Ralph Lauren was admitted the most favorite American designer. He received the first-ever Popular Vote award winning the majority of the 15,000 online votes.

Mr. Lauren, whose fans are style stars Blake Lively and Angelina Jolie, accepted his award wearing a tuxedo jacket and jeans.

Rodarte sisters – Kate and Laura Mulleavy – got Womenwear Designer of the Year, that is absolutely deservedly!

Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez were awarded with Accessory Designer of the Year.

Alexander Wang amazed everyone wearing shorts to the ceremony but this didn’t bother him and Subversive’s Justin Giunta to take home the Swarovski Awards for young designers.

Marc Jacobs was given the International Award for his work at Louis Vuitton while the First Lady Michelle Obama received a Special Tribute for being a walking billboard of support for the fashion industry.

Michael Kors created the metallic one-shoulder mini for the mom-to-be Heidi Klum. This is what he said about it:

It’s a cousin of a dress from my collection.” Klum commented jokingly: “You mean this dress isn’t straight off the runway?” Her dress was perfect and looked pretty on her new figure. But those sky-high Louboutin spikes didn’t seem so adequate for her. But Heidi just said: “Nah, I’m a model, this is what I do.”

Blake Lively arrived a bit late for the event but she was able to make quite an entrance in her neon pink scissor sheath from Michael Kors.

Presenter Diane Kruger looked stunning in a Jason Wu lipstick red faille dress with micro beading and Swarovski embroidered epaulets.

Mr Wu was shining when, via video tape, CFDA Board of Directors’ Special Tribute award winner Michelle Obama told she was thankful to “the many designers who so graciously and beautifully play a part,” in her First Lady style.

Kerry Washington showed off in her wonderful gunmetal gown created by Doo Ri.

“She designed this dress for me,” she said smiling.

Michelle Trachtenberg was also a nice-looking star accessorizing her Behnaz Sarafpour dress with nearly one million dollars in Tiffany diamonds. She obviously didn’t feel much comfortable wearing it:

In red carpet pictures, you’ll often see me touching my necklace. That’s because I’m so terrified of losing something that I periodically check to make sure everything is still there.”

Claire Danes was wearing an embroidered black silk crepe gown from Narciso Rodriguez. The girl always stays true to the designer.

They have been friends since Rodriguez dressed the then 17-year-old actress for her first Academy Awards.

Nicole Miller confessed:

I designed ten dresses for Melissa to choose from.” She was speaking about Melissa George who wanted to have the perfect look for the ceremony. “But in the end, we ended up choosing a dress from my latest collection.” George replied giggling: “Now I have ten new gowns to take home with me!”

Despite the fact Zoe Saldana told it “takes a village,” to keep her looking chic, Calvin Klein’s Francisco Costa begged to differ.

Look at her, she’s perfect! You just have to do her justice,” Costa said of dressing the star, who wakled beside him to the CFDA after-party, hosted by Calvin Klein Collection.

The evening wouldn’t be so interesting unless some of Hollywood’s most outstanding people helped celebrate emerging designers at the 2009 CFDA Awards. Among those we can mention Molly Sims (in Dolce & Gabbana), Kirsten Dunst and Justin Timberlake.

GQ creative director Jim Moore received the Eleanor Lambert award and was personally honoured by Justin Timberlake and Emmanuelle Chriqui.

It turns out I’m a guy who could pull off wearing a kilt,” Timberlake, who is the co-creator of the William Rast line, said of Moore’s influence on his fashion sense. “Who knew?”

Some designers are used to the ceremony and are not surprised to hear their names in the list of awardees. But there are some who are quite new to the fashion industry and still can’t believe they are honored to be at the event and receive the award. Now I’m talking about Rodarte.

It’s so hard to be up here when we think where we started, making clothes in our house three years ago,” said Kate Mulleavy. “We never thought we’d be a part of this world.”

• blake lively pink dress
• visionaire
• kate and laura mulleavy
• Blake Lively at a fashion show jason wu
• undress kate and molly
• PHOTOSHOOT BLACK AND WHITE DRESS
• kerry washington pink dress
• Kate Mulleavy
• diane kruger naked dress
• diane kruger CFDA Awards