Every year the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) honors a variety of fashion industry creative talent with awards in several areas, including womenswear, menswear and accessories. Nominees are selected by CFDA members in March and winners are announced at a gala event at NYC's Lincoln Center in early June. For this year's awards, StyleList decided to take a closer look at some of the rising talents and industry stalwarts that would most certainly be prudent to know.

While nominees such as Joseph Altuzarra, Prabal Gurung, Alejandro Ingelmo, Eddie Borgo, and Pamela Love might be lesser known to the wider public, they have already carved out a strong aesthetic and loyal following. 2011's two special honorees, fashion journalist Hilary Alexander and legendary photographer Arthur Elgort, have had an incredible impact on the industry through their written words and images.

Below, we present the career highlights thus far of each of the aforementioned individuals.

Joseph Altuzarra
Nominated for the Swarovski Award for Womenswear, Joseph Altuzarra grew up in Paris and came to the U.S. to attend Swarthmore College, graduating with a B.A. in Art and Art History. His first gig out of college was an internship at Marc Jacobs but he quickly moved on to positions at Proenza Schouler and Givenchy. In Spring 2009 he launched his own eponymous line for the "modern professional woman," with an aesthetic that is a mix between French heritage and New York cutting edge style. He had a quick ascent, with his runway show considered to be one of the most coveted invites during New York Fashion Week. Altuzarra's styles have been featured in publications such as W, Vogue (US, Italian, French, China, Nippon, Russian, UK, and Spain editions), Glamour, Pop, T, and V magazines, amongst others.


Pamela Love
"I am really thrilled and excited to be nominated this year. It's always a great experience!" exclaims Pamela Love, who is also up for the Swarovski Award for Accessory Design. Before founding her men and women's jewelry line for spring/summer 2009, Love, a lifelong New Yorker had a patchwork of creative endeavors. She studied film and art at New York University and spent some time working as a painting assistant, art director and stylist before finding her place in jewelry. Her label blossomed out of an interest in discovering and creating jewelry that suited her taste, which rages from a devotion to American Southwestern motifs to science, astronomy, astrology, alchemy, and mysticism. The Pamela Love collection can be found across four continents and has received praise for her collaborations with friends and fellow designers Eddie Borgo, Marchesa, Yigal Azrouel, Zac Posen, and Alice + Olivia, in addition to being featured in InStyle, Nylon, Lucky, and international editions of Vogue, Elle, and Harper's Bazaar.

Prabal Gurung
Also up for the Swarovski Award for Womenswear (for the second year in a row), Prabal Gurung made his debut with his eponymous label in Fall 2009. His design ethos is centered around high-definition, precise tailoring and structure paired with elegant color-blocking and luxe fabrications. Born in Singapore and raised in Kathmandu, Gurung studied at the National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi, and after apprenticing, assisting and styling in several countries he came to NYC to further his studies at Parsons School of Design while interning at Donna Karan. After spending time at Cynthia Rowley and as Design Director at Bill Blass, Gurung struck out on his own, and has earned prestige through press clips that include various Vogue editions (U.S., UK, Korea, India, China), Harper's Bazaar, WWD, and more, all the while dressing Michelle Obama, Demi Moore, and Oprah Winfrey. His fashion award accolades to date include the 2010 Ecco Domani Fashion Fund Award, the 2010 CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Award, and a 2010-2012 CFDA Fashion Incubator recipient.


Alejandro Ingelmo
"I couldn't be more surprised, thrilled, and honored to be nominated," Ingelmo tells StyleList. "The CFDA has done so much, starting with my CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund nomination in 2008, my nomination in 2009 and now again this year, in helping bolster my career." The Swarovski Award for Accessory Design nominee is a fourth generation shoemaker from Miami, Florida, who started his womens footwear label in 2006, and added mens in 2007. His designs start wtih classic silhouettes that develop into modern statements via cutting edge and futuristic fabrications finished off with the requisite sizzling sex appeal. With a international presence via well-established retailers and magazine features Ingelmo is on his way to becoming a household name. He opened his SoHo boutique in 2010, and counts a strong celebrity base amongst his customers, including Jay Z, Justin Timberlake, and Sienna Miller.


