Fashion

Vogue’s 12 Best-Dressed Women of 2021

December 19, 2021

Image may contain Jourdan Dunn Cynthia Erivo Gemma Chan Isabelle Huppert Zendaya Clothing Apparel Human and Person

There have been some truly memorable fashion moments this year; from Amanda Gorman’s Prada headband to Kim Kardashian’s haute Balenciaga morph suit. But when it comes to consistently delivering smash hits, these are the women you can always rely on. Despite uncertain times, Zendaya managed to out-gown everyone, Lady Gaga redefined Old Hollywood style with her stripper boots, and Angelina Jolie became a vintage influencer. Here, the 12 stars who decorated our days with really good fashion.

Pierre Suu
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Kate Moss
Moss rang in 2021 with a supermodel moment on the cover of British Vogue. A visible underwear moment, to be precise. From then on, it was classic Mossy in action: all eternally chic slips, bootcut jeans made bohemian with velvet blazers, and wildly cool Ibiza kaftans no one else could possibly pull off. Quintessential Kate might never reinvent the wheel, but she’s our favorite reminder that the classics never date, and stealth luxury is often the chicest kind. As Edward Enninful said of his friend in his January 2021 editor’s letter: “There will always be Kate Moss.”
In Paris, 2 October.
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In London, 22 September.

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In Paris, 2 October.
MEGA
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In Paris, October 4.
Photo: Getty Images
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Lady Gaga
2021 saw Gucci’s new poster girl engage Old Hollywood Gaga – previously seen trailing a spray of pink plumes behind her on the 2018 promo trail for A Star is Born. Channelling the “painful Italian glamour” she does so well, Lady Gaga took on her House of Gucci press duties with the same commitment she brought to the role of Patrizia Reggiani (translation: not breaking character for a year and a half). Stripper heels and glittering Valentino ballgowns aside, 2021 was also the year that Gaga sang President Biden into office wearing a bullet-proof Schiaparelli dress dotted with a dove brooch. A history-making moment if ever there was one.
Wearing Gucci at the London premiere of ‘House of Gucci’, 9 November.

Photo: Getty Images
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In Schiaparelli haute couture at the inauguration, 20 January.
Mondadori Portfolio
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In Atelier Versace at the Italian premiere of House Of Gucci, 13 November.
Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
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In Valentino haute couture at the LA premiere of House of Gucci, 18 November.

David Livingston
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In Schiaparelli at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opening gala, September 25.
Photo: Getty Images
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Zendaya
Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet emerged as the red carpet’s favorite double act on the Dune trail this year, but only one of them was crowned an official style icon by the CFDA. Z-swaggers rejoiced as the Euphoria actor was recognized for her chameleonic approach to fashion – thanks, in no small part, to her “image architect”, Law Roach. “Zendaya is a woman now,” the stylist told Vogue of the star’s coming of age in 2021, from her use of vintage to tell important stories, to her commitment to totally transportive fashion. The industry couldn’t ask for a better ambassador.
In Vera Wang at the CFDA Awards, 10 November.
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In Valentino at the Oscars, 25 April.

Samir Hussein
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In Rick Owens at the London premiere of House of Gucci, 18 October.
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In Roberto Cavalli at the Ballon D’Or 2021, 29 November.
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Dua Lipa
The popstar made it her mission to become the face of young fashion talent this year, throwing her weight behind everyone championing the Y2K aesthetic she loves so much. Instagram was her runway, until she opened the Versace show to the tune of her own music (iconic), and made her crossover from music to fashion official. Hot takes on trends aside, Lipa and her stylist Lorenzo Posocco pull out the big guns when it matters. Case in point: Dua’s custom Vivienne Westwood Brits looks, which were a riotous ode to Britishness. To borrow the artist’s own words, she looked hotter than hell this year.
Wearing Versace at Milan Fashion Week, 24 September.

