“Stay put,” one guest said breathlessly to another from behind a pillar in the American Natural History Museum lobby. “I think I see Amber Valletta in the dress posing with Donatella [Versace].”
Correct he was, and it was one of the most-talked about moments from the red carpet at the 2025 CFDA Awards, held Monday in New York. The model turned heads in a recreation of the iconic Versace green navel-grazing gown she wore on the 1999 runway, then made famous by Jennifer Lopez in 2000.
“When we were talking about what I was going to wear, she asked, and…,” began Valletta, making her way into cocktails hand-in-hand with the designer.
“I said, let’s have the jungle dress,” said Versace. “Everybody in the world knows this look. And her face.”
The red carpet and cocktail hour were starry as ever, with guests like Julianne Moore, Addison Rae, Naomi Watts, Leslie Bibb, Laura Harrier, Lily Allen, Michelle Williams, Naomi Campbell, Tyriq Withers, Olivia Dean, Britt Lower, Gabriette, Alex Consani, Renee Rapp, Mark Ronson and Grace Gummer, Sombr, Louisa Jacobson, Brittany Snow, Bernadette Peters and more turning out in their American finest.
Teyana Taylor, who hosted the evening’s ceremony, was one of the biggest stars during the cocktail hour, her every move followed by cameras.
“ This is my first time ever hosting anything like this, so I’m really, really excited to host, to celebrate people and, you know, also be celebrated myself,” she said on the carpet. “It feels really good to be acknowledged. I’m really excited, nervous, and excited at the same time.”
Watts wandered back onto the carpet, Jonathan Simkhai trailing behind, to greet her “All’s Fair” costar. “You calm my nerves,” said Taylor, holding both of Watts’ hands as the actresses squealed.
Chloe Fineman, on Taylor’s other side, took the entry to introduce herself.
“You are so amazing,” gushed Fineman, praising Taylor’s performance in “One Battle After Another.” “You better win a f-cking Oscar. It’s beyond. You made that movie.”
Model Gabbriette, who is planning her wedding to The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, revealed how her outfit for the night was in fact “a wedding dress option that I dyed black last minute because I figured I was gonna wear it and all my plans changed.”
The final arrival of the night belonged, as always, to A$AP Rocky, who was honored with this year’s fashion icon award.
“I just think it’s so cool to see someone that has felt like they’ve always gone to the beat of their own charm with fashion and it being a boy,” praised model Precious Lee. “And I think of something really cool about A$AP receiving this, just giving us all the couple goals in the world. I think it’s really cool to be here and celebrate a black man from Harlem.”
“Being nominated a third time for this award is really moving because it shows continuity in what I’m doing,” said Willy Chavarria, up for the menswear designer of the year. “But the winning of the award is actually not the most important part. I honestly feel like I’ve won just by being here.”
