Rising style icons to watch in 2024
Every new name in fashion - and one veteran trailblazer - to follow in the year ahead.
In today’s world, high fashion has transformed from what was once a lofty, elite space into something spectated on social media by millions of people – kind of like sport. And just like sport, everyone loves a bold newcomer. 2023 saw the reigns commence of new style stars who proved their worth in the fashion industry, becoming some of the world’s best-dressed celebrities in the process.
So, what are their names? Below, meet the women whose much-admired fashion choices garnered acclaim and, in some cases, bewilderment this year – and the reasons they should be on your radar in the year ahead.
Pamela Anderson
Unlike other names on this list, Pamela Anderson isn’t a newcomer, but captured the fashion world’s attention in 2023 through the radical act of self-acceptance. It began in October, when the Baywatch actor attended Paris Fashion Week wearing minimal makeup, making her an outlier from the excessive glamour and manufactured appearances often seen at fashion month.
For all the acclaim surrounding her look – most notably from women over 50, who admire Anderson’s celebration of her natural features – the actress put it best in an Instagram post in October. Her words: “There is beauty in self-acceptance, imperfection and love.”
Sophie Wilde
If you saw indie Australian horror film Talk to Me in 2023, you likely would’ve fallen under the spell of Australian actress Sophie Wilde. But aside from being one of Australia’s brightest young acting talents, Wilde has proven herself as an emerging fashion force, with Loewe designer Jonathan Anderson, as well as Chanel, among her big-league fans. When it comes to personal style, Wilde’s elegant and understated taste is something we could all be inspired by in the coming year.
Taylor Russell
Few celebrities are game enough to go to a fashion show wearing a steel jacket with lingerie underneath, but Taylor Russell is no ordinary star. 2023 marked a big year for the Canadian actress and style risk-taker, who pushed the envelope with fashion that bordered on wearable art – often by Loewe, a brand she’s an ambassador for. Leave it to Russell to do the heavy lifting (literally) when it comes to sartorial experimentation in 2024 – and cross fingers that she steps out with Harry Styles, her boyfriend, who occupies a similar space for experimentation in the world of menswear.
Greta Lee
Fans of the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show will be familiar with Greta Lee, as well as those enamoured with her performance in the critically acclaimed drama film Past Lives. But the American actor has burst onto the fashion scene with a bang, as one of the year’s most intrepid dressers, helped along by her ambassadorship for Loewe. Lee has nabbed some of the best and most outre creations by its designer, Jonathan Anderson, and has even shown love to Australian fashion, by wearing one of homegrown designer Christopher Esber’s sheer off-shoulder blouses.
Jenna Ortega
Ortega became an overnight sensation – and gained over 39 million Instagram followers – after appearing in Netflix’s Addams Family spin-off, Wednesday. But while the wardrobe of her on-screen character errs dark and witchy, Ortega’s own taste is elevated and modern; take the Thom Browne suit-dress she wore to the Met Gala, or the lacy, bespoke black dresses she often favours from Dior.
Cailee Spaeny
Even before the release of Sofia Coppola’s Presley biopic Priscilla, its leading star, the breakout American actress Cailee Spaeny, has made waves in the fashion world. Spaeny’s on-screen Priscilla is dressed in custom looks by Chanel, but the actress herself has been minted by fashion; she walked the runway for Italian label Miu Miu in October and is a face for high jewellery brand Bulgari. Get ready to see more of the 25-year-old, and her great eye for style, in the year ahead.
Hari Nef
Margot Robbie’s Barbie role may have made her the main style star on the film’s hot-pink press tour, but the efforts of Hari Nef, the American actress and model who plays Dr Barbie in the film, can’t be understated. Instead of channelling Mattel’s perennial doll through clothing, Nef kept it cool in striking silhouettes that asserted her red-carpet dominance, like a pillar-esque custom Celine gown at the film’s LA premiere, or a showpiece dress covered in real silver knives and forks by experimental London designer Dilara Findikoglu. This Barbie is far ahead of the trends, and it’s impossible to look away.
Sofia Richie
The term “quiet luxury” – which references elegant, understated style without showiness, bold colours, and logos – ruled 2023. Sofia Richie – the socialite, model, and daughter of Lionel – is an endorser of the trend, winning admirers with largely monochromatic style, devoid of bold patterns, and elegant, wearable cuts with a mid-century European edge. Her marriage to music executive Elliot Grainge in April, where she worked exclusively with Chanel on three bespoke dresses, was all kinds of #weddinggoals and further enshrined Richie as a fashion muse for Gen-Z.
Angelina Kendall
Australia has exported its fair share of supermodels – Elle Macpherson, Miranda Kerr, Adut Akech and Abbey Lee are names that come to mind – and a new force has emerged in the past year. Meet Angelina Kendall, the Brazilian-Australian and Sydney native who walked for Chanel, Dior, Hermes, Schiaparelli, Versace, and Tom Ford in 2023, causing designers and photographers alike to be spellbound by her striking gaze. She also covered the September 2023 issue of Vogue Italia, which is the modelling-world equivalent of winning the Super Bowl. Get ready to see world domination in the coming years – even though she isn’t even 20 yet.
Iris Law
Alongside having one of the world’s most recognisable pixie cuts right now, Iris Law – the model daughter of Jude Law and Sadie Frost – had several moments with fashion this year. Highlights include hooded gowns on the red carpet, as well as nods to Vivienne Westwood, the late style icon, through an outfit adorned with the word ‘SEX’ – the name of Westwood’s store, often considered the birthplace of punk, in London – at the British Fashion Awards. Meet fashion’s newest renegade.
Emma Corrin
There’s something special about watching a celebrity carve out a unique path with fashion, and Emma Corrin is an exemplar. The actor, who goes by they/them pronouns, has undergone a major sartorial transformation since playing Princess Diana on The Crown in 2020. Aside from wearing plenty of Miu Miu (Corrin has walked the runway for the brand, which is known for its ability to create fashion superstars), they’ve nailed a unique brand of idiosyncratic style, with the occasional reference to Princess Di; see December’s white tuxedo top and sheer skirt at a 2023 Crown screening, a modern reference to an outfit worn by the late Princess of Wales. Instead of subscribing to the trends of the moment, Corrin follows their own advice and instincts with fashion – advice we should follow in our own lives.
