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| Gloria Guinness Eleanor Lambert, the late style arbiter and founder of the Best-Dressed List, called Gloria Guinness “the most elegant woman in the world.” (Click on images for larger views) |
The International Best Dressed List was founded by Eleanor Lambert in 1940. It was her “brilliant publicity
ploy to boost the drooping American fashion industry at the outset of World War II” and it soon became a
highly visible and well respected barometer of style, a “Who’s Who” of the most glamorous women in the
world. The first lists mainly included wealthy society women who were famous for “spending entire fortunes
every year on haute couture” while movie stars, who were dressed by their studios, were rarely named to it.
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| Past Best Dressed CZ Guest at home |
Of course, the mantle was eventually passed to Vanity Fair Magazine, and the
International Best-Dressed List has been revealed there exclusively since 2004. The International Best-
Dressed Poll keepers are Amy Fine Collins and Reinaldo Herrera, both of whom have been inducted into the
Best Dressed Hall of Fame. Their annual September Issue includes their “Mega List”, which has evolved into
a highly coveted placement that includes every sort of public figure, from socialites and models to movie
stars and politicians. This year, for the very first time, they opened up their annual Best Dressed List to
the public, inviting readers to send in their choices, and even vote for themselves, enabling them to win a
spot on their 2013 International Best-Dressed List.
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| Past Best Dressed Jacqueline de Ribes photographed by Richard Avedon |
But, let’s face it. What is “best dressed” for one person may not be for another. There are many ways to
define it. It’s all so subjective and arbitrary and hardly an exact science. And anyway, “best” lists,
which lay claims to the “best in the world” for a specific category, are not only kind of ridiculous, they
are theoretically impossible, because no one person or organization can possibly say they scoped out the
entire world in search of the ultimate candidates. Undoubtedly, there are many more worthy souls yet
undiscovered – they just haven’t made movies, paraded on red carpets, found themselves in gossip columns,
been subjects of fashion websites, mugged for the paparazzi outside fashion shows, or enlisted the aid of
pr mavens to get their mugs photographed here there and everywhere. So it’s all to be taken with a grain of
salt.
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| Past Best Dressed Diana Vreeland |
While Vanity Fair is the gold standard, they are hardly alone in this crowded playing field, and there
are many best dressed lists out there, with unsurprisingly, many of the same obvious names being
mentioned. Regardless, I still wanted to compile my own list and put my own spin on it. I selected 21
women, with different styles, who consistently stand out for me, each in their own way. This is a
representational sampling; it’s not possible to list everyone, and while I kept thinking of other names I
wanted to include, I knew I had to stop at some point. (FYI, just as I was done, I read the August Issue of
Bazaar, their “Personal Style” issue, which includes a portfolio “Most Stylish Women”; among their 12, 3
were on my list).
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| Past Best Dressed Babe Paley |
I did not adhere to any hard and fast rules, nor was I looking for some unattainable ideal of perfection
(quite the opposite in fact). Long gone are the days of Best Dressed fashion icon Babe Paley, who was
dubbed “America’s Most Elegant” by Women’s Wear Daily. Truman Capote once wrote of his dear friend: “Mrs.
P. had only one fault, she was perfect, otherwise, she was perfect”. And it had once been said, “she never
had an un-chic day”. But, what the heck IS “Chic” anyway? Who gets to decide? And, what’s wrong with being
imperfect, and being un-chic from time to time? Nobody is perfect, everyone has an off day (well, almost
everyone) and anyway, I happen to think that imperfections, or flashes of bad (or unquestionable) taste,
are what make the overall look “perfect”.
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| Past Best Dressed Slim Keith was named “Best Dressed Woman in the World” in 1946 |
While all those who made my list may not necessarily pass the Babe Paley “Chic” test 24/7 (well maybe a few
), they do possess other
commonalities. They are confident and self assured and all have a strong sense of self. They all
understand cut and proportion and are good editors when it comes to their own choices, and they seem to
intuitively know what will work for them. They are not fashion victims who blindly follow trends. They
“own” their personal style: it’s organic.
