To say Teyana Taylor is having a busy fall would be a vast understatement.
The triple-threat is fresh off a global press tour for the new buzzy Ryan Murphy series, All’s Fair, shut down the Vogue World: Hollywood runway with a Black Panther tribute, and is also hosting the 2025 CFDAs in New York City tonight. Did we mention that she is also currently enrolled in culinary school, too? “I enrolled at the busiest time of my life—I didn’t think that all the way through,” laughs Taylor over the phone this morning, just a few hours before the CFDAs madness. “But I made the commitment, and I’m not going to allow everything I have going on to be an excuse not to lock in. I take pride in being a straight-A student—and making sure I get my work done, no matter what.”
Hosting the CFDAs is a brand new venture for Taylor, though it is not her first time attending the annual ceremony, which celebrates the best of American fashion. The star recalls her first time attending in 2019, when she attended as the guest of designer (and now CFDA chairman) Thom Browne; she has been a fixture on the red carpet since. “I had a blast,” says Taylor of that night six years ago. “I was juggling the ins and outs of being my own stylist, and trying to figure it out. It’s so dope to now be hosting the CFDAs all these years later.”
How, exactly, does one prepare for such a hosting gig? Taylor says she wanted to bring fun and levity to the special night. “I’m not your average host—when I do it, I definitely want to do my best and put my all into it,” she says. “I was literally up all night preparing my script to make sure it was perfect—that it was fun, authentic, and me.” The current political and economic climate as challenging as it is, Taylor wants the evening to be uplifting. “We’re shedding light on much-deserved talent and designers, so I definitely want the room to be full of laughs, and to keep it warm and fuzzy,” says Taylor.
Given Browne was the first designer to dress Taylor for the CFDAs back in 2019, when she wore his black-and-white blazer, it was only natural that the star would turn to him again for her hosting duties. This evening, Taylor will sport four different looks from Browne—a mix of custom, archival, and fresh-off-the-runway looks. “I really wanted to be in Thom Browne from head to toe all night—he was the person who believed in me when no one else did,” says Taylor. “I wanted to shed light on a person who has given me a chance.”
Kicking off the night with her red carpet look, Taylor chose a white tuxedo suit blazer embellished with Swarovski embellishment details. She enjoyed that it was a more contemporary twist on suiting up. “The look is fab,” she says. “It’s a suit—but a Thom suit. It’s so nasty, very suited and booted, and clean.” As the show progresses, Taylor will then change into other smart tailoring designs. “I always feel so confident in his clothes,” she says. “Tonight’s theme is structure; we played with different shapes and silhouettes.” (Spoken like a true fashion star.)
When her CFDA hosting duties are over, you won’t find Taylor hitting up any of the lavish after-parties. “I have to go home and do some [culinary] schoolwork,” she says. “I have some cooking to do!” Her new series, All’s Fair—costarring Glenn Close, Kim Kardashian, Sarah Paulson, and more—premieres on Hulu tomorrow night as well. “I’m excited for [fans] see a show full of women showing up for one another and being present,” teases Taylor.
