The 100 Most Influential People in Fashion Full List

1. Levi Strauss
2. Hubert de Givenchy
3. Coco Chanel
4. Louis Vuitton
5. David Bowie
6. Claire McCardell
7. Eileen Ford
8. Elvis Presley
9. Yves St. Laurent
10. Max Factor
11. Karl Lagerfeld
12. Andy Warhol
13. Richard Avedon
14. John Galliano
15. Yohji Yamamoto
16. Salvatore Ferragamo
17. Vivienne Westwood
18. Bob Dylan
19. Marc Jacobs
20. Mary Quant
21. Anna Wintour
22. Vidal Sassoon
23. Jane Fonda
24. Hedi Slimane
25. James Bond
26. Mae West
27. Giorgio Armani
28. Harry Winston
29. Madonna
30. Diane Von Furstenburg
31. Michael Jackson
32. Donatella Versace
33. Louis Réard
34. Dolce & Gabbana
35. Tom Ford
36. Kate Moss
37. Jean Paul Gaultier
38. Barbie
39. Edith Head
40. Miuccia Prada
41. Chuck Taylor
42. Oleg Cassini
43. Calvin Klein
44. Kevyn Aucoin
45. Kurt Cobain
46. Charles F. Worth
47. Ralph Lauren
48. Vera Wang
49. Marilyn Monroe
50. Annie Leibovitz
51. Farrah Fawcett
52. Janie Bryant
53. Keith Richards
54. Herminie Cadolle
55. Rowland Hussey Macy
56. Andre 3000
57. Takashi Murakami
58. Grace Jones
59. Twiggy
60. Bettie Page
61. Mario Testino
62. Princess Diana
63. Cher
64. Sailor Jerry
65. Herb Ritts
66. Christian Louboutin
67. James Dean
68. Beverly Johnson
69. Emilio Pucci
70. Carrie Donovan
71. Annie Hall
72. Issey Miyake
73. Joey Ramone
74. Alexis Carrington
75. Grace Kelly
76. Janis Joplin
77. Donald and Doris Fisher
78. Daisy Duke
79. Michael Jordan
80. Patricia Field
81. Robert Smith
82. Gwen Stefani
83. Louise Brooks
84. David LaChappelle
85. Astrid Kircherr
86. David Yurman
87. Mary Pickford
88. Amy Heckerling
89. Anjelica Huston
90. Jacob the Jeweler
91. Richard Blackwell
92. Tyra Banks
93. Dov Charney
94. Irene Castle
95. Yuko Shimizu
96. Thom Browne
97. Chris McMillan
98. Eddie Plein
99. Rachel Zoe
100. Anna Nicole Smith

LEVI STRAUSS
Born:
February 26, 1829 in Bavaria, Germany
Died:
September 26, 1902 in San Francisco, California.
Fans:
Marc Jacobs, The Nakash Brothers, Calvin Klein, Guess? Diesel. You'd be hard pressed to find a celebrity who doesn't wear denim.



Beginnings.
Levi Strauss (born Löb Strauß) was born in Bavaria, Germany but left for the United States when he was 18. In the U.S., he changed his name to Levi and moved to San Francisco, where the Gold Rush was booming, bringing along with him buttons, scissors and fabric that he thought the miners might need. He thought he'd make a living preparing tents and covers for the Conestoga wagons the miners used as temporary homes.

Career Highs.
Strauss found that most of the miners complained about their cotton pants because they were too fragile and tore very easily. Jacob Davis, a tailor, created tougher overalls but lacked the money to register a patent. He sent Strauss a letter explaining the process that went into his ultra-durable pants: he fortified the points of strain with tiny metal rivets. Davis and Strauss became partners, and Levi Strauss & Co. was born, manufacturing what were to become signature Levi jeans.