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| Past Best Dressed Audrey Hepburn on the set of Charade 1963 |
They have an undeniably consistent personal, individual and recognizable personal style, day AND night.
It’s not about just looking great when you’re dolled up for special occasions,but having great style,
period. I was hardly looking for, nor was I interested in, red carpet glamour “babes” (and certainly not
the ones who routinely show up in borrowed and predictable strapless, boob pronounced, figure hugging
fishtail gowns) because that is artificial and manufactured. If I did include several red carpet habitués,
it is only because they consistently stand out from the pack, they break the mold, and they exhibit strong
personal style in every other facet of their lives.
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| Past Best Dressed Grace Kelly with her Hermes Kelly bag |
I also think that looking comfortable (comfortable in one’s skin and comfortable literally), is a crucial
element. While there’s a time and place to wear sky high heels that might be difficult to navigate the
streets in, I can’t imagine any of these women hobbling along on stilettos while running errands during the
day time and quite frankly, women who embrace flats and great looking low heeled footwear, get special
kudos from me. I completely agree with Coco Chanel who opined: “Fashion has two purposes: comfort and
love. Beauty comes when fashion succeeds.”
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| Past Best Dressed Jacqueline Kennedy with her iconic Gucci shoulder bag |
I have tried to select pictures for each woman that best illustrate why she was chosen.
Obviously, I had to rely on existing images that were available to me and in some cases, I used pictures
that went back several years (when I deemed them as ‘defining’), but I always made sure to include the most
up to date pictures as well. And anyway, my list is not “Best Dressed for 2013”, but “Best Dressed” period!
Great style is great style, but there is no expiration date and, quite frankly, I think it’s interesting to
record the natural evolution of their looks through the years.
In random order:
2013 Best Dressed Stylists/Muses/Fashion editors
Vanessa Traina
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| Vanessa Traina attends Paris Fashion Week Spring Summer 2013 Photo: See Vanessa Traina in Balenciaga |
What sets her apart:
Vanessa’s chiseled features, angular good looks, and long lanky frame, are in perfect harmony with her
rigorously pared down, edgy, minimalistic (if not severe), fashion persona. She dresses almost entirely in
black, or in graphic combinations of black & white, and you will almost never see her wearing color or
pattern. It’s easy to understand why she is not only a sought after stylist, but has been labeled a muse to
a new breed of young influential fashion designers like Joseph Altuzarra and Alexander Wang. Even her
wedding gown was out of this world, a custom- made creation by Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy.
Giovanna Battaglia
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| Giovanna Battaglia in Junya Watanabe black leather biker coat 2012 Photo: See Giovanna Battaglia with Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld |
What sets her apart? This former model and muse to Dolce & Gabbana, was Fashion Editor at L’Uomo Vogue and
currently works in New York as a contributing fashion editor at W. She exudes such chic energy and wears
clothes (day and evening), with such confidence, that I must admit she is probably at the top of my
personal list. She experiments with every proportion, loves color and pattern as much as black and white,
and is a WOW. She has such innate elegance, she can pull of even the most daring style, and she always puts
her own youthful, glamorous, and modern stamp on the trends du jour (which she loves to stay on top of with
a vengeance, arriving at all the top fashion shows in every city, looking as though she stepped off the
runway- sometimes literally). But to her credit, she never looks like a hopeless fashion victim, owing to
her amazing sense of style. While she can probably get away with almost anything, she is a great editor
when it comes to her own wardrobe choices. I’ve never seen her not look enviably fantastic, regardless of
what she was wearing, or what the occasion.
2013 Best Dressed Creative Director for popular fashion label
Jenna Lyons
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| Jenna Lyons at the Met Gala 2012 Photo: See Jenna Lyons at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week March 19, 2013 |
What sets her apart? Not everyone can be 6 feet tall, like Jenna, or claim an annual salary of somewhere
around $2 million a year with bonuses (Jenna’s take home pay as creative head of J.Crew). But we can easily
adapt her uptown/downtown, high/low, boy meets girl, sense of style; one which is based on separates and
predicated on playfully and irreverently mixing things up (she has said, “I like a sense of luxury mixed
with humility. I’m not a huge fan of all one thing”). And happily, most of us can readily afford J.Crew’s
clothing and accessories, which have become somewhat of a cult phenomena in the last years with fans
including Michelle Obama and her daughters. I count myself in that group as well, and each season, I find a
satisfying selection of updated classics and cool basics that go a long way to revving up my closet, with
price tags that don’t insult my intelligence.
