Monday night, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) gave out their prestigious awards to the best and brightest of the industry. The gala affair marked the organization's 50th anniversary and came complete with a red carpet and plenty of pomp and circumstance. We salute the talented winners and nominees in the following categories:

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen of The Row took home the award for Womenswear Designer of the Year. Proenza Schouler and Marc Jacobs were also nominated.

Menswear Designer of the Year was won by Billy Reid, who inched out fellow nominees Simon Spurr and Patrik Ervell.

Accessories Designer of the Year went to Reed Krakoff, who was nominated along with Alexander Wang and Proenza Schouler.

The Founder Award was given to Andrew Rosen of Theory, who graciously accepted the honor from Kenneth Cole.

Rising talent was also celebrated at the gala. The Swarovski Award for Womenswear went to Joseph Altuzarra while the Swarovski Award for Accessories Design went to Tabitha Simmons. Phillip Lim won the Swarovski Award for Menswear.

The CFDA recognized street style photographers when bloggers Garance Dore and Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist accepted the Media Award.

Johnny Depp was awarded the Fashion Icon Award and Rei Kawakubo received the International Award. Tommy Hilfiger took home the prestigious Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award.

For all of their accomplishments and for making our world (and our closets) a more beautiful place, we salute all the nominees and recipients of this year's CFDA Awards. They and their amazing creations are most certainly Character Approved.

[Image: Styleite]