Career Lows.
Before he met Davis, Strauss was running a dry goods business, selling textiles and small items. Although the company was successful (Strauss was already a popular figure in San Francisco by the time Davis contacted him), it took a revolutionary idea for his company to become noteworthy. Four years after Strauss' death in 1902, the original headquarters of Levi Strauss & Co were destroyed in the fires following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

Legacy.
Levi Strauss & Co. is still around and kicking as hard as ever. In the 1950s and '60s, subcultures of young people (the hippies and punks) popularized jeans, which continue to sell well into the 21st century. Denim made the leap to high fashion about thirty jeans ago, when Calvin Klein began marketing his extremely popular designer jeans. Now jeans are a staple on both catwalks and sidewalks worldwide, offered in thousands of cuts and colors to match just about anyone's personal sense of style.

Get the Look.
Jeans have gone through more transformations than almost any other unique garment, from bellbottoms and wide-leg to skinny and embellished. The shapes and colors may change with the season, but comfortable, reliable denim is here to stay. Shop around until you find that perfect pair that fits you like a glove. Experiment with new styles, but keep in mind that the most fashionable pieces are those that look best on you.

HUBERT DE GIVENCHY

Born:
February 20, 1927 (1927-02-2Beauvais, France
Celebrity fans:
Jacqueline Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn, Gloria Guinness, Grace Kelly, Babe Paley


Beginnings.
Hubert de Givenchy started out in the fashion industry working for Robert Piguet and, later, for Lucien Lelong, where he worked alongside assistants Pierre Balmain and Christian Dior. He also worked with Elsa Schiaparelli before opening his own company, the House of Givenchy, in 1952.

Career Highs.
In 1953, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and an entire nation mourned the loss. But when Jacqueline Onassis Kennedy showed up at the funeral in a custom design by Givenchy, people started to take notice. The same year, Givenchy met actress Audrey Hepburn for wardrobe fittings for her upcoming film Sabrina. He continued to style Hepburn for later movies she acted in, and the two forged a lifelong friendship that made Hepburn a fashion icon and gave Givenchy a permanent spot on the style radar.

Career Lows.
Givenchy owned his House for 36 years before selling it to Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy in 1988. He appointed Dominique Sirop as his successor, but when Bernard Arnault took over LVMH, he didn't think Sirop was high-profile enough for the brand. Givenchy was not pleased with Arnault's leadership and expressed discontent that he didn't have enough contact with the head to express his ideas and counsel.

Get the Look.
Givenchy, unlike many designers, is not about ready-to-wear. It isn't about comfort, or functionality, as he says in the quote above. It is about style, and grace, and the ability to be so effortlessly lovely that people stop in their tracks. Choose something dramatic, but demure; colorful, but understated. Details, cut, and innovation should be the main event of any ensemble, and nothing funky or grunge.

COCO CHANEL

Born:
August 19, 1883 in Saumur, France
Died:
January 10, 1971 in Paris, France
Fans:
Tom Ford, Audrey Hepburn, Rachel Bilson, Nicole Kidman
Fan of:
Herself. She was quoted as saying: "There have been several Duchesses of Westminster. There is only one Chanel."

Beginnings.
Coco Chanel (born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel) lived for seven years in an orphanage after her parents died, and it was there that a seamstress taught her how to sew. Once she turned 18, she left to work for a tailor and began an affair with a French millionaire who introduced her to some of life's luxuries: dresses and jewelry. Ultimately he, Etienne Balsan, financed her relocation to Paris and the opening of her first hat shop.

Career Highs.
There were actually two Chanel booms in the 20th century. The first time, in the 1920s, it was Balsan's best friend, Arthur 'Boy' Capel, who helped to advance Chanel's career further. He financed her growth from hats to clothing and her move from Paris out to French coastal cities. There, she began to gain recognition for the same clothes she had been making herself: belted sweaters with skirts made from everyday fabrics. She became so prominent that Hollywood stars were wearing her clothes, and she almost married the Duke of Westminster. She stopped designing after World War II broke out, but the second boom occurred in the 1960s, when she returned to fashion. By then, her signature suits were iconic, and her name recognition was ubiquitous.