2013 Best Dressed British Supermodel
Kate Moss
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| Kate Moss wearing her trademark tuxedo jackets Photo: See Kate Moss in leopard |
What sets her apart? Kate is the definition of hip, modern, cool, and it really does not matter what she is
wearing. She can be casually dressed in a tailored blazer or vintage leopard coat, paired with her
trademark skinny jeans and ballerina flats (a ubiquitous look that has been attributed to her in the first
place). She can be clad in THE perfect tuxedo (her go to wardrobe staple). She can be hitting the festivals
in her Hunter Wellies and threadbare denim short shorts (there is not a soul on earth who can look as
amazingly chic or divine in mud caked Wellies by the way). She can equally rock a moto jacket or a pale
blue dyed mink and tasseled necklace like nobody else. Or, she can slip into something more appropriate for
an evening soiree: be it a monotone mini, or a languid jersey movie star perfect gown. The result is always
organic, effortless, and natural; “comme il faut” (as it must be).
2013 Best Dressed Iconic Vogue Magazine Creative Director
Grace Coddington
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| Grace Coddington at the 2011 CFDA Awards Photo: See Grace Coddington at Rag & Bone Spring 2011 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week |
What sets her apart?
When you’re as talented, highly influential, and iconic, as Grace Coddington, you have nothing more to
prove, and you can afford to be, and should be, above the trends (which she is). The former model and
Vogue’s Creative Director, who has become a reluctant star after the release of “The September Issue” and
then went on to pen her memoirs, “Grace: A Memoir”, has very strong opinions regarding what women,
especially women of a certain age, should and should not wear (she is 72), and she embodies that (she has
said that she hates to see older women trying to look too young, and she “loathes the word fashionista”).
Her signature look, both day and night, has remained the same through the years and she is wise not to
tamper with a formula that works perfectly and suits her so well. Her chic wardrobe, almost entirely in
black, offsets her flame red hair brilliantly. It is sometimes enlivened with touches of white (in the form
of crisp white shirts or demure peter pan collars), and the flash of red nail polish. Flats (she has given
up on wearing heels in the last 6 or so years), her trusty notebook, and her beloved cats, are her favorite
accessories. Everything about her visage says, “I’m above it all”. And she is.
2013 Best Dressed Nonagenarian Style Icon
Iris Apfel
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| Iris Apfel at the 2011 CFDA awards |
What sets her apart? What doesn’t set her apart? I don’t really have to explain, do I????? Okay, well, if I
must. What can you say about this inspiring, ageless nonagenarian that has not been already said, and who
had an exhibition dedicated to her extensive wardrobe in 2005 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, entitled
Rara Avis (Rare Bird): The Irreverent Iris Apfel (http://www.metmuseum.org)./ She is always the coolest cat
in any room and she always stands out owing to her signature look: close cropped white hair, black framed
owl shaped eyeglasses, her bold use of color and pattern, and her magnificent, statement making, and over
the top accessories, which personalize even the most simple, classic pieces, which form the basis of her
wardrobe.
2013 Best Dressed Luxury Brand Ambassador and Author
Ines de la Fressange
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| Ines de la Fressange at Rizzoli May 2013 Photo: See Ines de la Fressange at the Cannes Film Festival May 2011 |
What sets her apart? This former model, former muse to Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, and iconic figure in
France, is unapologetically non trendy. With her rangy, naturally tomboyish look, she not only epitomizes
“Parisian Chic”, but wrote and illustrated the book. She effortlessly accessorizes her classic wardrobe
staples (nobody can make a Lacoste polo look as divine) with an enviable and seemingly never ending
selection of Roger Vivier shoes and bags and as such, could not be a more fitting ambassador for what is
arguably the chicest label on the plant. Nobody looks as good in Roger Vivier as Ines, and it doesn’t hurt
that at approximately 6 feet tall, there is nobody who looks as good in their distinctive flats, which she
favors for both day AND night. She gets bonus points in my opinion, for wearing flats to the fanciest and
most high profile galas, as she memorably did when she attended the opening night of the 64th Cannes Film
Festival in 2011: that image is forever ingrained in my memory.
