2024 CFDA Awards Fashion Review
The Age Of Addison Rae
The CFDA Awards happened, and honestly, not a super bustling red carpet this year, but there were still some standout looks. I was actually more excited about the winners, because all my faves swept!!
Also! Here is me attending the CFDA Awards in 2016, because I volunteered as a stand in for rehearsals. I’m sure I didn’t need to tell you the year based on this outfit, but.
Before we get to the fashion review let’s look at our winners:
American Womenswear Designer of the Year: Rachel Scott of Diotima (YES!)
American Womenswear Designer of the Year: Willy Chavarria (YESS!)
American Accessory Designer of the Year: Raul Lopez of Luar (YESSS!)
Google Shopping American Emerging Designer of the Year: Henry Zankov of Zankov (YESSSS!)
Fashion Icon Award: Erykah Badu (Absolutely. I also feel like I need to give me yearly when is it going to Lil Kim statement)
The Founder’s Award in honor of Eleanor Lambert: Hamish Bowles (<3)
Isabel Toledo Board of Directors Tribute: Isabel Toledo
Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Stephen Burrows
Innovation Award: Coach and Stuart Vevers for Coachtopia
Positive Change Award: Michael Kors
Media Award in honor of Eugenia Sheppard: Annie Leibovitz
International Award: Daniel Roseberry of Schiaparelli
Anyway, let’s get into it!
I told y’all years ago that Addison Rae was meant to be a fashion girl and look at us now! Dara Allen, her stylist, is truly one of one. Addison is wearing custom Thom Browne, based on the Spring 2018 collection. Thom Browne is obviously a brilliant designer, but what’s even more brilliant is the way he blends his brand identity with that of the client he’s creating custom work for. Not only are there so many signature Thom-isms here, but the mermaid silhouette of it all is very fitting for Addison and her latest single ‘Aquamarine’. The fit of the corset is immaculate, the wet sequin is delicious, and the shell is so fun. Addison gives me what I’m often missing from a lot of celebrities, and that is the enjoyment of the look you are wearing.
Let’s give Alex Consani a hand for this look, not that she needs one! I’ll see myself out. Anyway, stunning! Bodily autonomy is obviously a very prevalent topic of discussion, and I think Alex wearing a look from this brilliant and topical collection is incredibly powerful, especially as a trans woman. Fashion is always political and don’t let anyone let you think otherwise! It’s also just a stunning dress! Those bugle beaded hands and the way they’re strategically placed, especially to create straps, is very nice design. Area sure knows how to take a theme and run with it, but almost never in a way that feels too much and makes you want to roll your eyes.
Amy looks so, so stunning. I say this a lot, but I just love a Schiaparelli look that’s a bit more stripped back— it almost makes the surrealist elements feel even more like they’re flirting with you. The gold spots shine beautifully and I love how they tighten at the waist to really draw your eye in. Also, those shoulders!! As for Daniel, he might be wearing an all black suit, but it’s corduroy, which I’m obsessed with, and also fits great.
This is fine— I’ve seen Angel in better. There seems to be some kind of embellishment on the hip, as if holding that drape, and I find that the slit in the center disrupts that. Also, everything about this is so deliciously icy, so I don’t understand why we didn’t go with a white or silver shoe.
Michael Kors never tries to be anyone he’s not and just gives you nice, classic, American sportswear. With that being said, I thought this was a simple draped dress, and I was fine with that. Then I noticed that this was a ribbed tank top tucked into a sequin skirt paired with a jacket that is a whole other texture and my skin started to itch. Also, the shoe was a choice.
Oh, how scrumptious! Tanner Fletcher is just one of those those brands that makes my heart feel light. Their play with masculine and feminine dress always feels like it has a very clear point of view, and is always very compelling. Here we have a really beautifully tailored, loose suit paired with a frilled collar and very large pussybow. Although the blouse is more fluid it still feels very strong against the structured suit.
Henry Zankov is such a special designer and the evolution of his brand has felt so natural and exciting. His work with knits, colors, and patterns is so magical and I think this striped dress on Chloe is simple, but effective.
