Famous Looks to Ignore and Adore

Check Out Our List of the Best and Worst Celebrity Styles

By JESSICA SENAT

I would love to say that I have my own personal style, a style that is completely unique and original, but I’d be lying. Because whether I like to admit it or not, most of my clothing inspirations come from celebrities. And I’m sure I’m not the only one getting fashion advice from celebrities.

However, while some celebrities put the glam in glamorous and are worth imitating, others are not. These are the celebrities we can always count on to be outrageous and, well, Lady Gaga-esque.

So we’ve compiled a list of celebrities whose fashion sense warrants imitation and those celebrities whose looks should only be worn by them.

Best Celebrity Styles:

Emma Watson

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Emma Watson is probably best known for portraying Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series. And while Hermione may have no interest in style or fashion, the real Ms. Watson certainly does. The 20-year-old English actress has always been a trendsetter in her own right. But it was her most recent fashionable move, a chic boyish haircut, which catapulted her into a high fashion trailblazer.

Why Her Style Works: Watson’s style has a sense of timeless maturity and sophistication that most other 20-year-old, or even  30-year-old, celebrities still lack. Her style seems effortless, yet she manages to choose pieces that highlight her best features. It’s no wonder Elle magazine has named her the Style Icon for 2011.

Best look: A nude, one-shoulder Valentino gown worn to the British Academy Films and Television Arts Awards in February with diamond studded shoes and floral gold studded earrings. This feminine look paralleled greatly with her new boyish haircut.

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Katie Holmes 

With her new role as famous style icon and former first lady Jackie Kennedy, and the launch of her own fashion line. First stepping onto the scene as Joey Potter in “Dawson’s Creek,” Holmes wasn’t much of a fashionista. With the grunge look very popular, Holmes was often seen in modest half-shirts and a part down the middle of her long hair. I believe it was when Holmes married Tom Cruise and became a mother that her fashion sense evolved. What’s even greater is her daughter Suri seems to be adopting mommy’s fashionable taste.

Why her style works: Her choices are a bit on the casual side, but Holmes always manages to add a classy twist. It’s not unusual to catch her in just a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, which on anyone else may look drab but on Holmes looks fabulous. Although some may say she married too soon, her style has not suffered the slump that some married mothers seem to encounter.

Best Look: Stella McCartney black-and-white tuxedo jacket paired with black slacks and cute, polka-dot pumps at the premiere of “The Decision” on March 22. Her hair was done in soft, cascading curls. This outfit defines Holmes’s fashion style—casual with a classic twist.

Janelle Monae

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Upbeat, energetic and funky, this songstress is anything but ordinary, which is why I love her. Her sense of fashion is absolutely one-of-a-kind. With her pompadour hairstyle, quirky addiction to all things masculine, from tuxedoes to oxfords, and admirable attitude to do everything her own way, Monae is always on point and completely unique—not just with her style, but with her music, as well.

Why her style works: It’s not so much in what Monae’s wearing but rather in how she wears it. The way she exudes confidence while wearing a bow-tie and tuxedo is why I call Monae a trailblazer. Her style is fun and her vintage, curly pompadour looks great with anything.

Best Look: Chanel trouser-and-top combo with a black cape and her signature pompadour at the Grammy pre-party.

 

Worst Styles

Nicki Minaj

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Nowadays, it seems like you can’t go one day without hearing some reference to a Nicki Minaj song. Though the platinum rapper has become a major influence to this generation of hip hop fans and girls alike, the same cannot be said about her style. Oftentimes her style can be way over-the-top—case in point, her 2011 head-to-toe cheetah print Grammy outfit.

Why her style doesn’t work: Her style can be a bit outrageous. She seems to focus on having her outfits be as attention-grabbing as possible rather than stylish.

Worst look: Wearing a Christian Siriano gown from his spring 2011 collection during her “Saturday Night Live” performance of “Right Thru Me.” The gown is beautiful, but her cotton-candy hairstyle completely throws it off.

 

Rihanna

Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times/MCT

With her Caribbean-tinged music and killer body, Rihanna is a great entertainer. But her style is far from great. Perhaps, the worst of Rihanna’s fashion offenses are her crazy hairstyles. In the past year alone, Rihanna has drastically changed her hair from a non-symmetrical bob to a blazing-red, shoulder-length cut. While fashion is all about new trends, trying to impersonate Rihanna’s whims will just make you look a bit foolish.

Why her style doesn’t work: Rihanna is known for being unpredictable with her fashion sense. By mixing prints and bold colors, oftentimes she puts together pieces that really don’t work. From short-shorts to wild prints to blazing-red hair, her outfits are uniquely hers. I mean, who else would dare try and pull off a Ronald McDonald afro?

Worst Look: 2011 Grammy Awards red carpet dress. Although, the dress does emphasize her red bob, the combination of fluffy white rows and see-through fabric really didn’t work.

 

Lady Gaga

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To be honest, every fashion statement Lady Gaga makes should be avoided. But that’s why we love her. Lady Gaga is what we call a theatrical artist; most of the time her outfits truly belong only on the stage. She adores anything Alexander McQueen, and since his pieces are generally dramatic and over-the-top, it’s no wonder.

But since wearing a dress made out of meat or arriving in an egg shell proves normal for this pop star, we say steer clear from her outrageous fashion sense.

Why her style doesn’t work: If you tried to pull off Lady Gaga’s style, you might just find yourself behind bars for improper conduct in public. After all, most times Gaga barely wears anything at all, and when she does, it’s usually something completely outrageous.

Worst Look: The infamous Franc Fernandez meat dress Gaga wore at the 2010 VMA’s.