THE CLASS OF 2005
Class Cutup: Karl Lagerfeld
The wonder is not how he does so much, but how he has so much fun doing it. A master at combining business and pleasure, Karl Lagerfeld ended the year by importing Chanel's resort collection to New York and yukking it up around town with new pal Lindsay Lohan. Meanwhile, the Kaiser's wardrobe—the ecclesiastical collars, the booties, the gloves abbreviated to show off a treasure trove of Chrome Hearts rings—inspired not one but two imitators at Marc Jacobs' holiday costume party.
Photo: Olivier Claisse
THE CLASS OF 2005
Best Smile: Rachel Roy
Damon Dash may have parted ways with business partner Jay-Z, but in 2005 he cemented another productive alliance. The rap mogul never appeared in public without his new bride, designer and West Coast transplant Rachel Roy, whose megawatt smile made her the (multi-) million-dollar baby of the social and hip-hop sets.
Photo: Greg Kessler
THE CLASS OF 2005
Class Complainer: Tara Subkoff
Some designers prefer to let their clothes speak for them. Not the Imitation of Christ founder,
right, who made more waves this year with her words than her collections. Tara Subkoff's tirade at a Generation X fashion panel—something about gay men having it easy in the fashion business—provoked a national controversy, or at least a two-page article in the Styles section of
The New York Times.
Photo: Greg Kessler
THE CLASS OF 2005
Most Entrepreneurial: Stella McCartney for H&M
Not since that other British invasion have masses of women swooned like they did when Stella McCartney's collection for H&M arrived at the chain's New York City stores. Priced to move, the coveted pieces sold out within hours of their release, causing headline-making near riots. Stella's peers and former protégés may be the critical darlings now, but the new mom is laughing all the way to the bank.
Photo: Gauthier Gallet
THE CLASS OF 2005
Most "Overexposed": Tom Ford
For a designer who quit the runway early last year, Tom Ford sure showed up a lot in 2005. The former creative director at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent launched a sunglasses collection, sexed up Estée Lauder, took a high-profile guest editor gig for
Vanity Fair's Hollywood issue, and announced plans for a menswear line. But the place we saw the
most of Ford was the November issue of
W, where he appeared in a 19-page photo spread. Nude.
Photo: John Shearer / WireImage.com
THE CLASS OF 2005
Best Hair: Orlando Pita
Stylist of stars (Naomi, Kirsten, and Madonna), shows, and shoots, Orlando Pita is now available for regular-old haircuts at his salon, Orlo, in Manhattan's Meatpacking District. But before you rush to book an appointment, know that an 80-minute session runs $800. Too pricey? Nearby rival Sally Hershberger is a relative bargain at $600.
Photo: Craig McDean for
Vogue
THE CLASS OF 2005
Most Likely to Be Expelled (and Reinstated
Marc Jacobs
The designer's fall presentation, with its voluminous skirts, Edward Gorey references, and general air of melancholic whimsy, caused a lot of long faces in the front row. (The 90-minute preshow delay didn't help.) But fast-forward a month, and buyers and editors were retrospectively calling the quirky collection a triumph. By the time the band marched in for the spring shows, Marc was once again living high on the hog.
Photo: Marcio Madeira
THE CLASS OF 2005
Class Jock: Madonna
While critics debate whether Madonna has regained her musical mojo with November's
Confessions on a Dance Floor, we can emphatically report that Madge retains firm control of her abs and thighs and biceps. Dusting herself off after a midsummer equestrian accident, the 47-year-old yoga enthusiast did some serious strutting in the "Hung Up" video, making Gen Y's pop starlets look like the soft, pampered brats they are.
Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
THE CLASS OF 2005
Most Likely to Marry Rich: Melania Knauss
Apologies to Vanessa Haydon, who in November wed Donald Trump Jr., but Melania Knauss claimed the bigger purse when she tied the knot with Donald Trump
père. The 34-year-old Slovenian model and
The Apprentice mogul, 58, exchanged vows (her first; his third) in January at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Rocking a 15-karat, $1.5 million diamond engagement ring, Knauss wore a Dior Haute Couture by John Galliano gown of Trump-caliber stats: 98 yards of satin, 550 hours of embroidery, valued at $200,000. Phenomenal.
Photo: Mario Testino for
Vogue
THE CLASS OF 2005
Exchange Student: Stefano Pilati
Promoted from within to succeed Tom Ford as Yves Saint Laurent creative director, Stefano Pilati wasted no time putting his own stamp on YSL and the fashion world at large. The tulip skirts and ruffles he showed in his spring 2005 collection became staples at many houses for fall—by which time Pilati was emphasizing restraint, with ecclesiastical touches like choirboy collars and strict tailoring. "I've made a start, yes," Pilati told
Vogue, "but there is still more to do."
Photo: Greg Kessler
THE CLASS OF 2005
Heir to the Throne: Francisco Costa
Although the conditions at his spring 2006 Calvin Klein show were miserable (the saunalike heat turned everyone in the crowd into an instant fashion victim), Francisco Costa delivered a certifiably cool collection. All lightness and air, the clothes honored Klein's legacy without remaining beholden to it, and won the Brazilian-born designer a new generation of fans, including Alexis Bledel and Ashley Olsen.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris / WireImage.com
THE CLASS OF 2005
Most Truant: Helmut Lang
There were other high-profile MIAs this year, including Daria Werbowy, the Canadian model who was omnipresent at the fall shows but notably absent during the spring season. But no one was missed more than Helmut Lang. One rumor has it that the Austrian designer is busy making art these days, but let's hope he returns to the fashion arena in some capacity in 2006.
Photo: Marcio Madeira
THE CLASS OF 2005
Sunniest Disposition: Resort
Formerly a fleeting season of caftans, bikinis, and sandals, resort has grown to include everything from suits to gowns, and has become a big business, one that according to some reports now outsells spring. But it's still typically shown in intimate showrooms, rather than paparazzi-clogged tents. Does this augur the end of runway shows? Hardly. It probably means more, smack dab in the middle of your summer vacation.
Photo: Courtesy of Lanvin
THE CLASS OF 2005
Comeback Kid: Kate Moss
It was the fastest turnaround since Steve Jobs rescued Apple. Yes, Kate Moss lost a slew of lucrative contracts after her drug scandal. But since coming out of an Arizona rehab clinic, she's bagged new campaigns with Longchamp and Stella McCartney, not to mention landed on the covers of
Vanity Fair and
Paris Vogue. The words printed on Alexander McQueen's T-shirt when he took a bow at his October show clearly spoke for the whole fashion community: "We love you Kate."
Photo: Mario Sorrenti for
W
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