2013 Best Dressed MD
Dr. Lisa Airan
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| Dr. Lisa Airan wearing Rodarte at the Met’s 2011 Costume Institute Gala Photo: See Dr. Lisa Airan in Marc Jacobs at the Marc Jacobs fall winter 2013 show. |
What sets her apart? Dr. Lisa Airan (http://www.drlisaairan.com/) is a board-certified dermatologist in New
York City who runs a busy dermatology practice that caters to the needs of women and men seeking
outstanding skin care services. Best known for her 5 points to good living, Dr. Airan advocates balance
through a healthy diet, regular exercise, spirituality, stress reduction, and cosmetic dermatology. She is
as passionate and as knowledgeable about fashion, as she is about the health and beauty of her patients’
skin. While I happen to think she always looks great during the daytime, it is undoubtedly at night that
she really shines (and no, she does not have a stylist and she buys her clothes). Favorite labels are J.
Mendel, Rodarte, and Marc Jacobs all of whom she is close friends with. At high profile fashion
events such as the Met’s Costume Institute Gala, she really does her homework and takes great pains to
factor in the theme of the evening when making her selection. Her drop dead gorgeous gowns can best be
described as ethereal and dreamlike.
2013 Best Dressed Founder of Eponymous Fashion Book, (whose initials are enough)
Carine Roitfeld
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| Carine Roitfeld wearing Givenchy Photo: See Carine Roitfeld in Azzedine Alaia photographed by Bill Cunningham, February 18, 2007 |
What sets her apart? When you look up “iconic editor in chief of major French fashion magazine”, there’s a
picture of Carine Roitfeld next to it. After departing French Vogue as editor-in-chief, she launched her
own bi annual glossy, CR Fashion Book. With her keen eye for cut, fit, and proportion, and her
understanding of enduring style as it relates to popular culture, she looks French to the bone, whether she
is in the simplest of ensembles, or wearing something highly experimental and on the cutting edge (which is
more often than not). Her defining moment (for me anyway), had to be the winter of 2007, when she wore her
incredible Azzedine Alaia black patent leather shearling coat (“with a “bold sculptural silhouette
suggesting the line of a Degas ballerina”) all during New York Fashion Week. It was such an unforgettable
fashion moment, Bill Cunningham devoted an entire well deserved ‘On the Street’ column to her. As he
succinctly put it, “she made everyone else look archaic”.
2013 Best Dressed Perennial Spectacle
Michelle Harper
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| Michelle Harper in Victor de Souza at Casita Maria 2009 Photo: See Michelle Harper at the Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall Winter 2013 Show |
What sets her apart? Consistently experimental and unique, her fashion and trans formative beauty statements
are not for the faint of heart. Eric Wilson of The New York Times aptly described her as “a perennial
spectacle” and that pretty much sums it up (though there are times when she wisely takes it down a notch).
I’m not sure anyone else has so much fun dressing up, accessorizing, and getting ready for outings (whether
it’s attending fashion shows or going to high profile soirees). I can still remember the first time I
really took note of her. It was 2009 and she showed up at the Casita Maria Gala wearing a vivid pink Victor
de Souza gown with an exaggeratedly tiny waist and voluminous floor length skirt. When she walked into the
room, she literally drew audible gasps from other attendees. And talk about DIY (do it yourself), which has
been on everyone’s minds thanks to “Punk: From Chaos to Couture”, (the exhibition focuses on the DIY aspect
of the movement). Some of her more memorable looks have involved an aspect of DIY. She is adept at taking
pieces from her enviable closet (many of which are designer vintage), re designing them as she sees fit, or
as the mood hits her.
