2019’s best dressed

As the daughter of rock royalty Lenny Kravitz and ’90s icon Lisa Bonet, coolness was a birth right for Zoë Kravitz. Her personal style hits the sweet spot between downtown LA grunge and vampish Parisian nonchalance, as she wears boldly-colored and baggy silhouettes just as well as she rocks micro-mini, second-skin dresses. It was for precisely this reason that Saint Laurent’s Anthony Vaccarello tapped the sultry-eyed beauty as a brand ambassador. Reprising her role as earth-mother Bonnie in HBO's critically acclaimed series Big Little Lies for a second season, she slinked down the red carpet at the show’s New York premiere wearing a sequinned black Saint Laurent mini dress, reminding us why she’s Hollywood’s archetype cool girl. For the Oscars after-party, she chose a barely-there, gold Tiffany bra top with a black, floor-skimming Saint Laurent skirt, proving that she’s not afraid of taking risks on the red carpet either.

It’s no stretch to say that 2019 was Jennifer Lopez’s year. From getting engaged to boyfriend, now-fiancé, Alex Rodriguez in March to celebrating her 50th, yes 50th, birthday in July with a lavish party in Miami and releasing box office smash Hustlers in September, Lopez has cemented her status as a pop-culture icon. However, the highlight of her year was undoubtedly closing the Versace SS20 show at Milan fashion week in an even more risqué version of the legendary jungle-print dress that she wore back in 2000. While the original outfit is credited with creating Google Images, thanks to the furore and frenzied searches it inspired, this time around, suffice it to say, Lopez broke the internet.

2019? Phoebe Waller-Bridge completed it with her Emmy hat-trick for the darkly comedic Fleabag – which she wrote, produced and played the lead in – not to mention her other accolades this year, such as the ongoing success of Killing Eve (the Bafta-winning drama she co-wrote) and the American Vogue cover she rounded off her stellar year with. Waller-Bridge brings her idiosyncratic touch to her personal style, too, and the fashion world is just as enamored with this hyper-achieving multi-hyphenate as the TV critics. To collect the gongs, she wore a glittering Monique Lhuillier gown, perfectly fit for the Hollywood star she has so deservedly become.

Cindy Crawford continues her reign as the queen of model off-duty chic with a street-style closet that is one part all-American woman and one part executive realness. Case in point? The asymmetric Max Mara suit Crawford recently sported on the streets of New York, finished with this season’s must-have barely-there sandals and a ladylike top-handle bag. The original supermodel’s flawless style formula is timeless, effortlessly elegant and something we’ll be applying to our closets in 2020.

As the Bollywood star who breathes life into our wildest fashion fantasies, Deepika Padukone is unparalleled in her ability to make magic on the red carpet. This year, her sartorial highlights are a whirlwind of enchanting couture pieces. However, it was at the Cannes Film Festival that Padukone truly took mega-watt glamour to another level, in a tulle Giambattista Valli masterpiece that brought the red carpet to a standstill – and made headlines around the globe.

From pussybow blouses at Saint Laurent to slouchy suiting at Versace, a less-is-more approach proved itself to be the most modern way to stand out on the red carpet this year. Few mastered it quite as deftly as Jodie Comer. The Killing Eve star’s stand-out look of the year was undoubtedly the Grecian-style white gown she wore to collect her first Emmy Award. Designed by Tom Ford, this knock-out dress featured long sleeves and a full-length skirt – albeit with a sensational thigh-high slit and plunging neckline.

When it comes to tailoring, Letitia Wright is a one-woman masterclass in the art of chic suiting. The Black Panther star’s signature esthetic is defined by clean lines, sleek cuts and streamlined accessories, making her the poster girl for androgynous sophistication. Wearing a precision-cut white tuxedo by Stella McCartney to accept her Rising Star award at the Baftas, Wright cemented her status as one to watch on the red carpet and rekindled our love affair with the sleek simplicity of after-dark suiting.

Walking for some of the biggest names in fashion might have made Martha Hunt the American model of the moment, but it’s her phenomenal personal style that has made her an icon – and earned her an Instagram following of over three million. Unafraid to experiment with color, Hunt excels at tonal dressing, regularly making head-to-toe mustard yellow, beige, navy and emerald green look effortless. A champion of female-led labels such as The Row, Khaite and Matteau, her minimal look is a daily source of sartorial inspiration.

