Fashion's New Power List: 7 Names to Know Now

Shifts in fashion are usually limited to hemline length or eyebrow thickness, but lately a bigger sea change is happening: Those once in charge are stepping down. Donna Karan left her namesake company. Ralph Lauren is no longer the CEO at his. And yesterday Grace Coddington announced she was leaving her position as the creative director at Vogue. So, who will lead us now? Yahoo Style put together a list of the once-upstarts who are now free to assume the top slot. (And one future prediction: As of now she’s still in power, but if Anna Wintour ever leaves Vogue, we can count on Eva Chen to keep using photographers like Patrick Demarchelier and Inez and Vinoodh at Instagram.) Long may they all reign.

Linda Wells –> Emily Weiss

Michelle Lee may have taken over as editor in chief at Allure after Linda Wells left the beauty bible that she founded, but the real person now shaping our deep thoughts about skincare, lipstick, and fragrance is Into TheGloss founder Emily Weiss. She started the beauty blog five years ago as a hobby, giving readers a peek into glamorous women’s bathroom cabinets (Karlie Kloss was an early subject), and became a bonafide beauty crush herself in the process (after Weiss dyed her hair platinum, then so did everyone else). Today, in addition to being the Internet’s most admired beauty site, that blog’s become a million- dollar business, with more than $10 million in venture capital funding and its own Glossier brand.

And unlike Wells’ Allure, which couldn’t peddle its own products (advertisers would be angry), Weiss and Into The Gloss are actually directing our beauty buys with Glossier. The line is designed to be the backbone of a woman’s beauty routine, Weiss told Fashionista, explaining that they wanted the launch skincare products to be “hard-hitting universal products.” And with the distinctive clean pink-and-white packaging popping up in former Into The Gloss subjects bathroom’s, like Ashely Olsen’s, it won’t be long before its in yours too.

Details –> Stylish Instagram dudes

After 33 years of suggesting men wear shawl-collar sweaters or incorporate cerulean blue into their wardrobe, Details magazine— known for its avant-garde fashion guidance—was shut down last year. Where will men get clothing inspiration now? Probably not another print publication. Instead, well-dressed dudes (or those looking to join their ranks) are filling their Instagram feeds with a few guys they can rely on to be impeccably turned out everyday. These are Yahoo Style’s top three menswear must-follows:

(1) Nick Wooster (@nickwooster) is the former menswear director at Bergdorf Goodman and an OG street style star. His 570K followers see him in tailored, colorful outifts from Hamilton, United Arrows, or Lardini.

(2) In Madrid, Pelayo Diaz (@princepelayo), who dated Nicolas Ghesquiere, is known to his 693K followers for mixing high fashion with streetwear like when he pairs Acne with Not Guilty Homme.

(3) Justin Livingston (@justinliv), based in New York, is more approachable to his 156K followers, usually dressing in simple, classic pieces from Sandro Paris or Denim & Supply that most guys could pull off.

Donna Karan –> Sophia Amoruso

Last summer, the 66 year-old designer Donna Karan stepped down from the helm of her fashion house. And although there were rumors of clashes between the designer and LVMH, her parent company, it seems that customers were looking for something fresh. After four decades of Karan designing clothes that career women would actually want to wear— think soft jersey knits, sexy body suits and piles of cashmere— the working girls’ wardrobe (and workplace) had changed.

So who best to take over outfitting this new, laptop-toting millennial work force? Enter Nastygal’s Sophia Amoruso, who has turned a tiny Ebay vintage business into a $100 million dollar e-commerce powerhouse. Like Karan, she instinctively knows what her customer wants— clothes that are edgy without giving up style, aspirational without giving up the attitude. Karan’s body suit is now a emoji emblazoned sweater, her bold cuff is now a pizza-shaped cell phone cover. The clothes might be fun but Amoruso’s message is serious. She wants to outfit the next generation of working ladies with the best clothes as well as the best advice. That’s why she penned #GIRLBOSS, her 2014 cool girls guide on leaning in, which became a best seller.

