Celebrating with the CFDA

ABOVE: THE ROW DESIGNERS MARY-KATE AND ASHLEY OLSEN. PHOTO BY STEVEN PAN. STYLING BY ELIN SVAHN.

Last night’s CFDA Awards, held at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, was a convergence of fashion and television royalty celebrating the industry’s boldest and brightest. The former included the ceremony’s host, James Corden (he of The Late Late Show fame), who opened the show with a threadbare reimagining of Man of La Mancha’s “The Impossible Dream (The Quest).”

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen received the Womenswear Designer of the Year Award for their line The Row. The child-stars-turned-purveyors of subtle-luxury-chic thanked their design teams, CFDA board members, and their retail partners. And perhaps in one the coolest moves of the evening, the pair also thanked their customers.

Reality television star and the reigning “selfie queen” Kim Kardashian West (wearing a sensational custom Proenza Schouler frock) presented the Eugenia Shepard Media Award to Instagram founder Kevin Systrom. Kanye West, meanwhile, presented the Fashion Icon of the Year Award to his friend Pharrell Williams. “There would be no me, no A$AP, without [Pharrell],” West said.

In William’s moving acceptance speech, the producer-mogul echoed similar sentiments to this year’s Founders Award recipient, J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler, regarding his humble beginnings leading him to success. Pharrell shared, “DIY is the only way I know, and it’s the best way. I’m a musician because I’m inspired by the muses…everyday American people. I’m not a style icon, I am other.”

When asked about his date Anna Ewers’s look for the night, Alexander Wang had last year’s CFDA Fashion Icon and social media savant on his mind: Rihanna. “Hashtag BBHMM!,” Wang exclaimed (referring to the pop star’s hit single of the same title) before he and Ewers giggled and skipped into the night.

For the full list of CFDA winners, see below:

Womenswear Designer of the Year:
Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen, The Row

Menswear Designer of the Year: Tom Ford

Accessories Designer of the Year:
Tabitha Simmons

Swarovski Award for Womenswear: Rosie Assoulin

Swarovski Award for Menswear:
Shayne Oliver, Hood by Air

Swarovski Award for Accessory Design:
Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel, Mansur Gavriel

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Betsey Johnson

International Award: Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, Valentino

Founder’s Award: Millard “Mickey” Drexler