My own dabble with the subjective superlative

In the spirit of the season of "Best of" lists, I thought I'd try my tanned hand at the practice with my own subjective selection.

At the end of the day, everything I know about style is a synthesis of my own organic uh-I-like-that-edness and that which I've read in magazines and fashion blogs and seen on TV and in films; I'm not going to sit here and pretend I recognized a single non-mainstream-celebrity on Vanity Fair's list of the 10 Best Dressed Women for 2007, because that would be lying, and liars, I'm told, end up in a place where the only shoes are wedged espadrilles, the only jeans are bootleg, the only jackets are North Face and the only style resource is this has-been train wreck.

Point is, my list isn't a "Best Dressed" one but rather an enumeration of those women to whom I most often turn for real, lasting and consistent style inspiration.

You'll notice conspicuously absent from my short list are names like Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Lopez and Cate Blanchett, women over whom I fawn shamelessly on almost a daily basis for their red carpet prowess. Their omissions are by no means a function of my wanting to stick to six names and six names only but rather a desire to highlight women who, like I said above, have had and continue to have a real influence on the way I dress and the way I discern between this item or that item for my daily blog features. I'm duly impressed with how Penny, J.Lo and Cate continue to choose striking, figure-flattering Versace, Marchesa and Armani Privé gowns, respectively, but ultimately, the only practical influences they have over me involve their posture, makeup and hair styles.

So without further ado, here is my subjective superlative list:

ASJiNE's Most Prominent (living) Style Inspirations:

1. Katie Holmes

(influences: there is no such thing as casual casual; heels with any outfit, on any terrain; invest in simple, neutral but memorable pieces)

2. Audrey Tautou

(influence: never underestimate the power of "cute")

3. Natalie Portman

(influence: show-stop with cuts, not color; beautiful skin is the best accessory)

4. Woman in Paris*
(influence: there is a tasteful way to wear anything, it just takes imagination and compensation)

5. Sienna Miller
(influences: a toned size-2/4 figure allows you to look good in - or at least try - anything; a sultry eye can serve as your most powerful accessory) 6. Rachel Bilson
(influence: helped me discover my favorite silhouette -- slim, slim lines broken up by a cropped, boxy jacket)

*photo taken from The Sartorialist