"She's not a mere mortal like the rest of us," Gyllenhaal said of Paltrow, "she's an Internet-savvy, chicken-cooking, Academy Award-winning, octo-lingual, or something like that, lifestyle guru. Thanks for making all of us look lazy."

Emma Roberts, Molly Sims, a maybe-pregnant Rachel Zoe and Cara Buono of "Mad Men" circulated, hitting the Calvin Klein beauty bar and doing some stargazing of their own, mostly directed at crowd favorite Keaton.

"Women know that depth of feeling is an intelligence," Keaton said in her acceptance speech, recalling her long career on film playing opposite women, "and that's its own kind of romance." 

Swooning didn't stop there, as mom Goldie Hawn presented her daughter with a trophy and recounted the story of Kate's birth. Hudson, now a mother herself, gave a shout-out in her speech to the Elle photo retouching team.

Chastain received the Calvin Klein Collection breakthrough award, as she has about a dozen films in the hopper -- including "Tree of Life" with Brad Pitt.

"I guess I'll miss leaving the house in sweat pants," Chastain said of her forthcoming exposure. "They'll just have to be really fabulous sweat pants now." 

L'Oreal Paris lady Kerry Washington is a fashion fan herself, but will put on her serious face for the upcoming "For Colored Girls," the major ensemble starring her, Whoopi Goldberg, Thandie Newton, Phylicia Rashad and more.

"This material is so important, not just to women of color but in the canon of American literature. I had to bring my A-game every day," Washington said. 

Work and play went hand in hand for Coppola and her date, Stephen Dorff, the star of her new flick "Somewhere," which looks at a fast-living actor entrusted with the care of his young daughter.

"I think after 'Marie Antoinette,' which was so girlie and frilly, I wanted to do the opposite and tell it from a guy's point of view," Coppola said. "But Elle Fanning is in there, I've got the female point of view."

What do you think of Elle's honorees? Tell us in the comments section below.

-- Matt Donnelly