Designer to the stars sews up top award for women’s wear

THE Council of Fashion Designers of America has again named Narciso Rodriguez, a red carpet favourite of Sarah Jessica Parker and Salma Hayek, as the country’s best women’s wear designer.

Rodriguez, known for sleek, formfitting gowns, won for the second year in a row.

Ms Parker and Calvin Klein, Mr Rodriguez's mentor, handed out the award at the annual CFDA gala.

Rodriguez, who previously worked for Mr Klein, said that when he left the famous design house 10 years ago to launch his own label, a supportive Mr Klein told him that fashion was a difficult business in which true success was rare.

"A few nights ago, he (Klein) said that I was doing it and I was doing it well," said Mr Rodriguez.

Ms Parker, the host for fashion's equivalent of the Academy Awards, ironically didn't include a Rodriguez gown in her wardrobe for the evening.

Instead, she wore a dress designed by each of the gala's three chairmen: a strapless pink and white polka-dot dress by Carolina Herrera, a nude-coloured dress with a white sequin hem by Vera Wang and a black dress with spaghetti straps and a handkerchief hem by Mr Klein.

She arrived on the red carpet at the New York Public Library in a rose-coloured Oscar de la Renta with a jewelled pin at the hip.

When Adrien Brody presented Michael Kors with the menswear design award, the Oscar winner quipped: "Security was tight. They checked my label at the door."

Renee Zellweger said she wore elegant long gloves to complement her ivory-coloured gown by Herrera because her date, Vogue editor at large Andre Leon Talley, who received a fashion journalism award, is a fan of a lady in white gloves.

Picking a gown for a fashion event is no easier or harder than choosing other red-carpet outfits, Zellweger said. "I don't really know my look but this dress fit and it's so pretty."

Talley, though, knew how to describe Zellweger. "You are my postmodern Audrey Hepburn," he said.

Lauren Bacall picked up Nicole Kidman's fashion icon award because Ms Kidman was unexpectedly called to Los Angeles to finish work on the film "The Human Stain."

Ms Bacall said she has become close with Ms Kidman because they've just completed two movies together.

Ms Bacall said she admired Ms Kidman's work ethic, and ability to look "pretty great" at 6am without make-up on.