CBS Photo Archive
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Wearing Atelier Versace at the Grammys, 14 March.
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Wearing Versace at the Versace X Frieze party, 15 October.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
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Wearing Maximilian at the Fashion Awards, 29 November.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by David Fisher/Shutterstock (12622890bt)Dua LipaThe Fashion Awards 2021, Arrivals, Royal Albert Hall, London, UK - 29 Nov 2021

Getty Images
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Rihanna
There was a stint this year when Rihanna was rocking the best outfits to dinner ever. Giorgio Baldi was her destination, and Rick Owens was her weapon of choice. Vintage Chanel and rare John Galliano-era Dior, too. As time went on, she doubled up on star power with A$AP Rocky by her side. Name another couple who could wear haute duvets to the Met Gala and almost out-dress everyone. It was a reminder that, prior to Kim Kardashian, Rih was the original Demna disciple. Bow down.
Wearing Maisie Wilen and vintage Chanel.
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Wearing custom Balenciaga at the Met Gala, 14 September.
David M. Benett
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Jourdan Dunn
Jourdan Dunn has always been a queen of slinky, sassy London looks, but this year she had a particular spring in her step. While every It-girl under the sun laced themselves up in Nensi Dojaka’s mere whispers of tops, JD put her own personal spin on the work of young designers. She cast the net wide, too. Not one other person at the Fashion Awards wore Italian-Sri-Lankan couturier Andrea Brocca, and that spoke volumes about Jourdan’s style.
Wearing Nensi Dojaka at an ASAP Ferg event, 1 November.

Samir Hussein
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In Boss at the GQ Men of the Year Awards, 1 September.
Ricky Vigil
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Wearing Richard Quinn at the BFC Changemakers Prize, 21 September.
Samir Hussein
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Wearing Andrea Brocca at the Fashion Awards, 29 November.

Future Publishing
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Isabelle Huppert
Balenciaga convert Isabelle Huppert enrolled in Demna’s school of fashion this year, and barely looked back. The French film siren stole the spotlight from young whippersnapper Timothée Chalamet and his electric suiting at Cannes, by wearing the second-skin Balenciaga dress of the year, with the matching bug-eyed sunglasses to boot. By the time the Met Gala came around, she was in the brand’s crushed-velvet tomato-red ballgown, and posing with more swagger than Balenciaga’s streetwear nerds. The lesson we all took from watching the 68-year-old icon do her thing? Be more Huppert.
Wearing Balenciaga at Cannes Film Festival, 7 July.
Stephane Cardinale - Corbis
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Wearing Burberry in Paris 18 October.
Elisabetta A. Villa
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Wearing Armani Privé at Venice Film Festival, 1 September.

ANGELA WEISS
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Wearing Balenciaga at the Met Gala, 13 September.
Pascal Le Segretain
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Wearing Louis Vuitton at Paris Fashion Week, 5 October.
Daniele Venturelli
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Gemma Chan
Gemma Chan and her stylist Rebecca Corbin-Murray are always on a mission to score personal bests in the style stakes, and this year they really hit a home run. Staying true to Chan’s mission to put the work of Asian talent on the world’s stage, the pair teamed up with Nepalese-American designer Prabal Gurung on a Met Gala dress that paid homage to Hollywood’s first Chinese-American star, Anna May Wong. From one trailblazer to another, rising South Korean couturier Sohee Park created Chan a dazzling Eternals world premiere look that kicked butt, and made the Marvel universe seem socially-aware for everyone watching.
Wearing Sohee Park at the London premiere of ‘Eternals’, 27 October.

Theo Wargo
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Wearing Prabal Gurung at the Met Gala, 13 September.
Marc Piasecki
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Wearing Oscar de la Renta at Cannes Film Festival, 17 July.
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Wearing Valentino at Rome Film Festival, 25 October.

