We’ve tracked the red carpets, stalked the stars of street style, scoured the photos, and scored the gowns, all in the name of creating the only best-dressed list that really counts. In InStyle’s November issue, we bow down to the top 50 rule breakers and tastemakers, who have wowed us at every fashionable turn.
Among this year's honorees are InStyle Award winners Cate Blanchett (Style Icon), Zendaya (Style Star), and Elle Fanning (Breakthrough Style Star), who will also join us at the 2017 InStyle Awards at the Getty Center in Los Angeles on Oct. 23. For more on the winners, check out the November issue of InStyle, available on newsstands, through Amazon, and for digital download now.
The Top 10
Cate Blanchett in Gucci
1. Cate Blanchett - The Superstar
Whether in Armani, Vuitton, or something wildly conceptual by a designer you’ve never heard of, Blanchett has given us every reason to adore her year after year. As longtime stylist Elizabeth Stewart notes, “She’s considered a risk-taker, but I don’t think she views it that way. She wears what she is drawn to, and her natural taste leans toward the quirky and sophisticated.” What makes Blanchett so relentlessly captivating is she so totally gets that great fashion can help create an image. “Cate could have been an editor in another life,” Stewart says. “She has an instinct for what works for her. The common thread is good old-fashioned top-drawer design.”
Rihanna in Molly Goddard
2. Rihanna - The Daredevil
Oh, yes, she did! Rihanna makes an entrance with equal parts high style and high camp. “There’s such a confidence and fearlessness with her approach to dressing,” says designer Matthew Adams Dolan. “Having her support has meant the world to me.”
Jennifer Lopez in Valentino
3. Jennifer Lopez - The Bombshell
Does she ever have a bad outfit day? Apparently not. Whether she’s in a cropped top or cutouts, J.Lo never fails to one-up herself.
Julianne Moore in Tom Ford
4. Julianne Moore - The Overachiever
“I love clothes!” says Moore, the consummate go-to pro. “I feel privileged to have access to these beautiful things— it’s a fun form of expression.”
Brie Larson in Monique Lhuillier
5. Brie Larson - The New Lead
Larson was on board with fashion’s cool kids from day one (she must have Proenza Schouler and Monse on speed dial), but since changing to stylist Samantha McMillen, she’s reached the top of this year’s class of Young Hollywood.
Nicole Kidman in Calvin Klein
6. Nicole Kidman - The Resurgent
Kidman describes her style the same way we would describe her incredible work in 2017: “Classic with a twist,” she says, and you can’t argue with a winner.
Ruth Negga in Oscar de la Renta
7. Ruth Negga - The Mark Maker
“Romantic, modern, gothic—we do everything, and yet it all has her imprint,” says stylist Karla Welch on Negga’s signature, which is a modern take on vintage glamour (note those strong shoulders and high waistlines). “We share the same visual language and references to film and music. It’s an easy creative partnership.”
Zoe Kravitz in Dior
8. Zoe Kravitz - The Coolest
She might shun this title, but you know every designer on earth hopes she’ll ask them to sit at her table.
Diane Kruger in Monse
9. Diane Kruger - The Insider
“I’m pretty classic in a way, but I like an underlying sense of sexiness,” says Kruger. “I’m not really a boobs-on-the-red-carpet kind of girl.”
Kristen Stewart in Chanel
10. Kristen Stewart - The Transformer
Stewart’s haute edge is right at home in Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel haute couture, which welcomes strong characters. Their duet has created some of the most magical runway-to-reality moments of recent fashion history. She’ll always wear it her way.
