Erykah Badu earns icon honor, Kylie Jenner surprises at 2024 CFDA Fashion Awards

NEW YORK – A herd of elephants is poised to march toward an unsuspecting Kylie Jenner.

Thankfully, the elephants are just for show. On Monday, at the annual CFDA Fashion Awards at the American Museum of Natural History, guests were greeted with massive dinosaur skeletons and taxidermies of lions, tigers, and bears (and fashion, oh my!).

If the Met Gala is the Super Bowl of fashion, the Council of Fashion Designers of America's annual event is the industry's Oscars, highlighting the top talent in American design from womenswear and menswear to accessories and emerging talent.

During the crisp October night at the museum, Jenner snuck past the bulk of the white carpet but stopped for one last photo before joyfully embracing Schiaparelli creative director Daniel Roseberry with a singsong "Congrats!"

The youngest of the KarJenner sisters joined a top-tier guest list at the awards dinner, with a life-sized blue whale hanging overhead as fashion A-listers from Law Roach and Marc Jacobs to Paris Hilton and Blake Lively dig into the dinosaur puff pastry-topped chicken pot pies.

The guest list runs the gamut, but the phone camera is the great equalizer: André 3000 snaps selfies with his tablemate, as does TikTok influencer Alix Earle later in the night. GloRilla and Coco Jones laugh as they sit next to one another, while Tyla, Teyana Taylor and Troye Sivan make the rounds.

"Can y'all dress? Well, I can, and that's why I'm here," said Erykah Badu, the fashion icon recipient, a topper on a music and fashion career that's filled with toppers of her own: hats, turbans, head wraps and the ilk.

"Because (fashion is) a sport for me. … I don't feel right if I don't leave the house and my (style) is not together, you know what I mean? It's just something I need to do. I want to do. It's my therapy. It's my workout. It's my husband. No offense," she said to ex and musician André 3000, who introduced her.

The Outkast rapper nodded to Badu's unpredictability in his opener: "When Erykah said to me, 'I got some good news to tell you,' I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know if she was going to say 'I'm pregnant' or 'I'm in a new relationship,'" he joked. "In our excitement and celebration, we say something to the effect of 'Woo! This the one, and what took them so damn long to recognize this.'"

2023 CFDA Awards: Serena Williams accepts fashion icon award from Kim Kardashian, Khaite wins big

Recognition was shepherded by host Cynthia Erivo, who admitted she is "an avid shopper, much to my business manager's dismay," and challenged "unwilling nemesis" Jacobs to a "nail duel" for both of their extravagant nail art.

It's a true celebration: Everyone gets a standing ovation, but not in a participation trophy kind of way; it's earned in every thread, stitch, runway and culture moment crafted.

CFDA Fashion Awards get political ahead of election

Politics was on the menu, even before dinner was served.

Ella Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris' stepdaughter, shared in the festivities, with Secret Service in tow as she traipsed around the room in her Coach gray marled and plaid ensemble, and a purse customized with bag charms. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., also urged attendees to vote in the 2024 election on Nov. 5.

Days before Halloween and a week until the presidential election, the evening could have skewed costume or performative. But the celebrity attendees donned authenticity, as did the designers who took home honors during their speeches.

Election news: Bad Bunny, JLo, Ricky Martin support Harris after Trump rally Puerto Rico comments

Willy Chavarria, this year's menswear designer winner, urged those in the room to go beyond voting and speak directly to people in their lives.

"It's kind of a strange thing in the air, you know we're eight days away from the election," Chavarria said. "I think we all have this strange discomfort maybe in our hearts. I do know that so many people in this room are very concerned about their rights and very concerned about our existence as a people, as women, as immigrants, as people of color, as queer people, as trans people, there is a lot to be concerned about. … I want to remind us that we need to talk to the people who may not be concerned about their own rights, people (who) don't have as much on the line" with the election.

The Essentials: Fashion designer Willy Chavarria reveals the celebrity he's dying to dress (and he did!)

Chavarria said he has "family that is not looking to be on the right side of history," but noted, "those are the people we really need to talk to … and we need to speak to them about us and who we are and how we would be affected."

"Diversity in humanity makes us much stronger," Chavarria said.

Raul Lopez of Luar, who took home accessories designer of the year, ended his emotional speech with a phrase in Spanish: "Que viva los Latinos," or "long live the Latinos."

Bodies were on display days before control over one's own might be decided in the voting booth. Daring cutouts defined Victoria Monét's black LaQuan Smith gown or Alex Consani's handprint dress, while Aweng Ade-Chuol's white gown looked dipped in water and cut up the sides to her hips. Darren Criss went shirtless under a cropped tuxedo jacket, paired with a billowing fuschia tulle skirt, courtesy of Christian Siriano, who snapped photos on his phone while photographers' cameras flashed.

CFDA Awards in 2022: Lenny Kravitz talks fashion icon status, Kim Kardashian accepts honor (plus Cher!)

CFDA Awards winners span generations

Michael Kors earned the positive social influence award, presented to him by his friend and frequent runway show guest Lively, who praised his philanthropic efforts.

Other winners of the night included Henry Zankov of Zankov for emerging designer and Rachel Scott of Diotima for womenswear designer.

Roseberry, whose designs for the Paris maison have transcended talent and skill into another realm of creation, earned international designer of the year. (Earlier, his parents beamed with pride and Schiaparelli gold adornments as they awaited his big night.)

Celebrity and fashion photographer Annie Leibovitz, renowned for her iconic cover images for everyone from Miley Cyrus to Serena Williams and Whoopi Goldberg to Demi Moore, was honored with the media award, and introduced by top Vogue editor Anna Wintour (who managed to throw a little more shade at Naomi Campbell in her opening remarks).

Stephen Burrows, the last living of the American designers from the iconic 1973 fashion showdown dubbed the Battle of Versailles, was lauded with the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award.

Coach's Coachtopia offshoot and designer Stuart Vevers received the Innovation Award presented by Amazon Fashion. Vogue editor Hamish Bowles took home the founder's award. The late Cuban-American designer Isabel Toledo, who designed Michelle Obama's inaugural outfit, received the board of directors' tribute, newly named after her and accepted by her husband, Ruben Toledo.

Glitzy after-party gets GloRilla performance

GloRilla got the fashion set wild across the park at the Central Park Boathouse for the glimmering after-party, where attendees were shuttled over from the museum in black sprinter vans.

The rapper performed her biggest hits du jour, including "Yeah Glo!," "TGIF" and "Tomorrow 2," with WNBA star Angel Reese front and center in the crowd rapping along to all the lyrics, still looking like an Old Hollywood starlet in a white gown with feathers draped around her arms.

Earlier in the night, French singer Yseult belted out new song "MTV" to the CFDA Fashion Awards crowd, her powerhouse vocals bringing the crowd to its feet with applause.

Back at the after-party, hosted by Coach and Amazon Fashion: A sweets bar (and a real open bar) welcomes attendees, the DJ spins while a swan ice sculpture overlooks VIP areas and wait staff pass around mini burgers and fries on silver platters. Kathryn Hahn pops up after midnight, Charles Melton talks in a small group and Joey Bada$$ holds court.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kylie Jenner, GloRilla, Blake Lively: CFDA Awards honor fashion icons