Womenswear Designer of the Year: Alexander Wang, Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler, and Marc Jacobs

Menswear Designer of the Year: Michael Bastian, Patrik Ervell, and Simon Spurr

Accessory Designer of the Year: Alexander Wang, Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler, and Reed Krakoff

Swarovski Award for Womenswear: Joseph Altuzarra, Ashley Olsen & Mary-Kate Olsen, and Prabal Gurung

Swarovski Award for Menswear: Alexander Wang, Phillip Lim, and Robert Geller

Swarovski Award for Accessory Design: Alejandro Ingelmo, Eddie Borgo, Jason Wu, and Pamela Love

Honorary Awards

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Marc Jacobs

CFDA Board of Directors Special Tribute: Arthur Elgort “in honor of his impact on photography and fashion.”

Fashion Icon Award: Lady Gaga “for being a fashion revolutionary impacting style today.”

Media Award, given in honor of Eugenia Sheppard: Hilary Alexander of The Telegraph

Founders Award, given in honor of CFDA founder Eleanor Lambert: Hal Rubenstein of In Style.

International Award: Phoebe Philo for Celine {CFDA}

While recuperating from a skiing accident, CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg took the time to support Oscar de la Renta’s criticism of the First Lady with the following statement:

Perhaps the First Lady should try this for the next gala. Bonus points if its made in China.

“CFDA believes in promoting American fashion. Our First Lady Michelle Obama has been wonderful at promoting our designers, so we were surprised and a little disappointed not to be represented for this major state dinner.”

Executive director Stephen Kolb adds “For a lot of designers, their ability to grow their businesses is going to be in the global marketplace. In some instances, thereâ€s really no growth in the U.S. and [these designers] need to do that to succeed. Thatâ€s important to us. So anytime that thereâ€s a stage or international setting that you can celebrate American fashion, itâ€s a good thing.” {the Cut/NY Mag}

Frankly, we’re surprised and a little disappointed that the CFDA and de la Renta are trying to position one dress, at one event as some sign that Michelle Obama is no longer a representation of American fashion, or has somehow crushed an American designer’s chances at succeeding outside of the country.

It’s been a while since any First Lady’s wardrobe has generated this much interest, so to some extent, we get the fuss. On the other hand, Mrs. Obama has – as the statement acknowledges, promoted American designers both emerging and established on numerous occasions. That includes her husband’s inauguration (Isabel Toledo during the day, Jason Wu in the evening), television appearances (Donna Ricco’s $148 black and white dress on an appearance on The View) and yes, even at state dinners (Naeem Kahn, Peter Soronen).

Plus, as the CFDA is surely aware, American design does not equal American made. In fact, browsing through a few garments by de la Renta, roughly half are made in Italy. A large number of von Furstenberg’s clothing is made in China. The New York garment district has gone from riches to rags, in part because the less glamorous, not as creative manufacturing jobs that once made American fashion a complete ecosystem have all but disappeared.

One of the more recent CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winners is Sophie Theallet, who lives and works in Brooklyn, but is from France.

CFDA member Marc Jacobs leads design for his own label, but also for a little French brand called Louis Vuitton.

At the worst, if this dress has as much power as everyone ascribes to it, it may encourage a European brand to focus on the United States as a market; the US, where Americans will likely staff stores and back offices. Maybe those people aren’t fashiony enough, but instead of politicizing the choice of a dress, why don’t we discuss ways to revive the image of the US as a fashion design and production country. China’s done it on the offer of being cheaper, Italy’s maintained their place on the offer of being highest quality. Meanwhile, the US scolds an adult woman who had the audacity to wear something she liked. Yes, that’s the problem with the American fashion industry.

Our point is that while yes, an American designer would surely love some portion of the $2.7 billion in publicity the First Lady’s fashion choices generate {the Cut}, American fashion isn’t totally American, and hasn’t been in some time. And thank goodness, because if the industry were that protectionist and fearful of celebrating talent beyond its geographic boundaries, a Dominican born gentleman and Belgian woman of Greek and Romanian descent may have never had a place in it.

This Steve Madden shoe is already the subject of a lawsuit, but that could just be the beginning once a new copyright law for fashion is enacted.

The opposing argument has always been that a today’s designers aren’t generating completely unique pieces anyway-drawing inspiration from many different places.

According to Johanna Blakely, the Deputy Director of the Norman Lear Center (a media-focused think tank at the University of Southern California), “Designers pore over vintage magazines and patterns and visit museum archives in order to find inspiration for the next season’s look, cherry picking design elements that feel fresh and in line with the current zeitgeist. It’s a refreshingly open process unhindered by legal consultations. Those archives could become battlefields where litigants try to find evidence to support their assertion that a design is or is not unique. It is worrisome that powerful people may attempt to limit access to particularly rich collections of design history and some unscrupulous types may destroy or hide rare materials that prove that their new design isn’t as unique as they claim. But just because copying is legal doesn’t mean it’s acceptable. In order to succeed, designers have to develop a signature style — a look that everyone will instantly recognize as theirs. Designers who have reputations as innovators don’t want to be accused of copying, so they have a strong incentive to come up with something new every season that’s unique to them and their signature style.” {Tech Dirt}

We couldn’t agree more. The fashion industry has always “innovated creatively” without copyrights and many hugely popular chains like H&M and Forever 21 have succeeded by imitating haute couture designs minus the runway price tag.

