- Title: USA: Designers big night at annual fashion awards
- Date: 5th June 2008
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) DESIGNER FOR CALVIN KLEIN, FRANCISCO COSTA, SAYING: "The CFDA has done so much for fashion today and for young designers. It's very tough times for us. It's not easy and the CFDA is standing very strong behind us all so it's great. It's great to be part of it and it's a big family."
- Embargoed: 20th June 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA2M8OK67HZPEX4SDK4PK1JAVZS
- Story Text: The 2008 CFDA Fashion Awards honoured top designers for contributions in Menswear, Womenswear, Lifetime Achievement, and other categories. On the red carpet attendees reflected on the legacy of Yves St. Laurent.
Designers, fashion editors, and a who's who of starlets descended on Midtown Manhattan for the annual Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards ceremony on Monday (June 2). For many in the industry, the event is likened to the Oscars, with peers assessing each other's talent.
The 2008 CFDA Fashion Awards, hosted at the New York Public Library, paid tribute to talent in menswear, with Tom Ford a force on the red carpet.
Ford said the awards are validating:
"Your peers nominate you and vote on you. So when you receive validation from your peers people within the industry who know how hard things are, and how hard it is to come up with something new and to execute things beautifully it's great. It's a wonderful validation and something I'm very proud just to be here tonight."
Actress Eva Longoria of Desperate Housewives agreed with the sentiment of the evening.
"It's like the Oscars of fashion. I love celebrating the people who've accomplished so much and there are so many people to recognise. These people change the world through fashion and so it's nice to be a part of that.
It's pop culture and part of this whole fashion industry," she said.
It was a particularly memorable night as many reflected on the legacy of renowned designer Yves St. Laurent, who death was announced on Sunday.
Designer Carolina Herrera, honoured with a lifetime achievement award, took time on the red carpet to offer her insight into the contributions of Saint Laurent.
"He dressed the women the way they wanted to be dressed and he's been copied by every designer you have seen around and he's a great loss. He used to have a sense of colour and a classic sense and he never changed and his clothes can be worn now because they're timeless."
She wore white in honour of the designer.
Designer Tom Ford said Saint Laurent was special to many in the industry.
"He was the first designer to put women in pants suits, the first designer to also show women in see-through blouses, completely transparent.
And he did a lot I think to reflect what was happening in our culture at that time which was the liberation of women, and we still live in that world today in terms of fashion. I think that his style will resonate for a long time."
On the red carpet, Francisco Costa said that the CFDA has supported designers and does so even in a tough business environment.
"The CFDA has done so much for fashion today and for young designers. It's very tough times for us. It's not easy and the CFDA is standing very strong behind us all so it's great. It's great to be part of it and it's a big family."
Victoria Beckham, wife of football star David and a presenter for the evening, commented on being a muse for Marc Jacobs.
"For me it was just such an honour. I'm such a fan of Marc's and for me to do the campaign is a huge honour, very, very exciting."
Familiar faces like Naomi Campbell, actress Eva Mendes, and actress Kim Catrall also made appearances on the red carpet at this year's CFDA awards.
Honourees for the evening included Carolina Herrera for a Lifetime Achievement Award and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for a Board of Director's Special Tribute. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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