From Cate Blanchett to Jacob Elordi — concise, personal style was served in 2023. These stars made the most stylish impact this year (in our humble opinion).
If you’ve been keeping up with some of our fashion reporting over the years, you may have picked up that we’re slightly
Emma Gleason’s weekly Looks of the Week installment is another great way to pinpoint certain weeks of the year; moments in fashion that segue into months and eventually years, before they become a time capsule of how we used to dress.
So, what did happen in the flurry of fashion in 2023?
It was a year that saw red-carpet fashion take a backseat to the all-important writers and actors strikes. A merry-go-round of designers came and went. In March, Jeremy Scott left Moschino after 10 years, replaced by David Renne who nine days into the role died from a sudden illness. Sarah Burton sent her final collection for Alexander McQueen down the runway in September after over two decades at the brand, and Phoebe Philo, a designer who redefined minimalism for the 2010s, returned to fashion after a six-year hiatus to present her eponymous collection.
The 90s returned thanks in part to the nostalgia of Victoria and David Beckham’s Netflix documentary, and while the premieres were few and far between, and award ceremonies were dealing with their own identity crisis, the well-known faces who did make an impact with their style delivered everything from avant-garde self-expression to the type of off-duty insouciance that comes with jeans and T-shirts.
Rather than go through the looks that stood out this year, we’ve selected these 12 faces for their consistency.
Here are prime examples that no matter how rich and famous you are, and how many stylists you work with, what it all boils down to is harnessing the essence of individual style that makes these looks feel highly personal.
The clothes aren’t wearing these celebrities; instead, they reinforce their unique personalities, which makes them our best-dressed people of the year.
The Minimalist
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Pamela Anderson
It started strong for Pamela Anderson in February when she attended the premiere of her Netflix documentary Pamela, a Love Story, wearing a flaming-red Naeem Khan dress and Delfina Delettrez jewels that paid suitable tribute to her iconic role as CJ Parker in Baywatch.
But it was in the latter half of the year we saw her flourish further, attending Paris Fashion Week in an assortment of looks, including a voluminous tartan trenchcoat and hat from Vivienne Westwood and a three-piece pinstripe tailored set from The Row.
It was her newfound beauty ethos that struck us for its simple reminder of self-acceptance. Speaking to iD outside the Victoria Beckham show in October, she told Lea Ogunlami her biggest secret is “don’t do anything. Wake up, whatever’s happening is just happening. It’s all about self-acceptance. This is the chapter of my life I am trying to embrace now. Sometimes it’s challenging, and you just have to understand that you are good enough and you are beautiful.”
In preparation for the Vivienne Westwood show by the late designer’s husband Andreas Kronthaler — the first Anderson had been to since Westwood’s death in December 2022 — she told Paris Vogue that she doesn’t have a glam team or a stylist and that this was the most free she’s been when it comes to getting ready.
Most recently last week at the British Fashion Awards 2023, presented at the Royal Albert Hall, she took a page out of Geri Halliwell Horner’s book of dressing in an all-white ensemble by Victoria Beckham. Seeing Anderson’s Californian free spirit come through in these self-styled looks was one of the most meaningful fashion and beauty moments of the year. — Dan Ahwa, fashion and creative director
The Performer
Cardi B
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Advertise with NZME.The polar opposite of quiet luxury, Cardi B’s looks this year were far more interesting and aspirational than anything you’ll see in a Succession trend piece. It takes a true performer to pull fashion of this ilk off, and the singer has been one of the standout red carpet stars of 2023, embracing occasion and character with respect for a theme.
Standouts include the brilliantly theatrical Schiaparelli at Haute Couture week — the star made a headline-grabbing turn at multiple shows — and the pitch-perfect look for the Met Gala, referencing the camp of Chanel, and the other big event of the year: Barbie. — Emma Gleason, deputy editor, NZ Herald Lifestyle and Entertainment
The Maximalist
Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway’s glamour renaissance continued this year, with a focus on molto Italiano looks from the collections of her go-to brands — Valentino and Versace.
At the Met Gala in May, it was a Versace bouclé tribute to Karl Lagerfeld complete with very Versace safety pins; while in May, she turned up the volume in Italy for a Bulgari event wearing jewels from the brand (she is, after all, an ambassador) and a gold Atelier Versace dress from its fall/winter 2023 collection.
