Inside Lana Condor’s Glamorous Night Hosting the Costume Designers Guild Awards 

Lana Condor s 2021 has been eventful. Like many, the 23-year-old star of the To All the Boys romantic comedies had to adjust to the virtual nature of the year, but Condor has kept herself busy. She’s been promoting the final installment of her Netflix film series, executive producing her first series Boo, Bitch, and purchasing her first home with her boyfriend, Anthony de la Torre. This week Condor found time for another new experience: hosting the Costume Designers Guild Awards. 

As host, she honored the behind-the-scenes talents who keep movies fashionable. Enthralled by the world of costume and production design since childhood, Condor found the opportunity impossible to pass up. “[This] one of the highlights of the past year for me, for sure,” she shared via email. “I haven t been on a stage in person in a minute, so it was refreshing and energizing for me! I am so passionate about costume design and am always so in awe and grateful towards the costume designers I get the privilege to work with, so it was such an honor to get to celebrate their immense artistry properly.”

As one of the rare IRL events to happen this awards season, the socially distanced ceremony demanded a standout look. Together with stylist Tara Swennen, Condor went all out, selecting a sleek black lace gown by Christian Siriano and Prabal Gurung’s peplum- and feather-accented jumpsuit from his dance themed fall collection. “We’ve worked on so many different projects together, and I’ve got to say this event was one of the more fun and fantastical events we got to collaborate on because we just got to have fun and celebrate fashion on the highest level” says Condor. “When I arrived at our fitting, there were just the most exquisite racks of gorgeous heaps of fabric and glitz, and I knew we would be in for a huge treat.” 

 Glamour was on the night’s itinerary, but Condor also wanted to use her platform to support Asian talent. “[It was essential for the both of us,” she says. Swennen pulled racks of ready-to-wear finery, but Gurung’s dramatic design immediately caught Condor’s attention. “It’s elegant yet energetic in design, which I felt would fuel my persona on stage while hosting,” she says. “We also couldn’t resist a costume change, so we went for a delicious Siriano that made me feel very confident and proud in my skin. [That’s] something to celebrate every day. It’s the essence of costume design; bringing through a character in full force and with confidence!" 

 Condor’s favorite moment from the night involved the media she grew up with. Meeting Salvatore Perez, the man behind the lively fashions of Pitch Perfect and Veronica Mars, elevated her entire evening. “He is such an icon and has created some of the most beautiful and special costumes for shows and movies I love so much, so it was really special for me to meet him,” says Condor. “His presence is warm and inviting, and he showed up wearing an incredible face mask he designed himself, and of course, I wanted one too!” 

 With her hosting duties wrapped, Condor heads into her next challenge—executive producing her first series. “I’m definitely still figuring the producing world out, but I am enjoying all the ups and downs,” she says. “This has been unlike any year I’ve had so far in my career and personal life. I ve been able to focus on lining up the next year and a half with projects I’m genuinely excited and passionate about.” Watch this space!