2013 Best Dressed “Art World It Girl”
Shala Monroque
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| Shala Monroque in Prada and Deflina Delettrez brooch at the Met Photo: See Shala Monroque wearing Prada in Milan |
for Shala Monroque when Town and Country Magazine put her on their cover (proclaiming her as the “Art World
It Girl”), with an attending profile on her inside. The St. Lucia born 34 year old is the girlfriend of art
world impresario Larry Gagosian, and a friend of Miuccia Prada, (for whom she functions as a sort of muse
and “unofficial” ambassador), so it’s hardly surprising that she wears a lot of Prada (and some of the more
directional pieces of course), and that her individual and statement making aesthetic and look, is extremely
artistic and art inspired. She is joyful and exuberant, loves to experiment, does not shy away from unusual
patterns and colors, and exhibits many different fashion sides, all of which she carries off with aplomb.
And she accessorizes with authoritative abandon: statement making sunglasses (some of which are
sculptural), Hermes and Chanel bags, and her beloved kitten heel shoes are part of her style equation. And
who can forget the larger than life Delfina Delettrez bejeweled beetle brooch that she had been wearing on
almost everything last year, so much so that it became somewhat of a signature!
2013 Best Dressed Fashion Legend
Lee Radziwell
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| Lee Radziwill Paris Fashion Week 2011 Photo: See Lee Radziwill in Azzedine Alaia portrait by Mario Sorrenti for T Magazine |
What sets her apart? There will never be another Jackie O, but like her iconic sister, Lee has mastered
the art of making easy look elegant, AND elegant look easy. The notion of paring down is at
the heart of her aesthetic and has served as inspiration for such designers as Yves Saint Laurent, Marc
Jacobs, and Michael Kors, who once dedicated an entire collection to “the Lee Radziwill look”. This past
February, at the age of 79, she graced Deborah Needleman’s first redesigned cover of “T”: The New York
Times Style Magazine, which bore the appropriately stark cover lines: “True Elegance”. Lee is undeniably
one of the chicest women alive and she manages to look completely of the moment and relevant without
looking like she’s trying too hard, or trying too hard to look young. Not an easy feat (try that if and
when you reach her age!)
2013 Best Dressed American Television and Movie Actress
Leelee Sobieski
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| Leelee Sobieski in Dior at Dior Paris Fashion Week Fall Winter 2013 Photo: See Leelee Sobieski at Women Filmmaker Brunch 2012 wearing Balenciaga and Alaia |
What sets her apart? This ex-model, actress, and wife of menswear designer Adam Kimmel has the height (5′
10″) and lean frame to pull off virtually anything, and I’ve always thought she has a strong sense of style
(minimalist and androgynous). But in the past few years, she has really upped her fashion game with a
vengeance, uncannily turning up in THE most important looks from THE most important designers of the moment
at just THE right time. Her real strength lies in her ability to select minimal, perfectly tailored,
fashion forward pieces with strong silhouettes, that are not only of the moment, but will be classics years
from now; AND they all happen to suit her, enabling to tap into her slightly tomboyish side, or look as
though she stepped off the runway at a couture show in Paris. Among the standout moments that caught my
eye: when she wore THE Christian Dior red coat with fitted waist and full skirt during Paris Fashion Week
Fall Winter 2013; THE floor-length white shirt dress by Raf Simons for Jil Sander, which is not exactly the
easiest thing to pull off, and which she chose for the opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival in 2012;
the Azzedine Alaia flouncy black skirt paired with an Adam Kimmel white shirt and Prada’s boyish brogues,
which she wore to a luncheon during the Tribeca Film Festival this past year.
