Michael Kors Sets the Table for the CFDA's Class of 2026

Before anyone collects a trophy, there is dinner. Michael Kors did the honors on Thursday night at Café Zaffri, where the Council of Fashion Designers of America's board gathered to raise a glass to the designers in the running for the 2026 Fashion Awards. The contenders themselves were in the room, in the company of the people who run the business they hope to be crowned by. It is a yearly fixture on the board's calendar, and a gentler occasion than the ceremony still to come: no envelope, no stage, just a good table and the pleasure of having been asked. For a nominee, the invitation is the first prize of the season.

With reporting from Vogue.