June 03, 2008 12:07 PM  (go back to main view)
Fashion's Oscars: CFDA Honors the Year's Best
Victors! Francisco Costa and poster girl Eva Mendes
It’s always marvelous, as well as a relief, when the victors of any contest are truly the most deserving. In the case of last night’s Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards, (most of) the winner’s circle couldn’t be more entitled.
The coveted Womenswear Designer of the Year award went to Francisco Costa, marking the second time in three years of nominations that he took the prize for the Calvin Klein Collection (The first was in 2006). There’s an engaging feature on this talent in last month’s Harper’s Bazaar, penned by Sarah Bailey. Newly anointed Calvin Klein underwear model Eva Mendes presented Francisco with the trophy.
Tom Ford scored the Menswear Designer of the Year. Hot on the opening of a grand salon at Bergdorf Goodman this week, this should be very good for business. Conidering the reverence which Tom is paid by most of the fashion press, it's tough to get a handle on whether his new incarnation is truly bringing home the bacon. Certainly, there are plenty of men out there who still find the name synonymous with women's wear, the provocative ad campaigns that resemble Oui covers notwithstanding. And Tory Burch won for her accessories, which, as Booth Moore wrote in this past Sunday’s L.A. Times Image section, can be seen everywhere, whether they carry her label or that of another (cheaper) brand. That they heavily suggest the costume jewelry in an old aunt's coffers versus the new ideas of another peer pushing fashion forward matters not. This designing powerhouse is bringing home the bacon and frying it up in a pan.
The incessantly innovative Dries Van Noten scooped up the International Award; The ever-elegant Carolina Herrera, the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award; and the ever-effervescent, if not effusive Candy Pratts Price accepted the Eugenia Sheppard Award.
Rodarte Fall '08 [Photo by Marcio Madeira]
Most exciting, though, is the winning line-up for the Swarovski Awards: Rodarte's Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the dynamic sister duo who continue to surprise and inspire both with their work and personal ways, will be returning to their Pasadena home with the the prize for Womenswear. The Menswear nod went to another L.A. prodigy, Scott Sternberg for Band of Outsiders. And the Swarovski Award for Accessories went to Philip Crangi.
The major score, however, was the program, tell me friends who attended last night’s event at the New York Public Libray. CFDA prez Diane von Furstenberg ran a tight ship that brought the event in around 90 minutes. Perhaps, the producers of the Academy Awards could give her ring. The bicoastal designer certainly has friends in Hollywood.
[Photo of Francisco Costa and Eva Mendes © 2008 Patrick McMullan]

Blog Comments (1):
Posted by  on June 07, 2008 4:03 AM
i've been researching how to find those rodarte cob-webby stockings for the past month and a half. have got no idea where to find them, i'm sure it's more simple than i'm making it out to be. want to wear them on stage. hope all's well!!
xx
Add a comment
Name
E-mail
E-mail
Password

Rose Apodaca is a pop culture and style journalist and the co-owner of A+R, the design retail lab in Los Angeles, and its online sister http://www.aplusrstore.com. She contributes to Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Glamour, Paper, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, Style.com, Preen and other publications, and consulted on the launch of Image, The Los Angeles Times newest style section. Her first book, Style A to Zoe: The Art of Fashion, Beauty & Everything Glamour, an all-encompassing lifestyle guide written for celeb stylist Rachel Zoe, is now in paperback and hit The New York Times bestseller list in September 2008. She is currently wrapping up a biography on Fred Hayman, co-founder of Giorgio Beverly Hills and marketing architect of Rodeo Drive, as well as co-authoring a beauty book with neo-burlesque queen and style icon, Dita Von Teese.

A+R is located in Silverlake and on Abbot Kinney in Venice, CA.

Rose helmed the west coast bureau of fashion-industry bible Women's Wear Daily and was a contributor to W for six years until March 2006, when she left to join partner Andy Griffith in A+R and focus on related projects. She has long championed Los Angeles and California style and design, from the streets and runways to interiors and food. She is the first recipient of the Los Angeles Fashion Awards Communications Prize for bringing global attention to the region's fashion industry and style culture. With A+R, she continues to showcase rising and undiscovered talent from around the world.
 
In addition to co-owning Beauty Bar Hollywood and Las Vegas, she is a conspirator-in-camaraderie with several artists and designers showcased under A+R or related projects. Rose and Andy, who tied the knot in September 2007, live in Silverlake.

* All photographs appearing on this blog were snapped by Rose with her Leica D-Lux 3, unless otherwise noted. Please credit all photographs accordingly.

Visit The Store (click below)
SNAPSHOT OF THE MOMENT
La Vie en Rose on Le Town
DecadesTwo
W Articles, Features, and More on Style.com
Beauty Bar ~ Cocktail Lounge
View All Uber Links (17)
  1. TOGEL HONGKONG