My Fashion Muses
1.
Gwyneth Paltrow - If I have a large clothing budget this is how I would dress like. I have been a long-time admirer of Gwyneth's sense of fashion, from her early Calvin Klein days to her princess-pink Oscar dress to her current understatedness. Her style is clean, confident, individualistic, and unfalteringly original. Plus, she has a great grip on timing and the ability to glamourize something basic. Whatever blazer, pencil skirt, and jeans she is wearing, I want them immediately, and that is rare coming from someone who has never fallen victim of impulsive buying. B) She does not always portray the most glamourous characters on screen, but when she is made to look good, she is unforgettable. I loved her in that green Donna Karan dress from
Great Expectations, the simple purple-shirt-with-black-pencil-skirt ensemble from
Shallow Hal, and her navy strapless gown in
The Talented Mr. Ripley. It is difficult to pick my favorite Gwyneth look because there are so many, but I will admit that I think her Alexander McQueen dress at her last Oscar was a noble failure but a failure nevertheless. As her style evolves, her favorite designers change. Calvin Klein was an early favorite. Versace, Oscar de la Renta, and especially Valetino fill in nicely for red-carpet events. Then there is the flirtation with Chanel. Alexander McQueen is her current favorite but she is so reclusive (comparatively) now that she seems to wear whatever her pals Stella McCartney and Tom Ford send her. She is simply the coolest!
2.
Nicole Kidman - Quite possibly the closest thing to a Goddess. There is not a thing that would not look good on her. She has always been well-dressed (esp. when she is doing press junkets!) but her fashion highlight began with the year in which
Moulin Rouge and
The Others came out. The gowns and black cocktail dresses she sported at the premiers and award shows are breathtaking, and she has the chicest curls and selection of jewelry. I especially adored the YSL gypsy gown and the red Mandarin-style dress she wore the the Cannes for
Moulin Rouge, the two Chanel dress she wore to the Oscars, the lavendar gown she wore to the Golden Globes from YSL's SS03 collection, and practically all of the black tube/backless dresses she wore to the international premiers of
The Others. Even though she wore a lot of Prada earlier in her career, Nicole's favorite designers seem to be John Galliano and Jean Paul Gaultier. She also takes risks with vintage and less-known designers (Olivier Theykens comes to mind). She wears predominantly Chanel and YSL now because she sort of owes Karl Lagerfeld and Tom Ford an photo-op.
Gwyneth and Nicole are my fashion/acting idols, but I also like:
3.
Naomi Watts - She came to fame after
Mulholland Drive and adjusted to the lifestyle of a celebrity with incredible ease and zero time in transformation. She is always unfuzzy and comfortable in whatever she chooses to wear and even though most of the looks she's done are straight from the runway, she always adds a personal spin to them and never allows the clothes to overwhelm her petite frame. Earlier in her career she did not always go for the hottest labels and liked Adeli, Roland Mouret, and Lanvin, but now she is a Tom Ford's girl.
4.
Uma Thurman - I only need to look at Uma Thurman to understand the advantage of being tall and slim. But she seems to take less chances with fashion and sticks to Chanel, Dior, and Versace. I am not personally a big fan of these houses though.
5.
Kate Hudson - She started looking incredible with the release of
Almost Famous. I am not like her at all but love her youthful energy. She wears a variety of designers (fashion maverick!) but appears especially partial towards Chloe and Stella McCartney.
6.
Mandy Moore - Amazingly polished and knowledgeable about fashion and works the casual look like no other.
7.
Milla Jovovich - Bohemian and spots the trend of the season like a fashion editor. Plus, her closet has got to be one of the most comprehensive private Prada archive.
8.
Karolina Kurkova - Trust me, if I get to raid a model's closet, I'd take Karolina over Kate Moss any day.
9.
Kate Beckinsale - Her choice of wardrobe around the release of
Pearl Harbor was remarkable. I recall her looking radiant in a Roberto Cavalli floral gown, a Givenchy corset dress by Alexander McQueen, a white Prada halter gown, a black silky Valentino ball gown, and an elongated Gucci babydoll gown. The Valentino and the Gucci did not even look good on the runway, but she really made them work.
10.
Julianne Moore - Sedate and elegant and deserves recognition for not wanting to steal the spotlight.
Others...
Most fashionable models (other than Karolina Kurkova
Kate Moss (her closet is the most valuable fashion archive),
Frankie Rayder (the Chanel lady), and
Elizabeth Hurley (simply glamorous). I have also seen backstage pictures of Eugenia Volodina and Julia Stegner which I really like. And Stephanie Seymour, ah.
Most fashionable socialites: Except for the Queen of Jordan I do not like any of them, but I do think Ann Duong and Helen Lee and Troy Burch dress well.
Most fashionable "fashion people":
Stella McCartney (nobody wears her designs as well as she does, but that can be a problem) and
Corinne Roitfeld (about time to update your makeup, hon)
And then there are people with occassional moments of brilliance:
Cameron Diaz (but she was much better earlier in her career),
Charlize Theron (a little bland, but having that figure and face helps),
Natalie Portman (drop Zac Posen now!),
Sarah Jessica Parker (the number of her "nice appearances" adds up to about 5),
Claire Danes (props for wearing Narciso Rodriguez), and
Sarah Michelle Geller (too bad I can't stand her at all).
Hit-or-miss: Chloe Sevingy, Jennifer Lopez, Sofia Coppola
This is not a list of the worst-dressed but some actresses look too much like a stylist's effort and can't embody whatever style they are sporting at all: Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, Hilary Swank, Salma Hayek, Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore.
And then there are people whom I think just don't know how to dress (no offense to their fans
Scarlett Johansson (love this girl, but when you are short and curvey you can't be as adventurous), Drew Barrymore (nice outfits sometimes but that hair ruins it all), Liv Tyler, Gwen Stefani, Salma Blair, Sadie Frost, and Madonna.