroccan-ish embroidered caftan outfit was truly stunning. Especially with the pulled back hair and chunky bangles.

Bay Area Designer Erin Fetherston, stylist June Ambrose and Jessica Chastain all get high marks for wearing predictable yet always gorgeous silvery, sparkly gowns while French designer and everlasting Americana aficionado Catherine Malandrino along with designer Diane von Furstenberg and Bernadette Peters kept things simple in white.

While fashion misses were truly few and far between there were some incredible atrocious ones that left us scratching out heads. Take jewelry designer Pamela Love for example. While it was truly awesome that for the second time in a row she was nominated for the CFDA Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent in Accessory Design, there was little explanation for her aggressive silver choker and awkward Marchesa dress. Honestly the messy hair and smudgy makeup did not help either. Pamela Love was nothing however compared to brand consultant and entrepreneur Michelle Harper, who decided on whacked-out kabuki makeup and a sheer blue and black dress perfect for an inaugural ball- held on Mars.

While Tommy Hilfiger’s daughter Ally looked boring but OK in one of her father’s creations, it was her sister Elizabeth’s ridiculous decision to wear ankle socks under strappy heels and odd hair-do that lands her on our worst dressed list. Christine Czetwertynski’s cut-out crazy dress and Pharrell Williams’ Robinson Crusoe inspired pants also failed to impress anyone at the fashion centered award show. We can sort-of chalk up designer Betsey Johnson’s odd-ball gold dress over tights due to her recent bankruptcy declaration woes, but from the look on her daughter Lulu’s face, even she is confused by the 69-year-olds wild antics and affinity for bad wigs.