Modern Fashion Icon - Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez

• In her closet: Dolce & Gabbana, Armani Privé, Versace, Marchesa
• Iconic outfit: Silk chiffon jungle-print Versace dress at the 2000 Grammy Awards
• Key accessory: Strategically applied dabs of glue
• Thing you can't imitate:Divaliciousness
  
  

Lopez has had her ups and downs and her fair share of ho-hums on the red carpet, so her claim to icon status may rest on a single dress. That dress just happens to be the sheer, cut-down-to-there-and-slit-up-to-here palm-print Versace dress—with built-in crystal-studded undies—that she wore to a music awards show ten years ago. In other words, no contest.

(Courtesy of Style.com and ReelLifeWithJane.com) 

Modern Fashion Icon - Rachel Zoe

Rachel Zoe

In her closet: Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, vintage from Decades

Iconic look: Long caftan, giant wedges, enormous sunglasses, oversize jewelry, more oversize jewelry

Key accessory: What, just one?

Thing you can't imitate: The exact way she says "I die"—though you've probably tried

At the beginning, some front-row editors liked to scoff at this L.A.-based upstart, but they were probably already jealous of her influence. Mischa Barton, Nicole Richie, and Lindsay Lohan all fell under Rachel Zoe's haute-hippie/retro-boho spell in the mid-aughts, piling massive baubles onto their wire-thin frames and experimenting, probably more than was necessary, with lots of ironic hats. Zoe wasn't really the behind-the-scenes type, though. Thanks to The Rachel Zoe Project, the popular Bravo series about the agony and ecstasy of dressing the rich and famous, being a stylist—a job that many E! red-carpet watchers never knew existed—is now the fashion opportunity they're pegging their hopes on. Just don't trip on your caftans on the way up. 

(Courtesy of Style.com and Lalabazaar.com)

Modern Fashion Icon - Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga

• In her closet: Haus of Gaga
• Iconic look: Kermit the Frog jacket, 3-D bubble dress, Armani's orbiting-galaxies gown, etc., etc.
• Key accessory: Lobster headpiece
• Thing you can't imitate: Having Nicola Formichetti on your styling team

The girl may have taken a page from Madonna's playbook, but, boy, did she run with it. Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, and Katy Perry—pop's de facto fashion risk takers—now look tame (or lame) in comparison; Beyoncé's bondage-warrior look, meanwhile, has all of the aggression with little of the wit. Even someone like Björk took a day off once in a while. Not so Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. The born-and-bred New York City Catholic schoolgirl has quickly thrust herself into a line of sartorial envelope-pushers—Elton John, David Bowie, Prince—who turned ugly into iconic. 

(Courtesy of Style.com and Fanpop.com)

Modern Fashion Icon - Daphne Guinness

Daphne Guinness

• In her closet: Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Rick Owens tees (for working out)
• Iconic outfit: Full McQueen Spring 2010 look at François Nars' book signing, 2009
• Key accessory: A veil
• Thing you can't imitate: Walking in "heel-less" high heels

Guinness may be petite—she once made a pair of Alexander McQueen's "lobster" shoes fit by stuffing them with newspaper—but she knows how to make a big sartorial statement. What singles the haute heiress out, though, is how deeply felt her devotion to fashion is. When Christie's announced its intention to auction off the late Isabella Blow's wardrobe earlier this summer, Guinness bought the lot. "It's Issy—it's her DNA—it should not be scattered to the four winds. I want it to remain as a monument," she said. One thing's for sure: We'll be queuing up at the Museum at FIT to see an exhibition of Guinness' own couture collection when it goes on view next year. 

(Courtesy of Style.com and Hautebetts.com)