What to Expect From CFDA Awards Host James Corden

It’s been a meteoric rise to success for James Corden. Since taking over The Late Late Show this year, the British comic has found himself starring in parody ads with David Beckham and on the runway for Burberry Prorsum in Los Angeles alongside Naomi Campbell. Now he’s tackling his greatest fashion feat yet: hosting the CFDA Awards on June 1. In advance of the ceremony, we caught up with Corden to talk personal style, his take on the fashion set, and who’s a better model—him or Derek Zoolander.

I have to say, I’m really excited to see you at the CFDA Awards.

Well, I’m very nervous about it. I don’t really know what I’m going to say. I feel like my fashion knowledge is not great, so we’ll see.

But you have a lot of good fashion experience already.

Do I?

You posed with David Beckham, you were on a runway for Burberry—not just anyone gets to do that. Plus, Naomi Campbell taught you how to model.

She did.

How were you first approached about hosting the CFDAs?

Anna Wintour, who is a very, very wonderful and supportive woman, said, “Do you want to host the CFDAs?” And I said, “Yes.” That’s pretty much how it happened.

A lot of award shows typically involve some skewering of the guests. Is that something that we might expect at the CFDAs this year?

That’s not really my style. I’m much more about fun before funny. I’m going to try and make it a warm place to be, and one that’s fun, where people are relaxed and have a nice time. That’s what I’d really love to do.

Fashion people can tend to take themselves pretty seriously. Are you concerned that they might be a tough crowd?

You say that, but actually, my experience of people in fashion is that they’re very, very lovely. Christopher Bailey asking me to close [Burberry’s] runway show is the best example of someone not taking himself hugely seriously. My experience of meeting people in fashion is that they take what they do very, very seriously, but don’t necessarily take themselves hugely seriously in that respect. I hope they’re up for some fun.

Is there anyone you’re looking forward to meeting at the ceremony?

Pharrell, I think, seems to just have that ability to wear anything and it’s fine and it looks great. If I wore one of those hats, I’d just look a dick, whereas he just seems to be able to pull off anything he ever wears. So I’m looking forward to seeing what threads he’s rocking that day.

In your experience so far with fashion, have you gotten any really good styling advice from anyone?

It’s easier for a man because you’ve just got to put a suit on. You just got to cut it right, and Tom Ford is someone who’s been very—it’s very difficult to wear a Tom Ford suit and look terrible, you know? I don’t have a massive amount of fashion experience, really, but I enjoy it. I think ultimately, what it is, is that [fashion] is a group of people who essentially makes you feel good every time you leave the house. And that’s a wonderful thing, to gain any sort of confidence when you put on a good jacket or a good shirt, pair of pants. That’s why I’m very, very grateful to them.

Could you allude to anything else that we might be able to expect at the CFDA Awards?

I’m thinking about opening with a song. I don’t know what song or what it’s going to be, but I’m thinking about opening with one.

Bold.

Yeah, but we’ll see. I might not.

You closed the Burberry show in London, and earlier in the year in Paris, Derek Zoolander closed Valentino. Do you feel that there’s a little bit of a rivalry between you and him?

Oh, no. Derek’s the king of the catwalk, you know. I could never compete with Blue Steel. No way.

Do you think he might come to this year’s CFDA Awards?

I don’t know. I think they’re shooting in Europe, right? But if he’s there, that would be amazing.

You could have a walk-off.

[laughs] We’ll see. It would be incredible.

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