Chanel in her signature pearls.
Career Lows.
Chanel tarnished her name during World War II, when her prejudices began to show. She was anti-Semitic and homophobic (although she dabbled in bisexuality), and she moved in with a Nazi officer. When she did return to fashion, there was a stigma in Europe attached to her name that was difficult to shake.

Legacy.
Who hasn't been influenced by Coco Chanel? The little black dress and classic cut suits have inspired top designers such as Helmut Lang, Miuccia Prada, Jil Sander and Tom Ford. But even more important, she brought the fabrics and comfort of menswear to women's style, freeing ladies from clothes that constrained them. And let us never forget the one item she gave us that will always endure: Chanel No. 5 perfume. It was the first fragrance to have a designer name on the label.

Get the Look.
These days Karl Lagerfeld has updated the classic Chanel look so that the house is more adaptable to fashion-forward styles and trends, like the picture on the right. If you'd rather stick with the original, choose simple, well-tailored cuts and colors, loads of pearls, and above all, make sure you are comfortable.

LOUIS VUITTON

Born:
August 4, 1821 in Achay, Jura, France
Died:
February 27, 1892 in Paris, France
Labels owned by LVMH:
Belvedere, Hennessy, Moët et Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, DKNY, Emilio Pucci, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Guerlain, Sephora
Fans:
Audrey Hepburn, Uma Thurman, Victoria Beckham, Scarlett Johanssen, Chloe Sevigny, Paris and Nicky Hilton

Beginnings.
Louis Vuitton was born in Jura, France, but he famously moved to Paris the very old-fashioned way: on foot. He walked 250 miles to the fashion capital of the world, where he became an apprentice to luggage-maker Monsieur Marechal. Soon he began to design his own luggage.

Career Highs.
In 1853, Vuitton founded his own company as a luggage manufacturer, called Malletier à Paris, in Paris. He insisted on high-quality artisanship of luxury leather good, and other trunk designers began to follow his lead. He gained so much popularity in the business that he was appointed as Layetier (trunk-maker) to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. In 1867, Louis Vuitton won the bronze medal at the famous Exposition Universelle de Paris, and over the next 20 years he created the recognizable beige and brown striped pattern for his luggage. Others began copying his look so much that finally, in 1888, Vuitton created the Damier Canvas pattern, which became the Louis Vuitton trademark (The ubiquitous monogram canvas, which became the first designer logo was actually a design by his son Georges).

Career Lows.
The Vuitton family actively supported the Nazi Regime during the Second World War, bringing them substantial criticism in later years. Also, it goes without saying that Louis Vuitton is one of the most often faked designer logos in the world - and many of the counterfeits are good enough to pass for the original. Earlier this year, artist Nadia Plesner released a satirical photo of a starving child holding a LV bag, which infuriated the company.

Legacy.
The Louis Vuitton legacy is, in a word, vast. Georges Vuitton introduced as many as 70 new designs, and the company expanded from luggage into handbags, accessories, and clothing. Art Director Marc Jacobs has breathed a new energy into the classic but tired brand, creating the legendary graffiti bag (a leap from the traditional LV image) and partnering with Takashi Murakami for the new, brightly-colored monogram bags. Jacobs even introduced a Louis Vuitton ready-to-wear clothing collection in 1997. It seems like every celebrity in Hollywood's history has had an LV luggage collection, along with anyone else wealthy enough to afford it. The LVMH powerhouse is synonymous with luxury, and the classic creations will never go out of style - especially not with Jacobs behind the scenes.

Get the Look.
It's easy enough: buy an original Louis Vuitton bag if you can afford it, and a knock-off if you can't. Traditionalists should go for the signature brown and beige designs, while the more avant-garde may prefer the new Murakami creations. For apparel, the LV lines tend to stay true to the original theme: luxurious, sophisticated, bold Parisian style.

