BEYONCE AND MARC JACOBS ARE THE BIG WINNERS AT THE CFDA AWARDS 2016

Beyoncé, Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan took home the biggest prizes at the CFDA Awards last night, as the fashion industry’s finest turned out to celebrate the best of American style.

The annual ceremony, held in New York, is hosted and judged by the Council of Fashion Designers Of America and also celebrates other global talents who have made an impact on fashion in the US. Gucci’s Alessandro Michele was given the International Award, acknowledging his meteoric rise to fashion fame, and a posthumous tribute was made to the true style icon, David Bowie.

On the CFDA red carpet, the best date to have on your arm is a designer – hopefully they’ll lend you a frock for the night, too, earning you bonus style points amongst your fellow, equally stylish, attendees. Elizabeth Olsen came on the arms of her sisters, The Row designers Mary-Kate and Ashley, while Rosie Huntington-Whiteley worked Michael Kors on the arm of, well, Michael Kors, obviously. 

 

 

 

CFDA chairwoman Diane von Furstenberg presented Beyoncé with the night’s top gong, the Fashion Icon Award, a prize that has previously been given to Pharrell and Rihanna. The Lemonade singer used the moment to thank her mum, Tina Knowles, who she credits as the biggest influencer on her wardrobe.

‘My mother and my Uncle Johnny, God bless his soul, designed all of our first costumes and made each piece by hand, individually sewing hundreds of crystals and pearls, putting so much passion and love into every small detail,’ she explained to the crowd. ‘My mother actually designed my wedding dress, my prom dress, my first CFDA Awards dress, my first Grammy dress, and the list goes on and on and this to me is the true power and potential of fashion.’ 

 

See a full list of CFDA 2016 winners below

Womenswear Designer of the Year
Marc Jacobs

Menswear Designer of the Year
Thom Browne

Fashion Icon Award
Beyoncé

Accessories Designer of the Year
Mansur Gavriel: Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel

Swarovski Award for Womenswear
Brandon Maxwell

Swarovski Award for Menswear
Orley: Alex Orley, Matthew Orley, Samantha Orley

Swarovski Award for Accessory Design
Paul Andrew

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award
Norma Kamali

The Founder's Award in Honour of Eleanor Lambert
Donna Karan

International Award
Gucci: Alessandro Michele

The Board of Directors' Special Tribute Award
David Bowie

The Media Award in Honour of Eugenia Sheppard
Imran Amed, editor-in-chief of The Business of Fashion.