Eddie Borgo
"It's such an honor to be nominated for the Swarovski Accessory Design Award as it reflects the opinions of the industry and my peers," Eddie Borgo explained to StyleList, adding, "It's incredibly gratifying." The jewelry designer finds inspiration in a mix of cultures and influences, meshing high and low elements such as luxe materials, industrial pieces and fetish objects with concepts from costume history, rock and roll, and a pervading New York City vibe. In college, Borgo attended classes while working at Barneys New York and Donna Karan. He began to create unique pieces for stylists in 2002, and by 2008 he made the jewelry for Phillip Lim's runway show while developing his own label. Now in its sixth season, the Eddie Borgo collection has found a home amongst global retailers and magazines, in addition to having collaborated with Marchesa, Jason Wu, Joseph Altuzarra, and Proenza Schouler.




Hilary Alexander
As the recipient of the CFDA's 2011 Media Award, Hilary Alexander has proven over the years that she can easily translate her fashion expertise to any media-related entity that may come her way. From BBC documentaries to reality TV show competitions, radio discussions, print online, and even Twitter, Alexander's reporting style brings the latest fashion news, concerns, looks, trends, and style advice in a manner that can be assertive, always fair, and certainly approachable. Arriving at the UK's Telegraph in 1985 and helming it's fashion department for almost a decade, the journalist and critic plans to retire later this year. But something tells us her industry presence won't disappear anytime soon. She has been crowned the British Fashion Journalist of the Year twice (in 1998 and 2003), and, in 2007, received an honorary Doctorate in design from Nottingham Trent University for her devotion to mentoring students and fostering young design talent throughout her career.


Arthur Elgort
With a photography career spanning four decades and imagery that is at once iconic and defining for the fashion industry and it's major players, it's no wonder that the CFDA Board of Directors' Special Tribute this year goes to Arthur Elgort. The born-and-bred New Yorker kick-started his career in 1971 at British Vogue and defined a new modern vision for fashion photography that allowed his subjects free movement, the cast of natural light, and minimal makeup. He acknowledges that his encouragement of motion while behind the lens results from his love of music and dance, in particular jazz and ballet, and has caught Kate Moss, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, and Linda Evangelista in action. He told StyleList that he absolutely loves working with Grace Coddington, and his favorite shoot was for Vogue in 1979, involving traveling to China with Nancy Kissinger; "It was very special in those days because no one was allowed to go to China from the US," he reminisces. The first stop oversees for Elgort and Kissinger was in Japan to drop off her husband, Henry, for a conference, and then they continued on to China for the shoot. With numerous international exhibits and work straddling editorial, advertising, film, and literature, Elgort is a true fashion photography pioneer, and is currently working on an extensive anthology of his career comprised of his personal and fashion photography.

Gerstein goes for the color burst: "Some cool versions of color contrasts are essie Coat Azure (shimmery cornflower blue) as a base with Aruba Blue (deep ocean metallic blue) as a tip. Or try essie Tangerine with a hot pink tip such as Super Bossa Nova. A classic twist can be Sold Out Show with Pink Parka... as seen by superstar Cassie."

And finally, what are the best tips (pun intended) to recreate the new French manicure?

According to Valinoti, "To get a clean version of the French, apply base coat (we love Stickey), paint on two coats of base color, then carefully ice the tip of the nail with two coats of desired color shade. Finish with top coat over the entire nail in Super Shiney or Air Dry."