DAVID BOWIE
Born:
January 8, 1947, Brixton, London, England
Fan of: Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, Velvet Underground, dramatic arts
Also Known As: Ziggy Stardust, The Thin White Duke
Net Worth: $900+ million

Beginnings.
Calling David Bowie a fashion icon is not only cliche but perhaps one of the biggest understatements in this entire series of Fashion Influentials. Bowie has influenced so many people over such a long period (five decades and counting), that those he influenced are now influencing people, making him one of the few (only?) iconic figures in the realm of popular culture to transcend multiple genres while at once remaining confident and true to his image as a vibrant and imaginary innovator. Bowie’s initial meteoric impact stuck earth in the form of 1969’s “Space Oddity,” a mini-melodrama that faired well on the UK charts. Even bigger was the introduction in 1972 of his alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, an androgynous, glittery, wildly colorful persona that, though relatively short-lived, marked Bowie as the revolutionary trendsetter for which he would later be celebrated.

Career Highs.
The song “Fame” from his album, Young Americans, is widely credited as his big American cross-over work. But it wasn’t until 8 years later that Bowie hit major commercial pay dirt with the album Let’s Dance which produced three top 10 singles: “Let’s Dance,” “China Girl,” and “Modern Love.” Fashion-wise, though always two steps ahead of everyone else, you can trace Bowie’s highest and most impactful stylistic achievement to his second alter-ego, 1976’s “The Thin White Duke.” Two words: White. Suits.

Career Lows.
Oddly, during a period of great success in terms of crowd appeal and record sales (read: the mid 1970s), it was largely believed that the englittered glam rocker was quite zonked on the cocaine. Bowie says that he was introduced to the drug in America and evidence of addiction to it manifested on two occasions in particular. One, on The Dick Cavett Show in December 1974 and another in the documentary called Cracked Actor (shot in 1974, aired in 1975) that showed an emaciated, jittery singer nervously sniffing in the backseat of a car. Bowie would later comment that the album he made during that period should have been called, “David Bowie Is Alive and Well and Living Only In Theory.”

Legacy.
Someone once tried to compare Madonna to David Bowie claiming that both were successful in transforming their image on a dime and doing so effortlessly. I agree they both have been able to do so easier than most but the main difference is that Bowie’s style and trendsetting comes from a different place. Madonna seems to adopt a new look when she has an album coming out, Bowie’s sense of style seems to come from somewhere else, somewhere deeper. On Bowie, he’s just as likely to wear an outfit to dinner that he’s wear on stage. I think that’s a huge distinction.

Get the look.
Dressing like David Bowie is easy. Wearing clothing like Bowie is nearly impossible. You can easily buy a well-tailored white suit or just an amazing grey suit with a great white shirt and cuff links but it’s the way Bowie wears his clothes that makes it. If you can find a way to pull off his confidence while at the same time his nonchalance, you’ll be famous some day soon.- John

CLAIRE MCCARDELL
Born:
May 24, 1905 in Frederick, MD Died:
March 22, 1958 in New York City, NY
Inspired:
Donna Karan, Cynthia Rowley, Isaac Mizrahi
Innovations:
zippers, spaghetti straps, ballet slippers, tweed evening coats, jersey dresses, drawstrings

Beginnings.
As a child, Claire McCardell noticed the clothes she wore were terrible for everyday activites like playing with her brothers. When she entered design school at what is now Parsons, she brought with her the idea of crafting clothing for utility and purpose, as well as aesthetics.

Career Highs.
McCardell avoided Parisian fashion shows, which helped her develop a particularly American look characterized by comfort and utility. When America entered WWII in 1941, textile supplies were severely rationed. There was no longer a place for expensive, impractical couture, and McCardell's wearable, frugal separates began to change the look of women's fashion. By the end of the 1940s, she was Lord and Taylor's best selling ready-to-wear designer.

Career Lows.
McCardell's career was tragically cut short by her failing health. Near the end of her life, she passed on her collection's design duties to a Parson's schoolmate, Mildred Orrick. She died of cancer at the age of 52.

Legacy.
McCardell is often compared to architect Frank Lloyd Wright. She did for fashion what he did for architecture: created pieces largely shaped around the lifestyles that included them. She was the first designer to bring us zippers, thin-strapped evening gowns, and ballet flats, and it she we have to thank for the simple, mix-and-match sportswear that characterizes American fashion.