2013 Best Dressed Haute Couture Designer and Client
Ulyana Sergeenko
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| Ulyana Sergeenko Paris Fashion Week Fall Winter 2013 Photo: See Ulyana Sergeenko at Haute Couture Fashion Week 2013 Paris |
What sets her apart? Not too many fashion obsessed women (with a penchant for haute couture) can boast a
billionaire hubby who not only supports their ‘habit’, but finances their business, as – what else – an haute
couture fashion designer (Ulyana’s first collection, shown in Paris, was for Fall/Winter 2011,
http://www.ulyanasergeenko.com/ ). The beautiful and statuesque 32-years old Russian couture shopper turned
fashion designer has a strong signature style that is ultra feminine: a mix of 1950’s and 19th century. She
is known for her over the top, highly theatrical, and dramatic ensembles that make her look as though she
just stepped off the runway (and sometimes that is literally the case). She almost always adds something
typical for Russia to every outfit – such as colourful patterns, long or full skirts, flowers or a head
scarf, and she makes no apologies for her love of native dress. Her own fashion persona and her label’s
signature, are one in the same, and often times, more than a tad costumey (needless to say, the best looks
downplay that side). Regardless, she sure knows how to make a grand entrance, and her fashion exuberance is
almost unmatched: she always delights and surprises and you never know what you will see next. It’s hardly
surprising that she is a favorite of the street style bloggers and photographers.
2013 Best Dressed Petite Russian Fashion Icon
Miroslava Duma
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| Miroslava Duma in Valentino trench during Paris Fashion Week March 2013 Photo: Miroslava Duma attends Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Fall 2013 |
What sets her apart? I think it’s obvious to say, that having great stature is a bonus for someone who
wants to wear great fashion. But that is not always a pre-requisite and it hasn’t thwarted Miroslava Duma.
Born in Surgut, raised in Moscow, the former Editor of Harper’s Bazaar Russia and founder of Buro24/7, may
stand at only 5 feet tall, but you would never know it. She has a larger than life fashion persona and can
(and does) literally pull anything, and any proportion, off. She adds an almost unmatched sense of whimsy
and playfulness to her fashion choices (which seem to be endless), and you never know what to expect. I
love that she can be downright classic and elegant one moment; zany and completely over the top the next,
and it always looks completely natural.
2013 Best Dressed Global Humanitarian/Academy Award Winner
Angelina Jolie
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| Angelina Jolie at the Golden Globes in 2012 Photo: See Angelina Jolie with children New York October 2012 |
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What sets her apart? Easily one of the most visible and most photographed women in the world, Angelina is
an Academy Award winning actress, busy ‘wife’ (though she is not legally married yet) and mom (she and
Brad have 6 children between them: 3 are adapted). She spends much of her time on humanitarian efforts, and
has recently made a much publicized and bold decision regarding her own health. Fashion is hardly her
number one priority, and yet she never fails to look amazing (and amazingly appropriate), regardless of
whether she is out and about with her family, having a quiet romantic dinner with Brad, traveling the globe
on one of her humanitarian jaunts, or turning heads on the red carpet. Of course, I don’t have to point out
that she is so drop dead gorgeous, she can wear that proverbial paper bag, and still stand out. She wisely
favors clean, unfussy lines, eschews prints, and normally dresses in neutral monotone shades (black, black,
and more black). She is minimalistic day and night, but during the daytime, it’s pretty much about paring
it down, and the combination of form and function. At night, particularly when she is on the red carpet,
you will often see her in bold shapes and/or bold color.
2013 Best Dressed White Shirt Advocate
Carolina Herrera
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| Carolina Herrera in uniform Photo: See Carolina Herrera photographed by Arthur Elgort December 2012 |
What sets her apart? It’s almost impossible to NOT look good-and ageless- in a crisp white shirt, and
fashion designer Carolina Herrera, (74 years old) who has already been inducted into the International Best
Dressed Hall of Fame, knows this better than anyone. They have become part of her uniform and her trusty
“security blanket” for both day and evening, not to mention when she takes her bow after a fashion show.
Her signature, non-fussy look, is comprised of a skirt (knee length or floor length, either narrow or
full), mannish trousers, and a tailored shirt, always accessorized with one of her many pairs of Manolo
Blahniks. It is so finely honed, that she claims it takes her only 10 minutes to get ready for even the
grandest occasion. Now, that’s what I call elegant, chic, and modern, and totally ageless!