There is so much happening here, and yet nothing happening here at all. Surely the issue here is styling, because none of these pieces are necessarily bad.
I know that Zac is the creative director of Gap, but it’s still funny that we have to slap that on to the “by Zac Posen.” Whatever, I don’t care what vehicle we have for Zac to continue to create beautiful gowns as long as there is one. He’s one of those designers that you know loves women just by looking at his work. Although this gown is simple, its silhouette speaks for itself. One of my favorite things about Zac’s work is the the strategic placement of the seams— they’re always placed in a way that understands the female body while also showing you the knowledge of craftsmanship that he has. All that to say, Cynthia looks stunning.
One of my favorite fashion girls eating everyone up, as usual. It really should not be groundbreaking to see a luxury brand making quality custom for for a woman who is not a traditional sample size, and yet it is still few and far between. I think what I appreciate most from a design standpoint is that brands Da’Vine has worn, like Louis Vuitton, Rodarte, and Wiederhoeft, don’t just put his in a simple body hugging gown and call it a day. It’s something that should be more of a regular practice when brands put plus sized models on the runway. Anyway, this dress is stunning! The girls in the Wiederhoeft atelier know how to CUT, so the corseting here is remarkable, and I like that the boning goes all the way down the dress. The tulle on the side is fun and plays into the dreaminess of the brand and their beginnings in wedding wear.
Velvet was the moment for everyone wearing Willy Chavarria this year at the CFDAs and honestly, a fabric that I would love to see him explore more. I love that this still feels very Willy Chavarria, especially with the looser fit of pant and track pant waistband, while also being a little more traditional eveningwear. It’s giving zoot suit a little bit and that green color really is gorgeous. I’m not a huge bowtie girl, but I like it here and how although it’s also velvet, it’s a bit of a lighter color. Very nice.
This is a look only Christian Siriano could be capable of. Derogatory. The skirt is a stunning color, but that’s as for as pleasantries go. The waistband is scary, the flowers are pointless, and the a cropped blazer is anything but groundbreaking. Christian gave us that one stunning Billy Porter suit dress moment and he’s been trying to recreate the moment ever since to, obviously, no avail.
Again, I think this is a great example of a look being very Thom Browne, while also being very considerate of the wearer’s personal style. She’s just so cool and this look is so cool. The layering here is very delicious and tricks your eye into second guessing where one piece ends and another one begins.
I’m sure many people are going to think this fits poorly, but it actually fits perfectly. The shrunken suit style is a staple at Thom Browne, and I think this a great suit. I like the longer jacket, I like the wrap of the waistcoat, and I like the silly detail of the shoe laces being undone. I mean, it’s Jenna Lyons, you know she’s gonna serve.
Really good night for Thom Browne— to no one’s surprise. This is simple, but it’s very lovely. The dress is tailored to perfection, and I love the subtle dropwaist before we get into the pleated skirt. I would not at all call this puritan dress, but there’s something about black dress, white collar here that feels very fitting of Kathryn playing a witch in Agatha All Along.
Timmy got her that Haider Ackermann connect and she was like, alright, bet. No, but this is stunning. I die for Haider Ackermann and this was one of the best JPG guest designer collections. A collection that did not get the attention it deserved!! I think what I’m most happy about here is that Kylie really gave herself to the look, hair and all. The KarJenner’s would be so much cooler if they got more conceptual instead of being afraid of looking “ugly.”
Well, here’s the thing. As far as Jacquemus collections go, this one wasn’t awful. I actually really enjoyed a lot of the styling of animal prints with brighter colors. This dress is fun, but the pairing of the shoe is making my eye twitch. Styling from the neck up is perfection, though!
Let’s start with Lucky. I know suit jacket with jeans is very Ralph Lauren— I myself am no stranger to “dressed down” eveningwear! However, the silhouette here is off. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something isn’t working. Maybe it’s the wash of the denim? Also, while I don’t think couples need to be suuuuper matchy matchy, I do like when there’s some cohesion, and there’s none of that here. Nara, on the other hand, is wearing a dress from the Fall 2024 collection and she obviously looks stunning, but it’s nothing crazy. Like, I won’t be thinking about it too hard tomorrow. I do really love a metallic knit, though.
