The 10 best-dressed people of 2024
Method dressing has been one of the decade's hottest red-carpet trends, and one actor who's really risen to the challenge is Cynthia Erivo, whose Elphaba-inspired looks have been stellar throughout the "Wicked" press tour.
Woolf told BI, "I think the way she embodied her character from the movie in a red carpet fashion perspective was really interesting and really elevated."
It "still gave a character, but it didn't verge on costume, but it still gave fashion," he added.
Of all her press looks, Woolf said he was a fan of the Thom Browne dress she wore in Mexico City (above left), the Schiaparelli gown she wore for the London premiere (above middle), and her work with Louis Vuitton (above right).
Erivo spoke with Vogue in November about the electric-green vinyl Louis Vuitton gown she wore to the film's LA premiere, telling the publication that the look let her character "own the green color in such a big, bold way!"
"I thought the fabric choice was strong and divine, which is how I see my character," she added.
But what elevates Erivo's press tour looks from her counterparts?
To Woolf, it's a combination of the designers' interpretations, who's wearing the clothes — the same garment on two people can translate completely differently — and an understanding that "less is more."
"When you're giving a nod to a theme, it can simply be the color, like Cynthia Erivo wore green. So, I think it's less is more, and just taking one element and not making it a whole thing," he said.
Fashion nerds keeping an eye on the Cannes Film Festival this year would've been quick to spot Yseult in a new iteration of Christian Dior's "New Look," popularized in his first collection from 1947.
"I thought, I'm going to do Cannes — and I want to feel strong, I want to feel fierce," Yseult told the Washington Post in May.
She added, "I think why people love how I fit this dress is because of my body. My body is unique. I'm a plus-size girl, you know, and I really embrace all the curves. I really embrace myself. For the first time we see a body — a plus-size body — in [this look]."
Yseult's candor is exactly what excites Mays.
"She's partnered with Dior frequently, which I am so excited by because I think, so often, our understandings of size inclusivity are kind of skewed in the fashion world. You get something that's a size 16 and it fits like a 10," Mays told BI. "But to see somebody that actually looks like me and to be celebrated in a luxury space and to do it in a cool way, and I think she's another one that kind of plays on this notion of gender fluidity," noting that she can go from wearing a vintage-inspired Dior gown to a suit and tie.
"I think when you can do that, it's such a marker of someone that has true style," Mays said.
Woolf told BI that the "Rustin" actor is "definitely one of the best-dressed males consecutively throughout the year."
"I think the main thing with Colman is he's not afraid to take risks," he added. "And he carries clothes well."
Such risks can be taken with colors, silhouettes, and fabrics, and one look that embodied them all was the mustard-yellow Valentino suit and gold glitter coat Domingo wore to the Critics Choice Awards in January (above right).
Domingo's stylists, Wayman + Micah, told Vogue in October that the actor "really loves to play and have fun in every facet of his being so his style and sense of fashion fully thrives."
"We love putting him in tailored fits that highlight his stature, and we love using accessories to innovate and elevate his looks," they added. "To top it all off, Colman's energy, confidence, and charisma always take every red carpet moment to the next level."
Domingo has credited his style to both his stylists and the people he saw growing up in Philadelphia.
"We know how to dress. I grew up with men who wore pinky rings … and you know, men who kept their nails clean and long, and like love to wear high-waisted suits; and I feel like I dress like Teddy Pendergrass, The Isley Brothers … I dress like the sound of Philadelphia," Domingo told "Jimmy Kimmel Live" guest host RuPaul in August.
There was no escaping "Brat" this year and that's all thanks to British singer Charli XCX.
Fe thought the artist's tour looks were "really cool" and said that her style feels "more refined to her right now," defining it as daring, unapologetic, and fun.
She added she appreciates the wide range of brands Charli XCX and her stylist Chris Horan have worked with, citing looks from both big fashion houses like Balenciaga and from younger designers like Dilara Findikoglu, whom she wore during her hosting gig at "SNL" (above right).
"What I really like is when an artist has a specific branding or theme for an album, I can appreciate when the artist, creative director, or stylist, or whoever, really sticks to that. And it's a red thread throughout the whole entire album cycle. And I think that they did a really good job of doing that throughout the whole entire 'Brat' era," Fe added.
In July, Horan told Who What Wear that in this era of the "360" singer's career, "she's giving like very much fashion girl" and that "she doesn't play by anyone's rules."
He also said she looks for comfortability and "elements of movement" in her tour looks. He added that comfortable shoes are also important to her, but said they're "the worst part of making a performance look" because he wants her to wear "the highest shoe possible."
Canadian actor Taylor Russell has emerged as a rising star on both the silver screen and the red carpet, where she's known for striking the delicate balance between sexiness and elegance.
Fe said it's "really refreshing" to see a young person on the red carpet in such stunning pieces that aren't all about showing skin.
She added she's also seen Russell find ways to make vintage pieces feel very modern and that she likes how Russell chooses proportions: "It's really beautiful to see."
Jonathan Anderson, creative director of Loewe, spoke about his relationship with the actor — who's a global ambassador for the brand — with Vogue in May, telling the outlet, "When we work together, it's always an incredible creative dialogue — she is an amazing collaborator and a very special friend."
Another frequent Loewe collaborator is the multitalented Dan Levy, who was also recently named one of the most stylish nepo babies (his dad is actor and comedian Eugene Levy).
Mays told BI that Levy is one of her personal style inspirations who does "classic menswear with a little edge, and a little hint of something else there."
"And also, I love that he's made eyewear sort of his iconic thing," she said. "You don't think about Dan Levy without just a really great pair of frames."
And as for his best looks of the year? Mays said his Met Gala (above left) and Academy Museum Gala (above right) looks were standout moments.
On his Met Gala suit, Levy told The New York Times in May that he and Loewe "wanted a swerve to simple" with this year's look compared to what he and the brand chose for his gala debut in 2021.
"For the longest time, men's fashion was so square. Women had all the fun. That all changed over the past 10 years, so now I'm leaning into everything playful, flamboyant and exciting," he said.
Mays said Stefon Diggs is "pushing the needle forward in terms of style in the sports space" and a "classic street style icon."
"I think he's so cool in the way that he dresses. It feels obviously trend forward, but there's something really powerful about the way he gets dressed," she said. "I think he also plays with gender fluidity in a way that's interesting, but also authentic to himself."
Diggs told VMan Magazine in March that his upbringing in the DMV (the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area) helped shape his style.
"My mom has a picture of me wearing cowboy boots in the summertime, just because I loved cowboy boots at the time," he said, adding that although his parents didn't let him wear whatever he wanted, "they were able to balance out being yourself with being presentable."
Diggs added that he's a "texture guy" who likes to wear pieces that align with his mood.
"If I can wake up and something feels good to put on and it puts me in a good space energy-wise, I'm gonna wear it. It could be raining or hot outside, and I'll still have on leather. It doesn't matter. It's all about how I feel that day," he said.
Mays added that while Diggs does have moments where he leans into exclusive pieces — he's a fan of Birkin bags — her favorite looks are the ones that feel aspirational but approachable at the same time, like when he pairs a tank with a cardigan, cargo pants, and jewelry, like he did at the GQ Sports Super Bowl Party in February (above left).
With projects like "The Perfect Couple," "Special Ops: Lioness," and "Babygirl" on her calendar, it's been an exciting year for Nicole Kidman's red-carpet style.
Woolf said her style has become "more refined" since working with stylist Jason Bolden (whose other styling credits include Erivo, Cara Delevingne, and Storm Reid), highlighting the Schiaparelli gown she wore to the Venice Film Festival (right).
"I think the brands she's wearing … I think they're just more fitted to her body and her silhouette," Woolf added, noting that he's also a fan of her collaboration with Balenciaga, whom she's been a brand ambassador for since December 2023.
"It's a really good match for her, and her body, and her look," Woolf said.
Rapper and certified fashion icon A$AP Rocky "really plays well with accessories," Mays said, adding that she loved his December 2023 campaign with Bottega Veneta — it "feels authentic and elevated and family friendly, but still, like 'I'm cool and I'm smoking my joint but I have 17,000 barrettes in my head.'"
The Bottega campaign caught Fe's eye, too. She called it "a really cool standout moment."
And, of course, it's hard to mention A$AP Rocky without mentioning Rihanna (who, yes, could be on this list every year). Whether they're going out to dinner or walking a red carpet together, they don't match all the time, Fe said.
"They know themselves and they're not dressing for each other … I think that's really important to stay true to yourself and not lose that," she said.
The "Sundress" rapper told People at the Footwear News Achievement Awards on December 4 that his style is "way more focused" since becoming a dad to RZA, 2, and Riot, 1, whom he shares with Rihanna.
"Prior to that, it was more absurd outfits and just mixing and matching everything for the sake of it. Now, it's a bit more quiet luxury," he added.
2024 has been a breakout year for rapper Doechii, who's earned three Grammy nominations for 2025, including best new artist, best rap performance for "Nissan Altima," and best rap album for her August mixtape "Alligator Bites Never Heal." Kaytranada's remix of her song "Alter Ego" is also nominated for best remixed recording.
Woolf, who's been Doechii's stylist for nearly two years, said "she's a super creative person" who has a lot of ideas, so the pair will collaborate on looks based on things they both like.
One example of such collaboration was her look for Willy Chavarria's New York Fashion Week show (above left).
Woolf said that Doechii had already expressed an interest in not wearing shoes, and creating a look with toe socks. So, when he suggested that she wear a pair of the brand's underwear and go for a "muddy and dirty" look, they knew that was the perfect moment for their ideas to work together.
"Doechii understands fashion," he said. "She knows what looks good, she can see colors that mix well, textures that mix well; she understands and she always wants to break boundaries and make a statement."
One theme that can be seen throughout her style is her willingness to show the "things that are meant to be hidden" like face tape or undergarments, Woolf said. "We incorporate all of those things and we show it all."