Get the Look.
Although the McCardell line is no longer in stores, it's easy to find pieces influenced by McCardell. She has inspired designers Donna Karan, Isaac Mizrahi, Cynthia Rowley, Anna Sui, and many others, who continue to keep elements of McCardell's design vision alive on today's runways. - Alicia

EILEEN FORD
Born:
March 25, 1922, Great Neck, NY
Discovered:
Christie Brinkley, Carol Alt, Cheryl Tiegs, Kim Alexis
Currently Represents:
Chanel Iman, Lydia Hearst, Bar Refaeli
Not Fan of:
John Casablancas

Beginnings.
In 1947, a pregnant Eileen Ford worked as a secretary for two of her model friends in New York City to earn her extra money for her growing family. The models were frustrated with their agencies; at the time, models were responsible for setting and collecting their own wages, and often found it difficult to get paid. Eileen Ford took the job for $65 a month, and was earning $250,000 a year by 1948.

Career Highs.
A former model, Eileen Ford recognized three traits - a straight nose, wide-set eyes, and a long neck - in all successful models. She must have been on to something, as she was responsible for discovering supermodels Cheryl Tiegs, Christie Brinkley, and Carol Alt. The company reigned as the eminent modeling agency in the United States for over 30 years.

I create a look and I create a style. American women mean a great deal to me. I help them understand how they can look better; how to do this, do that, get a job.
- Eileen Ford

Career Lows.
Under Eileen's shrewd eye, Ford Models didn't face any serious competition until the late 1970s, when former associate John Casablancas of Elite Model Management, moved into the American market, stealing some of their best models. This led to cutthroat competition between the companies, leading Casablancas to say of Ford, "She wants my skin. There's so much ego and conniving in this business—anyone will do anything. But I am a warrior. I will fight. I will never sleep with both eyes closed as long as that woman is around." Ouch.

Legacy.
Eileen Ford changed the fashion business forever by treating it like a serious business. She singlehandedly defined an industry by recognizing and filling a crucial need in the modeling world. Without the power of an agency like Ford Models, the concept of the supermodel would likely never have occurred. - Alicia

Elvis Presley
Born:
January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi
Died:
August 16, 1977
Fan of:
Gospel singer Jake Hess, Hank Snow, Sister Rosetta Thorpe, Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubbs, Ted Daffan, Jimmie Rodgers, Jimmy Davis, Bob Willis.
Fans:
Marty Wilde, Cliff Richard, Johnny Hallyday, Adriano Celetano, Bobby Solo
Records sold: Unknown. Graceland reports over a billion.

Beginnings.
In terms of being a groundbreaker, Elvis is on the forefront. He’s broke ground before groundbreaking was invented. What comes before groundbreaking, anyway? Whatever it is, that’s Elvis. Without his contributions to popular culture, we’d all probably be wearing monochrome jumpsuits right now.

In 1954, Elvis pioneered the rockabilly style; a sexed-up union of country, R&B set to a hard, danceable beat. Play “Hound Dog” on the internal music player in your head and you’ll get the picture. That song captures the evolved sense of the genre. Elvis’s third job was driving trucks, it’s on this job that he started to wear his hair in the ducktail fashion, as was the style of truckers. This would later carry over into his own rebellious stage appearance making Elvis the first of many future fashion tragedies to embrace the “trucker” look. When Elvis did it, it was cool because he was actually a trucker.

Career Highs.
Elvis’s career took off with the torque equivalent to that of Space Shuttle Atlantis, and rarely slowed. Two days after his 21st birthday, Elvis made his first RCA recording in Nashville, Tennessee. Out of that session came “Heartbreak Hotel.” Three months later it hit number 1 on the U.S. charts selling more than a million copies. Elvis had entered the building with an uncompromising style that began with tight, black pant within which his famous hips tortured everyone from young women to fathers (for obviously different reasons).

