The Most Memorable Looks from the 2025 CFDA Fashion Awards
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A night dedicated to fashion excellence, cultural celebration, and modern American style. These were our favorite looks from the evening.
An inspiring night unfolded in New York as the 2025 CFDA Fashion Awards returned to the American Museum of Natural History, gathering a powerful cross-section of designers, artists, cultural voices, and style leaders. The evening felt like a living reflection of the American fashion ecosystem, where legacy and innovation sit side by side and where creativity is treated not simply as glamour but as meaningful cultural expression.
The CFDA Awards have long stood as the highest recognition in American fashion, and this year continued that tradition with a program rooted in honoring designers who shape how we see and dress ourselves. Categories spanned womenswear, menswear, accessories, emerging talent, and creative achievement. One of the most anticipated categories, American Menswear Designer of the Year, featured a compelling lineup: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for The Row, Mike Amiri for Amiri, Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta for Eckhaus Latta, Thom Browne, and Willy Chavarria. Seeing these names together spoke to the breadth of modern menswear in the United States, ranging from tailoring and quiet luxury to conceptual experimentation and street-inflected design.
The nominees for American Womenswear Designer of the Year further illustrated that range. Ralph Lauren, Tory Burch, Wes Gordon for Carolina Herrera, Rachel Scott for Diotima, and Daniella Kallmeyer for Kallmeyer each represent a distinct vision for what American womenswear can be. From heritage luxury to modern romance to independent craft-driven design, this category highlighted how diverse the landscape has become and how many different perspectives are shaping the future of American style.
Beyond competitive categories, the night also honored individuals who have made a lasting cultural impact. A$AP Rocky received the Fashion Icon Award, a recognition of his role at the intersection of music, luxury, street culture, and personal style. Donatella Versace received the Positive Change Award, reflecting her influence not only as a designer but as a force for progress and global creative leadership. These honors served as reminders that fashion moves culture forward not only through clothing but through personality, presence, and purpose.
The guest list underscored the significance of the evening. Olympic champion Sunisa Lee, along with rising pop figure Addison Rae, attended, with Rae taking the stage as a presenter. Other presenters included Amber Valletta, Ariana DeBose, Ava DuVernay, Benito Skinner, Christopher John Rogers, Jennifer Fisher, Julianne Moore, Leslie Bibb, Naomi Campbell, and Nicole Phelps. Their presence added a cinematic and cultural gravity to the evening and reinforced fashion's deep connections to entertainment, art, and storytelling.
The museum setting contributed to the tone of the night. Surrounded by history and monumental scale, the awards felt anchored in significance. Guests moved from arrivals to dinner to the ceremony, creating a rhythm that supported the idea of fashion as both ceremony and celebration. There was warmth in the room and a shared understanding that everyone present was part of a larger creative community contributing to something lasting.
More than anything, the evening was a reminder that American fashion is continually evolving. It honors legacy while embracing change, experimentation, and a widening definition of beauty and creativity. The 2025 CFDA Fashion Awards reinforced that fashion in the United States is not just an industry. It is a cultural force, a storytelling tool, and a living record of how style, identity, and imagination intersect.
Here are some of the chicest moments from the night that captured the spirit of the event:
