Do best dressed lists matter?

Tatler, a London-based Condé Nast operated magazine, for its September issue has revived its best dressed list, citing glamour is back and that good taste never goes out of style. But do these style barometers even matter in 2022? And well, who are they to judge?

Oddly, the society publication has lauded the sartorial looks of the Duchess of Cambridge to come in at number one. All classic tailoring of the modesty kind, bound to the same restrictive royal protocols that governed propriety back during the mid-century. That includes the mandate to wear hats to formal occasions. The Duchess, both by royal obligation as much as personal style, is far-flung from the fashion pioneer arena as many would argue, although perfectly well coiffed and dressed.

Every year a host of events from the Oscars to the Met Gala, Golden Globes, VMA’s and Cannes Film Festival, will see many a news outlet or fashion publication rank the best-dressed celebrities and subsequent designers and brands who dress them.

If ranking on a best-dressed list can turn an actress into a style icon, landing on a worst-dressed page could be adverse, both for the creator as well as the wearer, who also faces the immense stress to publicly walk the red carpet and be judged by a fashion magazine’s arbitrary tastes.

While these lists are often done in frivolous fun, and in Tatler’s case with a jolly good sense of humour, praising or slating celebrity wardrobe choices seems passé, with style as subjective and personal as one’s pronouns.