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Wearing Valentino at Cannes Film Festival, 16 July.
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Angelina Jolie
No one wears Versace like Angelina Jolie, who commissioned Donatella to create her an otherworldly gown befitting the Rome premiere of Eternals. But it was not even this jaw-droppingly exquisite fashion moment that defined her blockbuster year promoting the superhero franchise. In fact, Angelina’s best look wasn’t even worn by the actor herself. She lent her daughter Zahara the shimmering Elie Saab couture dress she wore to the 2014 Oscars, which the teenager looked resplendent in some seven years on. As the year drew to a close, Jolie had reinvented herself as an archive-fluencer; an environmentally-conscious fashion plate with a penchant for vintage and the foresight to never throw clothing away.
Wearing Elie Saab haute couture at the 2014 Oscars; Zahara wearing the same dress to the LA premiere of ‘Eternals’ premiere, 18 October.
Daniele Venturelli
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Wearing Atelier Versace at Rome Film Festival , 24 October.
ROME, ITALY - OCTOBER 24: Angelina Jolie attends the red carpet of the movie "Eternals" during the 16th Rome Film Fest 2021 on October 24, 2021 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Daniele Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli/WireImage)

David Fisher/Shutterstock
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Wearing Valentino to the London premiere of Eternals, 27 October.
Taylor Hill
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Zoë Kravitz
Call us biased, but it wouldn’t be a best-dressed list without Zoë Kravitz, who this year stole headlines in a crystal mesh Saint Laurent Met Gala look that was the very definition of daring. The queen of the bejeweled bralette also kept the celebrity news cycle pedaling with her #couplesgoals looks with Channing Tatum. Few women could barely stray from tank tops and low-slung satin skirts (albeit by The Row), and still be crowned one of the world’s most stylish, but Kravitz’s ability to switch between girl-next-door chic and eye-wateringly sexy glamour with just a few diamantés for company is all part of her unrivaled appeal.
Wearing custom Saint Laurent at the Met Gala, 13 September.
Robert Kamau
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In New York, 11 June.

MEGA
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Wearing The Row in New York, 26 July.
Alexander Tamargo
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In Saint Laurent at Art Basel, 29 November.
Future Publishing
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Cynthia Erivo
Fashion’s escapist quality has never been lost on Cynthia Erivo, who told Vogue earlier this year, “[Clothes] are really just an extension of who I am... the stories I can tell… the statements I can make!” Top marks for her dedication to brightening up the fashion forecast the whole year round, kick-started of course by her Stabilo highlighter-green Valentino ballgown at the Golden Globes. Erivo left her mark on every red carpet that followed, leaving a flutter of Oscar de la Renta, Louis Vuitton and Gucci feathers in her wake. She is sunshine in fashion form.
Wearing Valentino haute couture at Venice Film Festival, 4 September.

Daniele Venturelli
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Wearing Schiaparelli haute couture at Venice Film Festival, 3 September.
Todd Williamson/NBC
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Wearing Valentino haute couture at the Golden Globes, 28 February.
Daniele Venturelli
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Wearing Atelier Versace at Venice Film Festival, 1 September.

Tristan Fewings
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Wearing Balenciaga at the London premiere of House of Gucci, 9 November.
Courtesy of Nicola Coughlan / @nicolacoughlan
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Nicola Coughlan
Nicola Coughlan stole our hearts somewhere between Bridgerton season one and her British Vogue In The Bag video, during which she delivered the inimitable line: “You’ve got to walk into the club purse first.” The always-cheerful star has carved out herself a niche in whimsical dresses from London’s finest, from Simone Rocha to Molly Goddard (and yes she will wear a cardi with her tumbling tulle, thank you very much). Bring on the season two press tour.
Wearing Molly Goddard at the Golden Globes, 28 February.
David Fisher/Shutterstock for BAFTA
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Wearing Valentino at the TV BAFTAs, 6 June.

Darren Gerrish
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Wearing Simone Rocha at the British Replica Handbag Store X Tiffany & Co. Fashion And Film Dinner, 20 September.

Alice Newbold is the executive fashion news and features editor at Vogue.co.uk and has been reporting on news, trends and happenings within the Vogue world since 2017. Prior to that, she was the digital style editor at the Telegraph for five years. A first-class honours English Literature graduate from Goldsmiths, ... Read More