On this New Year’s Day we return to a tradition, and for the 16th year I post my International Best & Worst Dressed List. I undertook this tradition when the late Mr. Blackwell, a Hollywood columnist who produced his own List every year for 48 years, passed away in 2008.
I published NO List in 2020, because I was gagged from all public communication by a federal judge and NO List for 2021, because my wife had just been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, from which, I am happy to report, she is in total remission.
And a year later, Mrs. Stone is still healthy and stronger now, more than ever!
2024 has certainly brought us many curveballs politically, socially, culturally, and sartorially.
Before we begin, it’s important to remind all those we begin that this list is not about politics, IT’S ABOUT STYLE.
Once again, we must note that while fashion is fleeting, style is both timeless and enduring. Skirts may go up or down, and neckties may be wide or thin, but the double-breasted Navy-blue blazer with gold military buttons will always be in style. The little black cocktail dress will always look smashing. A seersucker suit is always appropriate between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
As we addressed in last year’s installment, the transgender sideshow has blurred many people’s understanding of what is true style and what is just an absolute dumpster-fire masquerading as “iconic” or “groundbreaking or “daring”.
Yes, those in the public eye often take risks when stepping out into the limelight, but let us not confuse taking a risk with the equivalent of dressing like a hobo on skid row.
We’ve made this point in the past, but feel it necessary to make it again in this age of sartorial error. Just as you don’t order fish at a steakhouse, you should not wear a jean jacket to a wedding, as you wouldn’t show up in a three piece suit to a bowling alley. Work out clothes are for the Gym and not the Mall. As I noted in my 2018 book “Stone’s Rules” which Includes a forward by Tucker Carlson, the best dressed person is the one who is appropriately dressed for the activity in which they intend to engage. It’s amazing how many people don’t get this simple rule.
In past years we have made it a point to highlight those who have shown us that they not only know style, but adhere to it on a daily basis. It’s why we created the Lifetime Achievement category, in order to create room for the up and comers.
This year we are unveiling the “Icon” award for those who continue to wow us with their sartorial splendor to give even more room those on the uptick.
Style, unlike fashion, is timeless. And so it begins.
INAUGURAL STYLE ICON AWARDS
Tucker Carlson
He can be fly fishing, hosting his immensely popular and now totally independent broadcast, appearing at the Republican National Convention, or just out on the town… Tucker is always a man for the ocassion.
Appropriately dressed for the occasion at hand, check. Properly fitted and tailored, check. Mixing a conservative approach with a tie or shirt or other adornment that shows a little personality, check.
Yes he leans in to the WASPY end of the style sphere and that’s okay, he always makes it work. He’s already appeared in our Best Dressed and Lifetime Achievement categories, so now it’s time to recognize him as an ICON.
Melania Trump
Honored on this list in previous years, joins the Style Icon category. America has not had a more stylish, chic, cultured and well dressed First Lady since Jackie Kennedy. With the second inauguration of her husband close at hand, everyone is wondering what she will wear and how she will outdo her Jackie O powder blue ensemble from 2017.
One thing is for sure, she won’t miss the mark and will wow the world once again with her class and tasteful nod to the iconic and stylish women of the past, while setting an example for the women of today and tomorrow.
Former White House Economic Advisor Larry Kudlow, CNN’s Mike Smerconish, presidential daughter Ivanka Trump, NBC’s Josh Mankiewicz, CBS Sports Shannon Sharpe, Rocker Mark Ronson, and New York PR Whiz Audrey Gelman also receive nods.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
RFK JR
The bulldog attorney and heir to the Kennedy clan has kept his families famous look en vogue. Notorious for his commitment to healthy living and exercise after struggling with addiction, he’s got a build that can fill out a suit, but he doesn’t make the mistake so many professional athletes do with shoddy tailoring or conflicting patterns, colors or designs.
Charlene, Princess of Monaco
Her Royal Highness has spent decades attracting attention for her innovative, diverse, and stunning style, similar to that of Princess Diana. She’s appeared before on our Best Dressed list, but has earned herself a fast-track to the lifetime achievement award due to her splendid cutout jumpsuit at the Monte Carlo Television awards.
BEST DRESSED
Eric Adams, Mayor of New York City
Yes, he’s dealing with a federal indictment , angling for a pardon from the incoming President Donald J. Trump, and was just denied matching public funds for his upcoming re-election bid. But remember, this list isn’t about politics… it’s about style.
Like any true dandy, that doesn’t phase him. His use of the timeless Windsor Knot and wide spread collar remains one of his most consistent and clear messages to the public regarding his sartorial motivations. Adams has also wisely embraced proper form fit tailoring, and never allows patterns to clash. He’s the best dressed Mayor of the Big Apple since Beau James, Mayor Jimmy Walker.
