American Originals

The CFDA moved its annual Fashion Awards nominating party from the rooftop gardens at Rockefeller Center to the second floor of Diane von Furstenberg's more intimate Meatpacking District digs. This meant that the evening's nominees quite literally rubbed shoulders with the big crowd that came out to congratulate them—not that anyone seemed to mind. Perhaps it was the mild, pre-spring weather, but this year's event didn't clear out quite as quickly as it has in the past.

For Jason Wu, his Swarovski Award for Womenswear nomination (which he shares with Joseph Altuzarra and Prabal Gurung) was the cherry on top of an already outstanding couple of weeks. There was his meeting with First Lady Michelle Obama at the Smithsonian, of course, but what really had him smiling was the taping he did with The View a few hours earlier; he had the iPhone pic with Whoopi Goldberg to prove it. (Warm up your DVRs; it airs Friday.) "They had Carolina Herrera on last week," Wu said, "and to be in that kind of company is really amazing."

Michael Kors, on the other hand, was in a company of his own last night. How does the 50-year-old, whose business, believe it or not, will turn 30 next year, feel about receiving the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award? "I have to say, I still feel like a kid," he said. "You go around being called a young designer forever, and the next thing you know, you're at this point. But every day, there's still something new."

How's this for something new? After winning the Swarovski Award for Womenswear last June, Alexander Wang has joined the big leagues. The 25-year-old is nominated alongside Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan for Womenswear Designer of the Year.

Burberry's Christopher Bailey will receive the International Award, and the Board of Directors' Special Tribute Award will go to the late Alexander McQueen.

Click for a complete list of the evening's nominees >

—Nicole Phelps

"Still Rocking 'n' Rolling"

Seeing Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning dolled up in their Young Hollywood best before the screening of Floria Sigismondi's The Runaways last night made it tough to think that they could accurately portray two queens of early L.A. punk. But we're happy to report that their heavily styled red-carpet looks were deceiving. On screen, in Joan Jett's black mullet and Cherie Currie's feathered blowout, respectively, Stewart and Fanning convincingly snorted drugs in airplane bathrooms, made out together, and danced around in leather trousers and bikini bottoms.

The two still-teenage stars holed up on an outdoor patio at the Tommy Hilfiger-sponsored Bowery Hotel after-party behind a pair of security guards. Of her turn as a gritty, bi-curious rocker, all we could get out of Fanning was that she had fun playing the part. Chloë Sevigny was much more chatty, talking hair with Currie herself, who's now a chainsaw artist working in the San Fernando Valley. Turns out that in the 1997 film Gummo, Sevigny based the blown-out mane of her character, Dot, on the Runaways' album covers. Flattered, Currie asked: "Can I put that on my Facebook page?" And what of Currie's cohort Joan Jett? "I'm still rocking 'n' rolling," she told Marika Thunder, artist Rita Ackermann's 11-year-old daughter, who was wearing a Runaways T-shirt and had asked for an autograph. "It's what I do."

—Derek Blasberg

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United Women

Diane von Furstenberg and Tina Brown celebrated International Women's Day with the first-ever DVF Awards on Saturday night, decorating the United Nations' fifties-era cafeteria with low-lying black and white graphic-print sofas and hot pink throw pillows. "I transformed the U.N. into a nightclub," the designer joked. She also recruited bossa nova queen Bebel Gilberto to perform, but the evening attracted no ordinary crowd of night crawlers. Christiane Amanpour and Meryl Streep were presenters, while Charlie Rose, Iman, and NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly numbered among the guests.

Streep presented Ingrid Betancourt, a former senator of Colombia who was kidnapped by FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) guerrillas during her presidential bid and held captive for over six years, with a $50,000 grant. "You know, I used to be a cheerleader," the actress said. "I wish I could still do a double flip and a Chinese split, because I would cheer for these ladies." Accepting her award, which will help her foundation fight social injustice, Betancourt replied, "I don't know who's more distinguished, the presenters or the winners." Earlier, in the green room, she related a bit of her ordeal: "When I was abducted, one of the things that amazed me, even in that place in the jungle, was that the girls who were my guards managed to have their fashion. Fashion is very cultural, and it's a way of expressing yourself. It's one of the important things to get people together." You don't have to tell that to von Furstenberg and her hot pink pillows.

—Bee-Shyuan Chang

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"We're Off the Clock Now"

To say that everyone at Giambattista Valli's dinner at Caviar Kaspia was excited to finally let their hair down after a month of shows would be an understatement. During dinner—co-hosted by Moncler, where he designs the Gamme Rouge collection—Valli found himself dancing on tables, tossing cherry vodka shots down the banquettes to his friends, and asking his girls to shuffle their legs to let other dinner guests crawl under the table. "Ah, but c'mon, now is the time to celebrate," Valli smiled, as he projected his face on the wall via a customized lighter with a flashlight on the bottom. "I have about one night to celebrate before it's back to work."