2013 Best Dressed ABC News
Anchors: Diane Sawyer, Baderinwa & Liz Cho
Diane Sawyer
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| Diane Sawyer at Time 100 Most Influential People of the Year Gala Photo: See Diane Sawyer’s TV studio press shot |
What sets her apart? Okay, I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but there ARE a few who distinguish
themselves, and consistently stand out from the pack of stiff, ill fitting, poorly tailored blazers; overly
fussy prints; and other just plainly misguided sartorial staples that are the usual fare. They are so chic
and beautiful, they would not look out of place sitting front row center at a major fashion show, and
coincidentally, they are all affiliated with ABC News: Liz Cho, Sade Baderinwa and Diane Sawyer, who is
“numero uno” in that group. She is a class act: intelligent, beautiful, and poised.
She knows her body,
factors in her age (65!), she understands her role, and she manages to look the part AND flawlessly
fabulous, whether she is in the studio, on assignment, on the red carpet, or just out and about with hubby
Mike Nichols.
It doesn’t hurt that she is very tall and has fabulous gams, which she maximizes in knee length pencil
skirts and high heeled pumps. She is a classic American beauty who eschews anything fussy, favoring solid
colors (black, navy, camel, red, and white with unexpected touches of yellow, red, blue). Crisp white
shirts, sleek black turtlenecks, fitted long sleeved t’s, beautifully tailored jackets, and chic trench
coats, are her uniform by day; distinctive separates and movie star worthy, dramatic, often asymmetrically
draped black jersey gowns are standard fare by night.The only prints or patterns I’ve seen her wear are
graphic color blocks (in the form of a top worn beneath a strong shouldered jacket), and classic stripes
(nobody looks as good on air, wearing a Breton striped top with a beautifully tailored navy blazer; or a
black and white striped skirt offset with a simple, fitted black top for that matter).
2013 Sade Baderinwa
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| Sade Baderinwa at the 2011 Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Opening Night Photo: See more Sade Baderinwa |
News at 5:00PM is blessed with the perfect features and enviable cheekbones, to
pull off her ultra short hair. She looks as good in impeccably tailored jackets
worn with crisp shirts, as she does in the sleeveless dresses that have become a
signature. Like Ms. Cho, she is extremely stylish, but is not a fashion victim
and chooses wisely. She also favors minimalistic, clean lines, and solid
colors. FYI: both Ms. Cho and Ms. Baderinwa have fabulously well toned arms and
sleek figures, and unlike many others in their position, who would be better off covering up, they both look
perfect in the sleeveless dresses that have become somewhat of a signature,
almost year round. The network seems to want to capitalize on their talent and
their obvious attractiveness, as both are often shown standing up, not just
sitting behind a desk.
Liz Cho
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| Liz Cho attends Argo premier, October 2012 Photo: See Liz Cho in red dress posing at her TV studio |
What sets her apart? The co-anchor of WABC’s Eyewitness news at 6pm
and 11pm was recognized as one of People Magazine’s 50 most beautiful in 2003.
Her trademark long straight dark hair is parted in the middle, and her signature
accessories are the oversized silver hoops she always wears. More often than
not, the 5’9″ beauty is the epitome of minimal feminine sophistication favoring
fitted sheaths or dresses with defined waists and full skirts that hit at the
knee. While she normally opts for solid colors (black is a go to favorite), she
does experiment with color and has fun with prints from time to time.
screenwriter, director, producer, and actress
Sofia Coppola
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| Sofia Coppola in Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton July 2012 Photos: See Sofia Coppola in Marc Jacobs at the Fall Winter 2013 Fashion Show |
What sets her apart? The daughter of legendary
director Francis Ford Coppola, she received the Academy Award for Best Original
Screenplay for Lost in Translation in 2003. She is the epitome of effortless
chic. She is never trendy and never looks as though she is trying too hard, and
her well edited choices, day and night exemplify this. More often than not, you will find her
wearing something by Marc Jacobs (she is his BFF and
muse), and the result is natural, organic, and perfect.
(Photo credits: Style.com, Vogue.com, Getty Images, Arthur Elgort, Horst, Bill Cunningham, Harpers Bazaar, & Garance Dore)
-Marilyn Kirschner