For now, designer labels and logos are legally protected through trademark law, however the shape and fit of the design are not. This gives retailers like Steve Madden (notorious for his almost identical shoe knockoffs) free-reign to copy, copy and copy some more. Admittedly, consumers on a budget thrive on stores like these because they care less about the name brand and more about being stylish and trendy. That doesn’t include consumers who can afford designer items, but just aren’t interested enough to pay designer prices for the style.

The breaking news is that Senator Charles Schumer recently submitted a revised copy of a bill called the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act (the original was rejected a couple of years ago), supported by the AAFA (American Apparel and Footwear Association) and CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America). The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed it yesterday, which clears the way for a vote that would make it law. {NY Mag}

We aren’t sure where it will go once heard by Congress but the fashion community is abuzz about what this could mean for fashion as we know it today. What do you think about granting designers rights to everything they design?

The Cleveland Clinic in Ohio enlisted von Furstenberg to create a patient gown that does not have the undignified back opening hospital gowns are known for, and she delivered, designing a gown that has side ties instead. She also put her signature into the work, as the gowns appear to have been inspired by the wrap dress and feature a bold, graphic print. {LA Times}

News of the more stylish hospital gown was released this summer after the new design was unveiled at the 2010 Patient Experience Summit in Cleveland, and word has been slowly spreading through the media. The LA Times reports that patient feedback has been mostly positive, with the only major gripe coming from some men who feel the design is too feminine. Weâ€re not sure how masculine these men think something that is essentially a dress can be, but we suppose it is a fair complaint.

Von Furstenberg reportedly came upon the project when she met the Cleveland Clinicâ€s CEO Toby Cosgrove at a networking conference in 2007. {Newsweek}

Jeanne Ryan, a Cleveland Clinic employee who has led the design project for the past three years, said patients†needs were the chief concern in the creation of the gowns.

“We painstakingly chose the material, which isnâ€t as easy as one would think to decide upon,” she said. “You need something heavy enough so it is not transparent. But patients†biggest complaint throughout the hospital is that they are too warm. So we wanted a light-enough weight so it is not transparent but comfortable enough that it can be worn in bed.” {Newsweek}

The previously standard hospital gowns with the back opening were created with cost in mind as well. Those gowns were relatively cheap to produce, while the new model costs roughly $9. Ryan said the team producing the new gowns did consider costs as well.

These new hospital gowns sure are more stylish than traditional ones (not to mention way more convenient since you can walk down the hall without having to hold the back closed), but the design is still not exactly haute couture, though weâ€re not sure just how much potential there even is in a hospital gown to be highly stylish. We also wonder why von Furstenberg was needed for the design. If the new model is meant for widespread use, couldnâ€t whoever normally designs hospital gowns have come up with this years ago?

In any case, von Furstenberg is to be admired for her philanthropic spirit and dedication to clothing design.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America/CFDA Foundation, Inc. promotes and supports the cause and others in the industry have partnered with the FTBC initiative like Net-A-Porter, Calvin Klein, Saks, QVC, Elson & Company and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.

When we learned about this year’s plans we thought it was an innovative and unique idea for this very significant cause. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2011, September 9-16, 2010 in New York City will kick off and Nine West has joined the relief effort, partnering with Omron, the CFDA, Sony, Marilyn, IMG Models and Elite Model Management in raising funds this year. The interesting part though is not just the awesome Nine West runway show, but  the entire week’s worth of festivities during Fashion Week that the models experience.

“The models will don a limited-edition pair of Runway Relief boots, equipped with an Omron GOSmart Pocket Pedometer, to track each modelâ€s steps as she runs between castings, fittings and fabulous parties throughout the week. For every step she takes, a donation will be made to Fashion Targets Breast Cancer. Nigel Barker will host the program on August 31st with a photo shoot of the participating models in an iconic New York location, and you can catch the live stream on Nine Westâ€s Facebook page or on www.modelinia.com.” {Fashion Pulse Daily}

If you love the boots they will be available to the public on August 31st for $199. Nothing beats great fashion and helping a worthy cause.

As winner, Théallet will receive $200,000 and, if the enormous success of the past five winners is any indication, tons of great press and a bright design future.

We love Théallet’s optimistic, classy-yet-sexy collection, and we can’t wait to see what else is up her sleeve.

Read more {LA Times}
Read more  {Vogue UK}