Hathaway’s stylist Erin Walsh has been instrumental in her newfound ‘fashion era’, and among the clean girls in their blazers and Adidas Sambas and the distressed dystopian silhouettes from the art crowd on TikTok, Hathaway’s attention to unadulterated head-to-toe glamour was a surprising energy boost on the red carpet this year. — DA
The Downtown Cool
Ayo Edibiri
The star of Theater Camp and The Bear displays the type of bravado and confidence you expect from someone in their late 20s, adding a sense of personality to lady-like looks and understanding the power of a well-selected accessory like a combat boot or an oversized pair of sunglasses.
She started the year strong in January with a red Bode pre-fall 2022 sailor coat which she opted to wear as a dress and a pair of lug boots, then proceeded to carry on confidently in a parade of great fits.
Her Emilia Wickstead princess-style gown to the SAG Awards was a pivotal red-carpet look for the young star, as was the retro-tastic fun vibes of a tonal Valentino red look worn to the SXSW Festival in March. — DA
The Supermodel
Paloma Elsesser
The American was crowned model of the year at The British Fashion Council’s annual awards earlier this year (the first curve model to receive the accolade). To be truly successful in the vocation — a job that requires an ability to capture the mood of the moment, emanate personality and be a chameleon — requires an appreciation for style and the nuances of fashion. Elsesser is fluent in both, and plugged into discourse.
One interesting, though not unexpected, shift this year is what feels to be a renaissance of street-style photography and off-duty documentation, and Elsesser is always the best of the bunch. Every look feels authentic and expressive, whether it’s a punk vein of Chopova Lowena, a plain white T-shirt or a statement coat.
Elsesser never looks “dressed” by someone else. She serves up hit after hit on the red carpet too, giving occasions effort that conveys respect, while never going too much into “try” territory. — EG
The Street-Style King
Jacob Elordi
It’s called pretty privilege. When you’re 6″5 most trousers will probably look good on you. But I will hand it to Jacob Elordi — he’s consistent with wearing a tiny designer handbag slung on his shoulders off-duty; while on the red carpet and at public appearances, the Euphoria star exudes the type of old-school Hollywood actor vibe that is emphasised by his careful choice in outfit.
Whether it’s a splayed collar underneath a 50s-style pinstripe Zoot suit by Bottega Veneta worn to the 2023 GQ Men of the Year Awards in LA, or a tan three-piece Burberry suit worn to the Saltburn premiere in LA, Elordi can wear a suit and make it feel gentlemanly. His soft mannerisms add a casual elegance to tailoring.
He’s currently a campaign star for Boss, but we feel his agent can get him something better, surely. — DA
The Art School Girlie
Julia Fox
A fashion outlier who knows her audience and unapologetically dresses for herself. She made our best-dressed list in 2022, and this year she reinvented herself as something of an upcycling queen wearing everything from a hard-to-construct repurposed belt dress by up-and-coming Swedish label Hodakova to a tie constructed of silk ties by Jaded London in May.
Upping her style this year coincided, of course, with the release of her fascinating memoir Down the Drain, working closely with stylist and close friend Briana Andalore on a range of looks that helped take Fox’s personal style to the next level while out promoting on the press tour.
Fox’s best look of the year, however, came courtesy of a white lace midi-skirt from Chopova Lowena styled with white cowboy boots, and Mowalola Union Jack shoulder bag, a hair bow and the pièce de résistance — a corset by Eve Corsets, which featured an embroidered portrait of Princess Diana. The overall ensemble is in keeping with the punkish spirit of the late Vivienne Westwood. Is there still time to petition for Fox to feature in a future campaign for the brand? — DA
The Archivist
Emma Corrin
It’s no easy feat to reference the past without erring on the side of costumery, but Emma Corrin walks this tightrope with aplomb. The actor works closely with stylist Harry Lambert, and the two have what’s quite clearly a very collaborative approach to fashion. Corrin has their own distinctive personal style and is willing to push dress codes and gender tropes; Lambert’s knowledge, access and appreciation for risk-taking lead to distinctive looks that remind you of the joy of getting dressed and (importantly) why fashion is a valid part of the work of celebrity.
Case in point, the Miu Miu look at The Crown finale that referenced a lesser-known Prince Diana ensemble from 1986 — nerds will know — or Corrin’s mood-setting turns in the Italian luxury brand’s underwear-as-outerwear both on the runway and at Cannes.
Another great look was Wimbledon, with the cream suit and tie making a smart addition to the celebrity box, referencing the heritage and tradition of the famous event in a rather transgressive way that still felt decidedly cool. — EG
The Diva
Rosalia
Giving the world a little Latina flair for a new generation is what the 31-year-old flamenco dancing sensation does best, starting with her headlining performance at Coachella this year dressed in an assortment of great looks complete with oversized shield sunglasses.
