Bal Harbour

88 BAL HARBOUR "THER E'S A UNIVERSALITY to fashion. Everyone gets dressed every day," Amy Fine Collins turns to me and says without pause. e longtime special correspondent to Vanity Fair is the current queen of the International Best-Dressed List, the style barometer created by Eleanor Lambert—arguably the fashion world's first influencer—in 1940. When Lambert handed her much lauded IBDL to Vanity Fair in 2002, Fine Collins—along with editors Graydon Carter and Aimée Bell, and contributing editor Reinaldo Herrera—were handed the reins. From its inception, Lambert's brainchild has been the longstanding measure of style and originality. As fashion has evolved and Instagram superstars take on the style scene, the list has followed suit, celebrating the best and brightest across their fields of influence. is October, Fine Collins will release the ultimate reflection on the legendary list, "e International Best-Dressed List: e Official Story" (Rizzoli). A collection of stories and secrets (it's been said that Lambert was offered up to $50,000 by list aspirants!), Collins mined the archives of her predecessor to illuminate the storied history of the coveted sartorial honor. "I was able to resurrect this story in a very lively way," says Fine Collins. "is material, year by year, decade by decade, relates to the current events of that time, how it pertained to the general zeitgeist and culture. You can get a snapshot of what the culture looked like one moment at a time just by studying a list, who was on it and how it changed." So, how does one end up on the list? Beginning with a poll, voters select their favorites by category: royalty, sports, Hollywood, etc. Fine Collins and her team shore up the selections in what she describes as an electoral college after the popular vote. She explains the patterns and anomalies of people's time on the list. "Nicole Kidman wears clothes very, very well. She's been in the hall of fame for quite a long time." I bring up the rise of the celebrity stylist in the late '90s, and ask how you determine the originality of someone's style. "It's not an easy task to sort that out, but the cream usually rises to the top," says Fine Collins. "Every now and then, you have a very compatible, successful stylist/star relationship which expresses something about the celebrity—and not just the dress du jour. It's a question of not just being visible and looking extraordinary, elegant or original, but also exercising influence in fashion." Since its establishment in 1940, the International Best-Dressed List has included socialites, celebrities, athletes, royals and of late, influencers. Among those included are basketball star LeBron James (right), Academy Award winner and former model Anjelica Huston (far right) and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. To coincide with the release of "The International Best-Dressed List: The Official Story," Fine Collins will make a special appearance at Books & Books Bal Harbour on February 11, 2020. GETTY IMAGES/NATHANIEL S. BUTLER (JAMES); GETTY IMAGES/EVELYN HOFER (HUSTON)

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