This year was Michael Bastian's sixth time being nominated for a CFDA's Menswear Designer of the Year Award — and while he didn't win (this year's honor went to Thom Browne), he said just getting the nod from his peers is an incredible feeling. "It never gets old, and you never stop getting nervous, and I'm a hot mess at the moment," he said standing next to his label's public relations director, Eugenia Gonzalez, just moments before going into the ceremony.
Industry heavyweights Cynthia Rowley, Michael Bastian, and Alexis Bittar met at FIT to dole out advice and talk about the beginnings of their careers with a group of fashion aspirants from across the country.
Mickey Boardman of Paper magazine moderated the discussion, clad in a leopard-print cardigan and a necklace from Givenchy. "With luck and a lot of hard work you can make it to the middle the way I have," he said, making the audience giggle for the first of many times that evening. Stylist Lori Goldstein and Saks Fifth Avenue executive Terron Schaefer joined the conversation, which touched on everything from the panel members' zodiac signs (Schaefer, like Anna Wintour and Glenda Bailey, is a Scorpio) and how they started their careers (Bittar sold vintage jewelry from a table on St. Mark's Street in New York City when he was 13 years old).
The stories were memorable, but perhaps the most valuable tidbits for the intern-filled audience — many of whom were participants in the YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund Program — were pieces of the panel's sage advice.
Photo: From left, Cynthia Rowley, Mickey Boardman, Alexis Bittar, Lori Goldstein, Michael Bastian, and Terron Schaefer.
>> Prabal Gurung, Proenza Schouler, Eddie Borgo, and Alexander Wang all took home CFDA awards last night, and in honor of the newly-crowned winners, we rounded up a few of their most covetable pieces currently on the market, for your perusal.
>> This evening at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, fashion's finest gathered for the 2010 CFDA Awards. Jak & Jil's Tommy Ton snapped photos of the arrivals, J.Crew's Jenna Lyons introduced herself to Isabel Toledo, and the ever-punctual Anna Wintour was later than usual, appearing after the pre-awards cocktails were in full swing.
Wintour put on her signature shades for the ceremony itself, but off they came when International Award winner Christopher Bailey thanked her (along with Tom Ford and Donna Karan) — in fact, she was beaming. Later, she got on stage to present Michael Kors with his Lifetime Achievement Award — he received a standing ovation — and told a story about how she went on a trip to Jamaica with Kors; when Ralph Lauren arrived, Kors got in the ocean and stayed there for hours because he didn't want Lauren to see him in his swimsuit.
Speaking of Lauren, he received the Popular Vote for the second year running — although he wasn't in attendance this evening. Sarah Jessica Parker, dressed in a custom gown by new Alexander McQueen creative director Sarah Burton, presented Lee Alexander McQueen posthumously with the Special Tribute Award, noting that the designer had "the most beautiful hands I've ever seen," before models took the stage in the designer's last works.
Accepting her Fashion Icon Award, Iman thanked her parents for the longest neck on any model at any go-see in the world and joked to husband David Bowie: "Move over. You're not the only icon in the house." And finally, Marc Jacobs scored the Womenwear Award — he thanked bloggers for his win and said to Robert Duffy: "i want to thank [Duffy], without you this dream would never have come true."
And the winners are . . . (nominees here):
Abbey Lee Kershaw will play the tambourine with boyfriend Matthew Hutchinson's band, Our Mountain, this week at Pianos in New York.
Gant by Michael Bastian is launching a womenswear collection for spring 2011.
The fourth Gap and CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund collaboration (featuring designs by Sophie Théallet, Monique Péan, and Patrik Ervell) will be on sale June 3 at a pop-up store at 680 Fifth Avenue in New York.
Yi Fang Wan, Phillip Patterson, and Alex Mullins take the top prizes at the Central Saint Martins fashion show in London.
Source: WireImage
>> At the CFDA meeting earlier today, the board voted overwhelmingly to re-elect Diane von Furstenberg for a third, two-year term as president of the organization. Von Furstenberg, whose term would have originally come to an end after this year, will now serve until Dec. 31, 2012: “[The board] unanimously asked me to stay another two years and I said yes. I am happy that they love me and I love them. There is so much more to do and we’re doing it.”
And this evening, von Furstenberg held a cocktail gathering for the 2010 CFDA Award nominations announcements at her studio. She noted that the awards ceremony on June 7 at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall will host a special tribute for Alexander McQueen, and the Popular Vote category, which is open to public voting and which Ralph Lauren won last year, will be back again this year, with voting starting April 1.
Kate Moss is designing a line of handbags for Longchamp.
Ryan McGinley made a video during the Pringle campaign shoot with Tilda Swinton—and this is not your typical music-over-broll clip.
Lancôme signs on to sponsor Victoria Beckham's New York Fashion Week presentation.
The first fashion shows of 2010—at Pitti in Florence—highlight ecological, technological, and classical values.
Fashionable gin drinkers rejoice: Jeremy Scott revamps Tanqueray's packaging.
Alessandro dell'Acqua returns with a new collection called N° 21—the designer's birthday and lucky number.
Classic American menswear brand Gant is back with Michael Bastian at the helm.
>>In the CFDA Awards aftermath, the images of Raquel Zimmerman modeling each nominated designer's duds, which were produced for a book handed out at last night's award ceremony, have appeared, albeit in small form, featuring Raquel wearing chain eyelashes under her eyes for the Rodarte shot, and a crazy punk wig for the Subversive Jewelry photo.
Mark your Blackberry calendars — Gap Design Edition, Take Two makes its much-anticipated entrance tomorrow, April 15. Cutting-edge women's white shirts and dresses, designed by 3.1 Phillip Lim, Threeasfour, Band of Outsiders, Michael Bastian, and more, will be available both online and in stores.
Last year jewelry lovers and men were neglected, this year Philip Crangi has whipped up black and white resin cuffs, and Michael Bastian has created a men's white shirt.
The newest crop of Gap Design Editions are going to be in stores before we know it: April 15 is only a few weeks away! For this round, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Band of Outsiders, Michael Bastian, and Threeasfour all riffed on the classic white button-down ($78-$88), and Philip Crangi whipped up black and white resin cuffs ($45). I still wear the Rodarte Design Edition top I picked up last year; it's definitely not your typical white shirt. But I have to ask: Should the GAP be enlisting these designers to take on a different wardrobe staple? I would have loved to see what this group could do with a more affordable LBD. Nonetheless, for those who missed the Design Editions the first time around, get ready to pounce!
To see the designs up close, read more