He wasn't kidding: Sitting directly across from him was Charlotte Dellal, the shoe designer for whom Valli is designing a summer wedding dress—and with whom he had scheduled a fitting the next day. "But Giamba, let's not do a fitting tomorrow. I've eaten too much," Dellal protested, looking at a baked potato that had been strip-mined for its caviar. Not that all the toasting was fashion-related; next to Dellal was Elettra Wiedemann, who had just finished her master's thesis on vertical farming. "What's that?" Valli asked. But before Wiedemann could fully explain her idea to build farms in metropolitan centers, it was time for another shot: "To vertical farming!"

Over at the Pavillion Ledoyen, meanwhile, Spike Jonze screened one of his newest shorts for Jefferson Hack's Dazed & Confused party. With so many obligations, much of the fashion flock got there on the late side, effectively forfeiting their moments with the filmmaker and the English publisher (they disappeared early, never to be seen again!). Not that this did anything to discourage lingering: "I'm going to have a cocktail," Leigh Lezark said. "We're off the clock now." She was right: With all the models, editors, DJs, and other fashion professionals done for the season, not to mention the rest of Parisian youth up for a good night, the Dazed party was loud and it was good: In fact, it ended at a sunrise-scary 5 a.m. "See you next season!" Lou Doillon, who had hustled a group into her caravan, cried out into the Paris night.

—Derek Blasberg

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Isn't It Iconic?

David Yurman's international efforts have been at full force in the past few years, taking the American brand to China, Korea, and, as of Monday night's shop opening at the Printemps department store in Paris, to Europe. To help celebrate, a whole smattering of international fashion fans came out to show their support, from the Far East (actress Fan Bingbing) to the East Coast (photographer Peter Lindbergh). But David Yurman's favorite person? Catherine Deneuve. "You can't get much more French than that!" The Yurmans' welcome to France wasn't entirely smooth sailing: Soon after landing, both David and his wife, Sybil, who founded the company three decades ago not long after marrying, got the flu, leaving them bedridden for much of the night. But with son Evan now taking over more and more of the business, the slack was picked up. And in addition to her son, Sybil had a little local help. "Tonight I've given myself an additional prescription: macarons," she said, munching on some of the goodies brought in from Ladurée.

From one side of the Seine to the other, the store party circuit continued. Pete Doherty, a man who's had a well-publicized dalliance or two with some of fashion's favorite faces, was playing a gig to celebrate the refurbishment of the Joseph store on Paris' Avenue Montaigne. The singer, who accessorized his look with some Chanel pins, hasn't lost his onstage charisma. "I definitely see it: He looks so boyish, and he's such a romantic. All his songs are about a girl," said Tatiana Santo Domingo, who had squeezed near the front with friends Eugenie Niarchos and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld. "Although you should take him home and put him in the bath first," came a reply. Also appreciative was Suzy Menkes, standing smack-dab in front with a big smile on her face. "He was splendid," she said. (Apparently, the International Herald Tribune fashion critic has been bitten by the live-music bug and is even thinking of hitting the festivals. "I asked her to come to Burning Man with me this year, and she said she would come if my grandmother did," Margherita Missoni revealed. "Well, my grandmother said yes!") After the concert, Doherty and co. moved upstairs. "We're going up for some cocktails, cakes, and guitar," his pal Irina Lazareanu said. "My three favorite things."

—Derek Blasberg

Off-Screen Action

The Elton John AIDS Foundation's annual black-tie Oscars viewing party is less high-pressure than the big show itself, which has its perks: You can table-hop, talk freely over the telecast, and take a bathroom break whenever you feel like it. Joaquin Phoenix, Will Smith, and Victoria Beckham were among the dinner guests taking full advantage of the less-than-hushed atmosphere to make their voices heard. A whoop went up when Mo'Nique got her Best Supporting Actress statuette. "I've got goose bumps!" Eva Amurri exclaimed. After the main event, Simon Cowell got in on bidding at the post-show auction, Miley Cyrus dropped by following her presenting duties, and the host himself took a moment to laud Kathryn Bigelow's historic win as "so great, and so well deserved."

Then Grace Jones—having just played a Viktor & Rolf bash in Paris a few days ago—took over, with a performance that incorporated her signature hula-hoop moves and frequent headwear changes. Kate Mara and Hayden Panettierre were among the many pretty things to shake off their shoes, although Panettierre fretted that without her heels, "I'm not even normal-human-sized!" At least you're not at the Oscars, Hayden, where every shoeless step would be broadcast to the world.

Meanwhile, over at the annual Vanity Fair after-party, the winners were arriving for their victory lap, golden new additions in tow. Don't feel too sorry for the empty-handed—they got the consolation of wearing gorgeous new dresses for the evening's second act. The hems got higher, naturally: Nominee Anna Kendrick traded in her blush pink Elie Saab Haute Couture from the ceremony for a shorter, white Saab confection, and presenter Amanda Seyfried swapped her Armani Privé for cocktail-length Valentino Haute Couture. VF draws from ranks wider than just Hollywood, and Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, figure skater Evan Lysacek (with his ardent admirer and costume designer, Vera Wang), and snowboarder Shaun White were on hand to hobnob, too. The Flying Tomato was still celebrating his own victory—on the slopes of Vancouver, not the stages of the Kodak—with a patriotic outfit of red, white, and blue. Not an easy look, but lucky for him, gold goes with everything.

—Darrell Hartman