Congrats to Dallas stylist (Rhianna is a current client), blogger and fashionista Nini Nguyen who was just named this month's winner of Vanity Fair magazine's International Best-Dressed Challenge. For 73 years, the list has been the subject of fascination, as much for who is on it as who has been left off. Vanity Fair and its coterie of fashion insiders from around the world decide by ballot who goes on the list. It's published in the September issue.
But in a major break with tradition, Vanity Fair has decided to embrace the concept of crowdsourcing and, according to a statement by the magazine's editor, Graydon Carter, is "excited about bringing the iconic Best-Dressed List into the digital age."
It recently launched the International Best-Dressed Challenge. Anyone can submit photos of themselves or anyone else (men and women) to be considered for the list. Photos can be posted to Instagram, Twitter or Trendabl with the hashtag #vfbestdressed. Photos can also be uploaded to the magazine's website at www.vf.com/bestdressed through June.
According to Nguyen's website, she has over ten years of experience in the fashion industry. Nini started out at Banana Republic and Neiman Marcus, and eventually advanced to Oscar de la Renta and Barneys New York as their fashion consultant. With a background in fashion and avid enthusiasm for art, finding her own sense of style was second nature to Nini. She recalls, “At an early age when I had a party to attend, I couldn’t afford things that appealed to me. So I just used what I had in my closet and cut, re-constructed and draped it into something more interesting. I remember showing up at an event wearing bright orange polka dot pants, a cut out white jersey tunic and over-sized bright orange clutch that was a gift with purchase which came with a bottle of Christian Dior perfume. My hair was all big and teased up like a bird nest. And everybody was staring. That was priceless”. Her philosophy is that anyone can look like a million without spending a million and believes in buying less but investing in quality pieces that will last forever. She believes that beautiful, well made items can enhance a wardrobe from season to season: it is timeless. She loves mixing high-end designer items with lower-end and fun seasonal trends with collectible vintage finds. “It’s not what you wear but how you wear it”.
To watch the E! News clip featuring Nini Nguyen, visit http://www.eonline.com/news/397971/vanity-fairs-best-dressed-user-generated-winner-nini-nguyen-shows-off-her-chic-closet
Sources for this story include the SFGate and E! News