Rock and roll music, if you like it, if you feel it, you can't help but move to it. That's what happens to me. I can't help it.- Elvis Presley

Career Lows.
Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’s manager, negotiated a contract in 1967 that gave him 50% of The King’s earnings. Parker was a gambler and it’s thought that it was this addiction that led to many overly commercial contracts. He was not the only associate to drag Presley down. In addition, after his 1973 divorce from Priscilla, prescription drugs began to take their toll. HE overdosed twice on barbiturates and was in a coma for three days. Incidentally, lab technicians were selling samples of Presley’s blood and urine, capitalizing on his poor health and fame.

Legacy.
Elvis, the later years, was a bedazzled, kitschy caricature of a pop-culture monster: Over-weight, drugged up and paranoid. As a Halloween costume, Fat Elvis probably second behind Dracula in all time popularity. But the young Elvis is a thing of legend. Notes director Steve Binder: "I'm straight as an arrow and I got to tell you, you stop, whether you're male or female, to look at him. He was that good looking. And if you never knew he was a superstar, it wouldn't make any difference; if he'd walked in the room, you'd know somebody special was in your presence."

Get the look.
Slicked back, jet-black hair in a subtle pompadour with modest sideburns, black button-down shirt tucked into black straight-leg jeans with pair of slender, 50s-style Gucci boots will forever be a cool look. - John

YVES SAINT LAURENT
Born:
August 1, 1936, Oran, Algeria
Died:
June 1, 2008, Paris France
Popularized:
Le Smoking Suit (a tuxedo suit for women), the beatnik look, thigh-high boots, safari jackets, peacoats, leopard print, etc.
Fan of:
Betty Catroux, Talitha Pol, Katoucha Niane, Iman, Laetitia Casta, Catherine Deneuve
Fans:
Catherine Deneuve, Paloma Picasso, Lauren Bacall, his mother

Beginnings.
Yves Saint Laurent, like his design contemporary Karl Lagerfeld, won first prize in an International Wool Secretariat competition in 1954 for his sketch of a cocktail dress. His win led to an interview with Christian Dior, who hired him immediately. When Dior died in 1957, Yves, who had been Dior's "right arm," was named Dior's head designer at the age of 21. His first collection for Dior, based on a "trapeze" silhouette, debuted to much acclaim on January 30, 1958.

Career Highs.
Yves Saint Laurent continued to change the shape of modern fashion, creating many of the looks now coming back into vogue. It was Yves who popularized peacoats, safari jackets, trench coats, and smoking jackets for women. It was he who swathed his models in racy leopard print. Perhaps most importantly, Yves revolutionized modern womenswear by introducing pants as eveningwear. As he put it, "My small job as a couturier is to make clothes that reflect our times. I'm convinced women want to wear pants."

The clothes incorporated all my dreams, all my heroines in the novels, the operas, the paintings. It was my heart - everything I love that I gave to this collection.- Yves Saint Laurent

Career Lows.
In September of 1960, a few months after Saint Laurent's last collection for Dior, he was conscripted into the French military during the Algerian War. He suffered a nervous collapse three weeks into his mandatory 27 months of service, leading the House of Dior to name Marc Bohan, Saint Laurent's former assistant, the new head designer. At the military psychiatric hospital he received electro-shock therapy, which he said changed him forever. Still, the 1962 debut of his own couture house was a resounding success.

Legacy.
Who knows how long it might have been until women wore formal pants, had it not been for Yves Saint Laurent. He also created many of the looks we see being reinvented today: his 1976 "rich peasant" collection inspired the bohemian peasant top you bought last summer. But his mark in the fashion world isn't confined to his revolutionary designs: Yves Saint Laurent was the first - and for some time, the only - high fashion designer to use models of color in his runway shows and advertisements.

Get the Look.
Yves Saint Laurent was so instrumental to modern fashion, his designs continue to be reinvented by other designers. Thus, it's highly likely you own all the pieces you need for an outfit Yves would have found classy. He loved to say that a woman could be fashionable with nothing more than a pair of pants, a sweater, and a raincoat. As long as the pieces are classic - the kind you'll want to keep and wear forever - then you're set.- Alicia