One particular look set the tone for a certain ruffle microtrend that seeped into the zeitgeist this year off the back of a frivolous Y2K revival — a pale pink ‘jellyfish’ like blouse from Cane, matched well with a pair of PVC trousers.
Another standout look was the very definition of Latina glamour — a trailing black lace see-through Balenciaga gown worn to the 23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards last month in Seville. The singer won the Album of the Year category for her top-selling album Motomami.
Not one to shy away from embracing a more sensual code of dress, the singer was an inspiring figure this year for a convincingly daring take on fashion. — DA
The New Avant-Garde
Hunter Schafer
It was one of the most talked about looks of awards season this year. The Euphoria star’s choice of a Ludovic de Saint Sernin-designed outfit from his debut collection for Belgian stalwart Ann Demeulemeester was a considered choice. A bias-cut white silk skirt and a single ivory-coloured feather bandeau strategically worn around her chest reinforced the collection’s inspiration of “authorship and autobiography”, with the designer describing the feather bandeau’s ‘quills’ in the show notes.
It’s a message that may not have been clear in the runway presentation in Paris earlier this month, but on Schafer it was crystal clear. As a trans woman whose fame is connected to her gender identity, this was a defiant choice of outfit that further supported self-expression and self-love.
The months following saw Schafer ramp up her style while on the promotional tour of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes — the most mesmerising was a full-length red-carpet take on a cocktail look from Prada’s spring 2009 archive, complete with a slicked-back French twist, a nod to the show hair from that season created by Guido Palau.
Another recent look was worn last month to the film’s screening in New York, a floral confection of a cocktail dress designed by Marni, styled by fashion director of Interview Magazine, the singularly named Dara (who also happens to be an adventurous style influencer on TikTok). Following in the footsteps of other left-of-centre red-carpet favourites such as Tilda Swinton and Helena Bonham Carter, Schafer’s unabashed approach to fashion will steer her well into that sweet spot where fashion and Hollywood intersect. — DA
The Louche Lad
Paul Mescal
Paul Mescal is one of the busiest actors around, and when he’s not putting one film to bed and on the promo trail, he’s in the middle of filming something else. In the past year he’s released Aftersun, Carmen and a devastating turn in God’s Creatures; and this year he’s been busy filming a follow-up to Gladiator.
What’s apparent about Mescal’s style is he doesn’t veer far from a winning silhouette, and that is a tank top layered underneath an expensive suit, with a slightly flared trouser leg.
As one of this year’s best-dressed men, what works well is that he doesn’t look like he’s trying particularly hard, but is still approachable. The wider trouser silhouette is also a good lesson for men on the red carpet to leave tight tapered dress trousers with an exposed sockless ankle in 2013.
My favourite look from Mescal this year was a very sharp navy suit and striped Breton jersey from Vivienne Westwood, worn to the Newport Beach Film Festival UK Honours in February, a winning combination that offered a modern silhouette on a look made up of classic wardrobe essentials. — DA
The Cerebralist
Cate Blanchett
There aren’t too many celebrities who can carry off the fastidious theatrics of a Nicholas Ghesquiere Louis Vuitton look, but Cate Blanchett’s commanding presence can carry off everything from the avant-garde to a streamlined suit from one of her favourites, Stella McCartney.
At Sarah Burton’s final show for Alexander McQueen in September, Blanchett donned a distinctive McQueen look of a rigorously tailored suit with the flourish of romantic red, the measure of sharp and soft the perfect combination to describe Blanchett’s love of drama.
But it was the two-tone archival Louis Vuitton dress she wore to the Oscars in March that solidified her as a beloved red-carpet staple. The teal capelet top with shoulder pads was a powerful look. On screen in Tár, the costumes were just as powerful.
No matter what Blanchett wears, she understands the value of fashion to project something otherworldy to her fans and audiences. Much like her, Blanchett’s choice of dress both on and off-screen conveys a confidence that comes with years of experimenting with what works best, and in her case, she thrives on clothes that dig a little deeper. — DA
More Fashion From 2023
In-depth profiles and fascinating features.
Fashion’s Groupthink Problem: Why Is The Industry Going Backward When It Comes To Diversity And Designers? It has been a nutso year in designer churn. The result has been largely status quo.
Fashion Writers On Their Favourite Clothing, The Reality Of Dress And The Future Of The Industry. They work to decode one of the most complex forms of communication we have.
Paris Georgia: From Childhood Friends To Dressing Dua Lipa And Lady Gaga. They also count Kate Hudson and Kendall Jenner as fans.
How Much Would You Pay For Polyester? Everyone from Saint Laurent to Shein is using this synthetic. What does it say about us?