Riley Keough
The granddaughter of Elvis Presley and star of hit shows like The Terminal List and Daisy Jones and The Six, has thankfully not been co-opted by a Hollyweirdo wardrobe. She’s probably one of the few celebrities who didn’t attend the Met Gala in something that looked like a blind person stitched together during a bad acid trip.
Donald Glover
Yes, Childish Gambino is top-rate. I’ll admit I’ve seen Mystery Team. King Tubby and CG’s “Redbone” are staples in the Stone household. He might not like my longtime friend and incoming President Donald J. Trump… but this list isn’t about politics it’s about fashion.
His New Jack City tailoring on his suits is something any man of style can appreciate. It’s tough to pull off a loosely fitting but properly tailored suit on a small frame.
Glover gets an A+ for this and not falling into the insanity of what people expect on the red carpet all too often.
Zendaya
A returning favorite on our International Best and Worst Dressed list, I contemplated entering the musician turned starlet into the lifetime achievement award.
Like a good wine though, Zendaya’s style keeps getting better each year, so why not at least one more year on the Best Dressed? Last year she embraced pink and pastels, this year she’s been all over the map… in the best way. There isn’t a color or cut or design she can’t pull off!
Jamie Dornan
Anthtropid is by far my favorite flick of Dornan’s though most know him as Christian Grey in the film adaption of 50 Shades of Grey.
The rugby fanatic and charitable giver that he is, you might except to catch him slipping sartorially.
He doesn’t. The Irish born actor mixes tweed and his native born style with a little aplomb… it works every time! This is his first inclusion in the Best Dressed.
Julia Garner
This blonde bombshell seems to be able to slip into anything and make it a masterpiece. Last year we lauded her Barbieesque outfit at the Golden Globes.
This year she has favored open shoulder ensembles that are proactive but conservative at the same.
Bravo!
Congressman Cory Mills
The Congressman from Florida’s 7th District is one the snazziest dresser in Congress by far. Yes, he’s a combat veteran who doesn’t need to impress people.
Yet he still does. Mills does not spare any expense either, he’s tailored by the best.
But if you find him at a BBQ or cook-off in Sanford, not only will he eat, but he’ll be dressed like the rest of us.
WORST DRESSED
Sean “P Diddy” Combs
While this might seem like a layup, it most certainly is not. We’re not talking about the “Freak-Off” King’s Orange jumpsuit as he awaits trial at the MDC in New York.
We are talking about the days leading up to his arrest, which he knew was coming. Imagine being someone with immense fame and wealth, yet you step out for a night on the town wearing what looks like something a half-rate street painter would wear.
Had the “jacket” of if you could call it that was white, he would have been dressed like a medical examiner. Puffy didn’t even bother to conceal his drawstrings and sported a black t-shirt that someone would buy at a gas station near one of those motels outside of LaGuardia where you get three for $20.
At any rate, at least he wasn’t walking around with a bottle of baby oil in hand.
Ellen Degeneres
The disgraced daytime TV host has never been known for her style, and 2024 has marked an extreme low point for Degeneres, who infamously fled the United States last month.
When not on television, she can’t seem to find anything to wear except hoodies and sweatpants. There’s a time and place for such attire, at the gym! It’s almost as if she’s raiding a teenagers closet, rather than attempting to dress with any class or purpose.
United States Senator John Fetterman
If Ellen came back to the United States and got elected to the US Senate, her and Fetterman could form the “Hobo” caucus. We understand that Fetterman is a large guy, but that’s no excuse to dress like a slovenly bum. You know it’s bad when Steve Bannon looks like he’s straight out of GQ magazine in comparison.
Invest in at least ONE properly tailored suit Senator!
Lil Nas X
We get that he’s leaning heavily into the Satanic shtick, not that we agree with it. As we’ve addressed before there is merit in challenging boundaries and being proactive.
However with Lil Nas X, it’s just outrageous for outrages sake. It’s boring and frankly weird at this point. His wardrobe is all over the place, dresses, oversized fits, and again… just absolute weirdness.
He’s done the bizarre. He’s made people go “WTF” too many times to count. Wear something tasteful for once!
Jill Biden
At this point can anyone be convinced that her entire wardrobe isn’t made entirely of clearanced out window drapes and table cloths. Jackie O is rolling in her grave each day “Dr.” Biden rolls out of bed to sneak into another window drape pretending to be a pantsuit or dress.
This isn’t political, the International Best and Worst Dressed list never is. Thank God we only have another month or so of these horrid spectacles in the White House.
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