Even at fashion industry's frothiest gala, politics is still the preoccupation

Washington

EVERY year, Seventh Avenue honours its own when the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) hands out its annual awards in a sparkling ceremony celebrating the year's best clothing and accessory designers. The gala dinner, which was scheduled for Monday night, has been described as the "Oscars of the fashion industry" - a shorthand that captures the esteem in which the awards are held by the fashion community as well as the self-congratulatory nature of the proceedings.

The CFDA awards typically do not have the white-hot star wattage of the Oscars, except for appearances over the years by "fashion icon" honorees such as Beyoncé and Rihanna and certain presenters, whom this year include Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington, and Jon Bon Jovi; Seth Meyers will serve as host. Mostly, it's a night that puts the spotlight on the men and women who make fashion's magic possible: designers, makeup artists, editors and photographers.