Michael Bastain

Last night's CFDA Awards were a decidedly star-studded affair, what with Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Sofia Coppola, Jessica Alba, Gerard Butler, Naomi Watts, and host Anderson Cooper spending time on the stage. Cooper had to leave early because of "that Weiner thing," or so Diane von Furstenberg said, but otherwise the audience received plenty of face time with their star of choice--there were even a couple of moments when one could forget this was, you know, a fashion industry event. But only a couple.

The CFDA Awards are a time to reflect on the amazing work of American fashion designers and industry professionals. (And a chance to wear an evening gown, which doesn't come around as much as I wish it would.) In honor of tonight's ceremonies, we've rounded up our favorite looks from this year's CFDA nominees and I've got to say, they're all pretty amazing. From Pamela Love's hefty gems to 3.1 Phillip Lim's quirky dudes, the CFDA noms are a diverse bunch. Hurry up and click through to see the best of the best of American fashion and place your bets on tonight's winners.

On Thursday night, The Ace Hotel got to feel cool when GQ took it over for a party celebrating the nominees of their fourth annual Best New Menswear Designer, which they award in conjuction with the CFDA. The nominees included Kirk Miller (of Miller’s Oath), Patrick Ervell, Riviera Club’s Derek Buse, Joe Sadler and Greg Ullery, Alex Wang for T, Michael Bastian for Gant, and Rick Klotz, the mad genius behind Warriors of Radness. Alexander Wang was announced the winner this afternoon. He was chosen by a panel that includes Tommy Hilfiger, GQ editor-in-chief Jim Nelson, creative director Jim Moore, and others, and will receive $50,000 and a contract to collaborate with Dockers (last year it was Levi's, a match made in heaven for Billy Reid, who took home the prize).