Great Outfits in Fashion History: Alek Wek Brightening Up the 2003 CFDA Awards

Last Updated: 31 January 2022

Model Alek Wek attends the "2003 CFDA Fashion Awards" at the New York Public Library on June 2, 2003 in New York City

Photo: Evan Agostini/Getty Images

There are perfectly good celebrity style moments, and then there are the looks that really stick with you, the ones you try desperately to recreate at home. In 'Great Outfits in Fashion History,' Fashionista editors are revisiting their all-time favorite lewks.

Alek Wek can command any room she enters, any runway she walks down, any campaign she appears in. There's a reason why she's one of the most iconic supermodels in the world. Another: She's been a consistent source of outfit inspiration, from her original late-'90s model-off-duty style to her penchant for bright, eye-catching red carpet gowns, like the electric slip dress she wore to the 2003 CFDA Awards.

Now, that year was a particularly strong one for the CFDA Awards, in terms of producing all-time Great Outfits. There was Jane Krakowski in a mint-green embellished mini, Eve in a beloved Alexander McQueen runway look, Renée Zellweger going full old Hollywood in a vintage Carolina Herrera gown and evening gloves. Still, even among so many memorable ensembles, Wek's lime green satin dress — with its draped neckline, open sides and high slit opening up at a bedazzled brooch pinned at the hip, accessorized with a jewel-tone-print head scarf, strappy sandals and an embossed leather clutch — stole the show. The color alone is enough to turn heads, but the impeccable fit on Wek and the confidence she brought to it really make it.