When using decals, Valinoti's step-by-step guide has three parts:

1. Polish entire nail with the tip color first. (Do not worry about being perfect around the cuticle with the color.)

2. Let the color dry completely before applying the French manicure decals to the tips of each nail.

3. Brush on an opaque neutral to the rest of the nail and peel off the decal when finished!

Gerstein says, "The simplest way to assure perfect smile lines is to divide the nail in half and then paint from side to middle. This allows a perfect line...If you can't paint those perfect lines, Sally Beauty sells great guides for French manicures. Use them to create the lines, but super important: wait until polish is set before removing!"

If your goal is to get the true French look with just bright tips as a contrast, here's one final piece of advice from Valinoti: "Just like when wearing a bright accessory in your wardrobe, it is always best to keep the base shade neutral and warm."

Learn how to do your own manicure in under five minutes!

We first did a post on Japan relief effort-related products and donations two weeks ago, which ran the gamut from Lady Gaga's $5 wristband to Alexis Bittar's site-wide donation of all proceeds.

As time goes on, more designers and celebrities have gotten involved with Japan relief efforts in various ways, from donating goods and time, to offering a percentage of select or all sales for a span of time. It's become even easier for us all to do something, so shop, share, and spread the word about the ways in which one can give fashionably.

Fashion Girls for Japan (organized by Julie Gilhart, former women's fashion director of Barneys, and Kyoko Kageyama, of 3.1 Phillip Lim, amongst others) has coordinated a massive, two-day, NYC-based sample sale this weekend, featuring over 60 designers. Participants include Tracy Reese, Alexander Wang, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Boy by Band of Outsiders, Fallon, Altuzarra, Proenza Schouler and Vena Cava. Alll items will be discounted by 50% or more. Proceeds from the sale are going to the Red Cross, the New York City Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Fund, and Japan Society's Japan Earthquake Relief Fund. The sale will be held at The Bowery Hotel (335 Bowery, NYC) on April 2nd and 3rd (11am-7pm Saturday, 11am-5pm Sunday). There is a minimum $5 donation to enter, and you can buy your ticket in advance via the website or at the door. If you can't make it, you can make a donation of any amount above $5 via the website.

The CFDA has organized an online luxury package auction, from April 5th - 28th at CharityBuzz.com, featuring unique experiences and lavish fashions from some of the organization's members, with all proceeds going to Japan Society. Big-ticket donations include a made-to-measure Tom Ford suit, tickets to the Victoria's Secret runway show and an invite to the Elton John Oscars party.

YMI Jeans is donating $10 from every purchase on its website from March 28th - April 5th to the Red Cross' Japan relief efforts. Currently there is a 25% off sale and new spring items, such as jeans, shorts, skirts and jackets, have just arrived.

däv, a rain boot company, has teamed up with Soles4Souls to donate 2,800 pairs of rain boots to the devastated areas in Japan, just in time for the rainy season starting in April. Each pair is adorned with unique artwork created by children from Ventura County, California and the shoes will be stuffed and packaged by community volunteers.

FEED Projects' Japan Hunger Fund kicks into gear on Friday, April 1st with the FEED Japan tote bag available for purchase on its website. The bag, in white canvas with red and black lettering and a Japanese sun disc on the back, costs $35, with $10 going directly to the fund.

Aveda is showing love for the Global Greengrants Fund, which is working toward long-term recovery and rebuilding in Japan. Starting April 1st, the natural beauty company will give $1 for each person who simply goes to the"Check-in for Earth Month" tab on their Facebook page and clicks on the red "Check In" button. An additional $1 will go to the fund for everyone that checks into one of their salons via Foursquare. Other charitable options include making a donation at checkout on Aveda.com, or donating without purchasing via this page.

Charlotte Ronson will host an NYC sample sale with discounts of up to 75% and all proceeds going to Japan Society's Earthquake Relief Fund. Shop 10 am - 7 pm, April 13th - 15th, at 1071 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 301.

New Balance Japan is donating 10,000 pairs of shoes to the relief efforts, and coming up in April the company's website will give consumers the chance to give to the American Red Cross for aid to Japan.

hitRECord.org, actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt's collaborative production company is selling two red REC buttons for $5, with all of the proceeds going toward GlobalGiving.org's Japan earthquake and tsunami relief fund.