I just needed you all to see Marc’s beautifully cut suit. That is all. I also like that it has a twinge of purple, which is very Hamish Bowles, and Marc presented Hamish with his award. Sweet.
If anyone was going to wear effortless, cool girl brand Proenza Schouler, I’m not surprised it’s Nicole Richie. However, this dress is kind of a yawn, and I just keep wishing it was Rick Owens.
Diotima’s work is so special. Her blend of Caribbean craft and contemporary fashion is so effortless, and her work with textiles is always so delicious. This is a lovely dress that feels very classic, but also very exciting and fresh.
A sparkly, beaded, floral mini feels very Paris Hilton to me, and while I do think this is constructed well, I don’t think the nude illusion is succeeding all that well, especially at the hemline.
This is not at all something we’ve seen come down the Willy Chavarria runway, and yet I knew it was his work right away? Perhaps it was the rose, I don’t know, but regardless, this is stunning. It’s so simple, but it’s simple done incredibly well. This is fitted to perfection, and you see brands put shit like this down the runway season after season without making it fit half as good. Everything works for me here, even the glove. I also think the shoes are an incredible color match.
So good, so good! A Diotima crochet moment always makes my heart sing.
This is so cute and fun! The corset fits nicely and the extreme high-low skirt is very playful, but there’s also something very dreamy about it all.
It’s a plain black suit, but at leas it’s Thom Browne so the fit is immaculate.
She’s so cool and so hot and this is so good. There’s something about these cutouts running down the side of the body that feels very Alaïa and I’m obsessed.
This is what Chrisitan Siriano thinks he’s doing when he blends masculine and feminine dress. This is great. We have a classic pinstripe suit with some satin garter details and lace. It’s a little delicate but also a little BDSM and I’m into it.
I saw a lot of people have issue with the styling when it came to the green shorts, but that’s actually exactly how this came down the runway originally. To be honest, I don’t hate them. I think this is styled very well from top to bottom. Tate McRae wore something similar to the VMAs in an homage to Britney Spears, and it felt very empty me. In my review of that look, I mentioned how we don’t know enough about her for her to be dressing like an iconic pop star. This, however, doesn’t feel like Britney to me at all, it feels like Tyla. Also, that neckline? Scrumptious.
They both look so hot. Sometimes there’s a detail or two in LaQuan Smith’s work that takes me out of the fantasy, but Victoria looks incredible here. The fit of this is perfect and the placement of the cutouts is so good. LaQuan’s work is so sexy, so luxurious, and in my opinion, aspirational. When we talk about the future of American ready-to-wear and sportswear, his name should always be included in the conversation.
We have to move on immediately.
Thank god we’re ending on a good note. I mean, perfect. The Kiss boot, the train, the glove, the big structured opera coat? It’s giving architecture, it’s giving fantasy, it’s giving walking down a grand, regal staircase to greet your subjects.
So that was the CFDAs! Who were your best and worst dressed?
TTYL!!!
xx
This Addison Rae era of establishing herself as a pop artist is super intriguing as to seeing how content creators can create something that may not fully align with their vision or what they want out of themselves, but once they have the connections and attention they can in turn change it towards creating what it is they want, whether its just a youtube channel or a full blown music career. I wonder what the standard of content and channeling the viewers of that content into a community will be like as more and more normal people delve into it whether for marketing themselves or for resume building, because the transition really could've gone left field for Addison as most people dont really care for tiktokers who suddenly do music unless they build a community (mind you tiktok is NOT a community building platform, and if anything it is 10x worse for building community now than in before covid) with that initially in mind. But making music geared content is extremely difficult and literally only works if you were pink pantheress in 2020 posting videos of 2% of your face in the background with your song playing asking people to stream. The latter is to find community through gained connections and evidently so she has (charli xcx, etc). I hope to see more conversations about the building of an artist or a creator and the mediums in which they take to get there in the internets' community economy. But yes Nara Smith looks so good and Im so happy that Willy Chavarria won!!!!