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The CFDAs, American fashion's version of the Oscars, kicked things off last night with the announcement of its 2011 nominees. Now we have a few months to speculate on the winners before the big ceremony in June. We're psyched to see our favorite designers among the nominees, including young designers Alejandro Ingelmo and Pamela Love, who is fresh off her collab with Topshop. One of the biggest surprises is the nomination of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for the Swarovski Award for Womenswear, proving that celebrities can be taken seriously as designers. Here's the full list of nominees:

  • Womenswear Designer of the Year: Alexander Wang, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, and Marc Jacobs
  • Menswear Designer of the Year: Michael Bastian, Simon Spurr, and Patrik Ervell
  • Accessory Designer of the Year: Alexander Wang, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, and Reed Krakoff
  • Swarovski Award for Womenswear: Joseph Altuzarra, Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen, and Prabal Gurung
  • Swarovski Award for Menswear: Alexander Wang, Phillip Lim, and Robert Gellar
  • Swarovski Award for Accessory Design: Alejandro Ingelmo, Eddie Borgo, Jason Wu, and Pamela Love
  • The Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Marc Jacobs.
  • The Fashion Icon Award will be presented to Lady Gaga.
  • The International Award will go to Phoebe Philo of Celine.

    • Wondering who took home the big awards last year? Click to read up on the 2010 CFDA winners.