MusicforRelief.org is selling a new compilation of songs, "Download to Donate: Tsunami Relief," including numbers by R.E.M, Linkin Park, Counting Crows and more. Any amount can be donated, but $10 gets you access to more songs and selections. Additionally, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park has designed two $25 tees with all proceeds from the shirts going to the Music for Relief fund.

Tory Burch has created the Tory Burch Japan Relief tee available through her site for $29, with all proceeds being donated to the American Red Cross. Purchase the tee now through September 15th to receive free shipping.

Mackage will donate $100 from the sale of their Jadyn, Jordana, and Oceana red leather jacket styles online and in their SoHo and Paris boutiques to the Canadian Red Cross.

Links of London will give 10% from global sales of its Friendship Bracelets, priced $155-$225, until the end of May to the Red Cross in Japan. The company also plans to keep its Tokyo flagship store open for business with abbreviated store hours.

Rag & Bone is donating 10% of all proceeds now through April 11th to the American Red Cross.

MAKEUP: Val Garland for MAC Cosmetics
HAIR: Eugene Souleiman for Wella
NAILS: Pattie Yankee for Dashing Diva
SNAPSHOT: Let's Go Clubbin'

THE SCOOP: Jeremy Scott certainly knows how to bring fun and shocking elements into the fashion and beauty scene, and this season was no exception. Hair was decked out with ultra-long multicolor extensions that the Wella team hand-dyed last night, and wrapped the colored extensions around the hair for a very manga-like, Sailor Moon feel. Eugene Souleiman for Wella said his intention was "to create the hair to feel like a dream."

Val Garland for MAC Cosmetics said that the look today is "club girls in the '90s -- kinky and slinky, part of the club scene, and a little bit taboo. The girl should look clubby and doll-like." For makeup she used a bunch of bright hues such as acid green and fluorescent orange on the lids, paired with a smattering of lashes on both the top and bottom, the top of which had some fuzz to them, and she described as "furry little monsters."

Nails went glitter to the max, with Pattie Yankee mixing fine and chunky pieces to get the perfect look. She used different colors on the girls, ranging from blue, silver, orange, red or bubblegum pink, with the plan to clash, not match, with the hair and makeup.

GET THE LOOK - MAKEUP: All makeup by MAC Cosmetics. Use Face and Body Foundation, followed by one of these Paint Stick combos: True Chartreuse Paint Stick as base, followed by Sunny Spot and Landscape Green Pond as the contour; Primary Yellow Paint Stick as base, followed by Canary Yellow and orange as contour; orange Paint Stick as base, followed by orange, and cherry as contour. For eyelashes, apply individuals: No. 35 on the top, and No. 7 on the bottom lashes. Next, use the Hi Def Cyan Pencil under the eye, in order to make a a strong bright-blue line. Finish the look but applying the Cool Pink Paint Stick to the lips.

GET THE LOOK - HAIR: All products by Wella. Use Stay Essential Finish, Shape Control Wet Styling Mousse to prep hair, create two high ponytails and either a zigzag or traditional part in the back, and wrap extension around the hair as you ponytail it. Use Thermal Protector as a straightening component on the ponytails once completed.

GET THE LOOK - NAILS: Pick one of the shades of glitter you'd like to use (Yankee used Young Nails-brand glitter), put brush on glue on the finger, and dump glitter, both fine and large chunks of the same color into a shot glass and stir with a toothpick. Dip nail into the glass and then flick nails over a garbage bin to prevent glitter from going everywhere. Use a topcoat to set. To remove, she recommends the Kiss All or One Remover -- just be sure to use something that's pure acetone.

In a collection that oozed glamour, Badgley Mischka also had stunning hair, makeup and nails that brought a sexy, edgy aesthetic.