Ralph Lauren —> Tory Burch

Tory Burch, who built a billion dollar empire peddling preppy bohemian clothes (ballet flats, easy breezy tunics) recently launched TorySport, a sleek collection of yoga, tennis and golf wear for aspirational ladies who lunch. In just over a decade, the fresh-scrubbed all-American designer has positioned herself to be the next Ralph Lauren—designing everything from jewelry to dishes. (She even hired Ralph Lauren’s former COO in 2014 to help steer the company.) And the timing couldn’t be more auspicious as the 75 year-old Lauren recently stepped down as CEO of his house last September, handing the reigns over to a former H&M executive. While Ralph Lauren made a staggering 7.6 billion in sales last year, there is no denying that Tory Burch name has become a global juggernaut of late. Will the T-logo soon replace the polo player as the ultimate symbol of preppy luxe? Stay tuned.

Grace Coddington –> Fran Burns

One only has to pick up Grace Coddington’s 10lb, 400-page tome Grace: Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue to comprehend her invaluable contributions to the industry. A model who first appeared in the magazine before she started working at it, Coddington’s tenure includes working with every major new girl and photographer on the planet (think Richard Avedon, Steven Meisel, Annie Leibovitz, Arthur Elgort, and more). A collective gasp went through the industry when it was announced on Wednesday that the fiery-tressed creative director was stepping down from her post, but fear not. The 74-year-old is merely sidelining her day-to-day duties; she will continue to contribute at least four shoots a year and will maintain an office at VogueHQ.

A legend of this caliber could never be replaced, but British Vogue’s groovy young fashion editor Fran Burns is a potential frontrunner. Just like Coddington — who served as the mag’s photo editor for nearly 20 years — Burns has earned her stripes at the British fashion bible. A former assistant to stylist bigwigs including Joe McKenna and Jonathan Kaye, she has also toured with Kylie Minogue and is a new favorite among fashion girls like Dree Hemingway and Lara Stone. Although worth noting: both women are cat enthusiasts.

Oscar de la Renta –> Delpozo’s Josep Font

There was a period of mourning after Peter Copping took over at Oscar de la Renta, and it lingered through the first two collections with the brand’s new designer at the helm. Last season, Copping stepped into his own with a lively and romantic Spanish-inspired, 59-look masterpiece that surely had the brand’s founder smiling down from the heavens and delighted all the well-to-do society ladies in the front row.

Delpozo’s Josep Font, a native of Barcelona, shares a similar storyline to Copping. He took over the reins for the Spanish-heritage label in 2012 after its founder Jesús del Pozo passed away. The 41-year-old former architect was tasked with evolving the brand into an international luxury label and it seems that he’s succeeded. The swans of today — Lauren Santo Domingo, Olivia Palermo — as well celebs such as Julianne Moore, Rose Byrne, and Kiernan Shipka are all fans.

Alber Elbaz –> Erdem Moralioglu

When Lanvin’s top shareholder forced out beloved designer Alber Elbaz after 14 years at the helm, the fashion world — and the French house’s staff — was up in arms. It was the ultimate betrayal, and a sad commentary on the current state of fashion: money over creativity. Elbaz had reestablished the label in luxury market with his fanciful satin-and-lace draped creations. Despite his (now) obvious demand to sell sell sell, he never lost his sense of humor and whimsy, which is tough to do in such a fickle industry. “I always feel like a pregnant woman at that moment [of a runway show],” he told Yahoo Style last fall. “And I always look like I’m pregnant [pats belly]. It’s that moment where the hormones and the fear and the emotion all come together.”

Though there has been no official announcement, it is rumored that Canadian-born, London-based designer Erdem Moralioglu will be Elbaz’s potential replacement. The in-house team will continue design the collection for the next two seasons, but should Erdem take the reins it would be a befitting choice. As the British Fashion Council’s 2014 Womenswear Designer of the Year, his penchant for elaborate feathered and lace confections have won over the haute monde including Anna Wintour, Michelle Williams, Alexa Chung, Kiera Knightley, and more.

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