When it comes to getting dressed, many women shy away from riotous prints and eye-popping colors, but Oscar-winning actor Lupita Nyong’o is not one of them. In fact, it’s her fearless approach to styling that has the fashion world enthralled. This year, as ever, she has served up innumerable mood-enhancing looks – sequins, polka dots, vivid colors – you name a trend, she’s tried and conquered, it. But, of course, Nyong’o’s genre-defying Met Gala gown deserves a special shout-out of its own. Designed by Donatella Versace, who fully embraced this year’s ‘camp’ theme, the star-strewn, technicolor creation was a knock-out. By crowning her look with a gilded afro, Nyong’o brought black-girl magic to the red – or this case, pink – carpet.

It’s hard to overstate the impact Liu Wen has had on the fashion industry. From becoming the first Asian model to land on the Forbes list of highest paid models to being unveiled as Estée Lauder’s first Asian spokeswoman, she’s been making history since day one. As one of the most sought-after names in the game, it should come as no surprise that Wen still dominates the runway. However, it’s her personal style that really has us enthralled. Eschewing the tired biker-jacket-and-skinny-jeans model off-duty look, Wen’s elegant yet androgynous esthetic feels like a totally fresh proposition. A fan of straight leg jeans, she often pairs them with everything from boyish brogues and oversized blazers to sneakers and tie-dye tees. Trying to perfect your weekend wardrobe? Take note.

With a Billboard 100 record-breaking single under her belt, 2019 has been the year of Lizzo. Looking ‘good as hell’ on and off the stage, the singer’s maximalist style is a like a love letter to the art of dressing for yourself. When performing, an array of lingerie-inspired bodysuits has become a highlight of her high-energy concerts. This fearlessness extends to the red carpet too, where Lizzo is unafraid to make a statement with bold splashes of color and headline-grabbing accessories. Take the internet-breaking outfit she wore to this year’s American Music Awards: Lizzo’s bright orange, ruffled mini dress was eclipsed only by the diminutive Maison Valentino handbag dangling from one perfectly manicured finger.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a Best Dressed list that doesn’t feature this ultra-stylish duo – and for good reason, too. Not much has changed since their oversized-hobo-bag-plus-venti-latte heyday, and the sisters and co-creative directors still serve up their trademark insouciance via oversized tailoring, louche robe coats and expertly tousled waves. As the poster girls for the discreet luxury esthetic behind their cult label, The Row, follow their lead to perfect the art of understated sophistication.

The undisputed master of monochrome dressing, actor Rooney Mara is living proof that, despite what your Instagram feed might lead you to believe, there is room for understated elegance on the red carpet, even in 2019. A regular fixture on this year’s festival circuit, she dazzled in a myriad of enchanting gowns. From suitably gothic lace dresses to graphic two pieces and embellished jumpsuits, Mara proved that quiet luxury can be just as impactful as the most outré ensemble. We were particularly enamored by the white Givenchy Couture gown she wore to the Joker premiere in Venice; finished with minimal makeup and a chic topknot, Mara resembled a modern-day Audrey Hepburn.

Margot Robbie is a dab hand at bringing her personal brand of modern bohemia to the red carpet. The Australian actor’s go-to look is a billowing maxi dress with minimal accessories and glossy beach waves, and she gravitates to brands associated with high summer, such as Jacquemus and Zimmermann, or ultra-feminine, frothy gowns by Rodarte. Off-duty, her look revolves around pared-back denim and low-key blouses. Robbie is the ultimate go-to for girl-next-door-meets-grown-up-glamour.

2019 has been another year of iconic looks for the fashion-forward Duchess, who turned maternity dressing into an art form, showcasing an enviable array of power pieces by Valentino, Carolina Herrera and Alexander McQueen. She also made a strong sartorial statement with a nod to sustainability by re-wearing the same elegant purple midi dress for, not one, but two royal engagements. Reminding us that that truly great design is made to be worn, and cherished, forever.

Striking the perfect balance between fun and refined, Priyanka Chopra Jonas’s modern take on feminine dressing has enlivened red carpets, talk shows and, of course, our Instagram feeds, throughout 2019. A champion of color, print and sparkle, Chopra Jonas never shies away from a scene-stealing ensemble. With a penchant for waist-cinching dresses, ladylike coordinates and vertiginous heels by designers such as Max Mara, Michael Kors and Christian Louboutin, it’s Chopra Jonas’s ability to wear these elevated pieces with a sense of ease that makes her style so alluring.