PHOTOS: Styleite’s Style Icons Of 2010
by Verena von Pfetten | 12:59 pm, December 29th, 2010
In lieu of a year end Best Dressed List , we thought we’d share with you the personalities who, for better or for worse, defined style in 2010. These are the people whose names, next year or ten years from now, will be synonymous with what it meant to be en vogue at the end of the first decade of the 21st century.
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1. Blake Lively
Quite possibly this year's most visible celebrity, Blake Lively made the jump from smallscreen star to industry It Girl. Nary was there a red carpet that didn't feature Lively's well-heeled (and red-soled ) style -- not to mention the fact that she was Anna Wintour's personal guest at Paris' Couture shows. She had a critically-acclaimed turn in Ben Affleck's Boston crime caper The Town , snagged two separate Vogue coversKarl Lagerfeld as the new face of Chanel handbags, and had a Louboutin named after her. Worst case scenario: she pulls a Lindsay Lohan and self-implodes, you'd still be hard-pressed to find someone willing to deny Lively's style status in the final year of the aughts.
2. Janie Bryant
The only thing more talked about than Mad Men this year was the show's inimitable costume designer, Janie Bryant . Lauded for her eye, styling prowess , and work ethic, Bryant's brand exploded. In addition to her role on the award-winning and hugely influential show, Bryant is now a best-selling author , designer , and, perhaps most appropriately, the new face of Maidenform lingerie. Oh, and she also has her very own nail polish collection . Honestly, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Bryant's styling skills were a driving force behind the huge resurgence of vintage styling and nostalgia for all things Americana.
3. Tavi Gevinson
At the risk of stating the obvious, 14-year-old blogging wunderkind Tavi Gevinson has had a banner of a year. While she first made her mark on the fashion world back in 2008, her stock skyrocketed this year, culminating with the news that she -- along with Sassy founder Jane Pratt -- is launching a new 'zine this spring. She was also celebrated at Glamour's Women of the Year awards, written up in The New Yorker , commanded $1000 a ticket to speak at L2's Generation Next forum, styled her very own shoot for BlackBook , and was, quite possibly, the fashion industry's most popular Halloween costume . Love her or hate her, she is undeniably here to stay.
4. Lady Gaga
Whether she was wearing a dress made of meat or gobs and gobs of custom Armani , Lady Gaga rocked the fashion establishment to its core and kept fans guessing about what she'd wear next. And, in addition to being an undeniable inspiration for the likes of Katy Perry , Ke$ha , and Nicki Minaj , she's singlehandedly removed the fear factor from red carpet dressing. The best part? She's going to keep on doing the same thing in 2011.
5. Michelle Obama
It doesn't seem to matter what the first lady wears -- she always looks stellar. Michelle Obama 's feminine, colorful and eclectic style has earned her a reputation as one of the world's best dressed women. She can wear Marc Jacobs and Narcisco Rodriguez with the best of them, but the coolest thing about her style is that she's a walking stimulus package for the fashion industry.
6. Tom Ford
Tom Ford 's singular dedication to classic men's suiting is what keeps virtually every well-dressed guy on his toes. If that wasn't enough, his first women's collection since leaving the Gucci Group is already 2011's next big thing. Part of that comes by virtue of his being, well, Tom Ford. But most of the buzz generated came from how ultra secret his show in September was. Ford only allowed one photographer cover the presentation, and only invited 100 people. It was his way of saying hey, fashion people, slow down and savor the clothes -- otherwise you'll be bored with them by the time they're in stores. We wouldn't be surprised if other designers followed suit.
7. Anna Dello Russo
Anna Dello Russo has been collecting couture and looking awesome for years, but she became a household name in 2010. And it's all thanks to the internet. A Sartorialist fave, she also started her own blog — full of amazing outfits and awful English. Yes, not only is the woman hilariously quotable , her ensembles are totally out of this world. She wears fruit on her head! She walked the runway a few times (with animals!) and even launched her own perfume . She's also totally down with our other iconic picks: she counts Gaga as her muse and she totally loves Kanye . Plus, her style will be appreciated for years to come: she is cataloguing her entire wardrobe so that she can leave it to fashion historians one day.
8. Kanye West
Even though Kanye was in hiding for the first half of the year, his presence during the second half was so pervasive, inspiring and influential that it was simply impossible to ignore. He released what may be the best album of 2010, but this was also the year he became a style icon . Fashion breaks his heart! He had his Rosewood crew don Dior , enlisted a Birkin-toting stylist , rapped about models (and followed them on Twitter ). He eschewed standard grills for actual diamond teeth . He loved on Lanvin and had Phillip Lim design the costumes for his "Runaway" video . Oh, and he's wearing women's Balmain on his upcoming tour. Yes, Kanye gets it.
9. Brad Goreski
That time we called Brad Goreski the zeitgeist of men's fashion , we meant it. The stylist and former employee of Rachel Zoe isn't just on top of what stylish men wear, he steers it. With every new blazer or natty necktie, Goreski sends photographers aflutter -- and sends trendy guys searching for ways to copy his steez.
10. Jenna Lyons
We almost left Jenna Lyons off this list, only because we're not sure her influence was specific to 2010 -- J.Crew had a heck of a 2009 -- but figured it wasn't fair to punish her for being extra awesome. If you ask us, Lyons -- and by extension, J.Crew -- has been a defining factor in the global love of Americana and a renewed fervor for all-American design. She single-handedly turned J.Crew into a brand that can reasonably sell $1100 ponchos , appeared on Oprah , and championed the backpack . What more could we ask for?
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