MAKEUP: Tom Pecheux for MAC Cosmetics
HAIR: Peter Gray for Moroccanoil
NAILS: Deborah Lippmann for Deborah Lippmann
SNAPSHOT: The Dark Crystal

THE SCOOP: Badgley Mischka reminded us that they are very, very good at red-carpet glamour, and always present the full package rife with similar-themed accessories, hair, makeup and nails to match the collection. Fall 2011 was no exception, as the clothes skewed into a darker palette of predominantly black with a large bling factor, also found in the beauty elements of the show.

Eyes glistened and gleamed in silvery metallic shades at the helm of Tom Pecheux, lead makeup artist for MAC Cosmetics, who said that the look is "how to revisit Hollywood -- celebrities, makeup and glamour in the '40s to '60s. I took the dramatic red-carpet makeup and twisted it. What surprised me with Badgley Mischka this season is that it is very dramatic; a lot of black, and brings the drama that we love this season."

Peter Gray for Moroccanoil shared that "films such as 'Dark Victory,' 'All About Eve,' Catherine Deneuve in 'The Hunger,' and 'The Women,' and socialites inspired the look. There is so much crystal in the clothes; it's like a wartime party -- very beautiful." His look consisted of four separate elements: chignon, rope twist, upward rolled French pleat, and a diamanté strip adhered to a diagonal hair part. "It's important that glamour becomes accessible," Gray divulges, and recommends trying one element of the style to get a glamour element into the everyday.

Deborah Lippmann was fresh off of her return from the Grammys, with everyone backstage was abuzz over the nail she created for Lady Gaga for the awards show: a color called Yellow Brick Road, due for release in April. The nail she created for the Badgley Mischka show was equally stunning. The artificial half-moon nail had a subtle gold and silver shade as the moon, with sheer black and huge chunks of red glitter at the tip. "I created 250 artificial nail tips for the show, three to four different ones for each girl, as everyone has different-sized nailbeds," Lippmann shared. "This nail is a '50s-inspired almond shape, which is to me, the most beautiful."

GET THE LOOK - MAKEUP: All makeup by MAC Cosmetics. Use Studio Sculpt Foundation and Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder for the face. Next, heading to the eyes, use Seaside Cream Colour Base as the base, followed by Weathered Prolongwear Eye Shadow and Moody Eye Shadow in the crease. On the inner rim, create the banana-shape with the Smolder Eye Kohl and finish lashes with Hot & Naughty Lash on the top and bottom lashes, being sure to first curl the lashes. Finish the look by using One of a Kind Lipstick.

GET THE LOOK - HAIR: All products by Moroccanoil. Make a low part on one side, slightly zigzagged. Rope-twist the hair on the left side, securing in the back with an elastic. blow-dry the hair straight on the right, using Moroccanoil Hydrating Styling Cream and a flat paddle brush. Spray Luminous Hairspray on each section, curl with a 1-inch curling iron, rolling curls upward. Let hair cool, brush out curls, backcomb a bit, and create an asymmetric French twist, starting with the temple and working back to the nape of the neck. Pull remaining hair in the back into an elastic and roll it, along with the hair from the left side, into an asymmetric chignon. Finish off with Glimmer Shine Spray, and pull a few wisps out of the top of the right-sided French plait to give a slightly disheveled look. The last step: cut a thin diamanté strip to the proper length of the part, and adhere with eyelash glue, right onto the part, which can be easily taken off with makeup remover. Secure at the base with a pin.

GET THE LOOK - NAILS: Lippmann shared the easiest way to duplicate this at home, which starts with a trip to the beauty-supply store to buy the half-moon decals. Stick the half-moons on the nail, and paint the tip in Ruby Red Slippers. Peel off the sticker and paint in the moon with Believe, using a tiny art brush. The nails can be adhered with Formula 10 Hurry Up Nail Glue Dryer. She offered a great tip to artfully achieving the moon nail: Keep your hands steady. In order to do so, be sure to either keep both arms on the table, or if you prefer to paint in the air, brace your arms into your ribs for stability.