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John Fedele
Tania Beasley-Jolly
When Beasley-Jolly was first honored on this list in 2009, she was in the process of co-chairing the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis’ Dada Ball, a happening that she says has sparked a movement in St. Louis. “After that event sold out, it was obvious that St. Louis was hungry for fashion,” she says. After a stint in Singapore, she returned to St. Louis last year and landed one of the ultimate local fashion jobs: marketing director at Saks Fifth Avenue. Though fashion has always been a part of her life, she developed her style while living in Europe in the mid-2000s. “I’ve always known who I was, but my time there shaped me,” she says. “That was when my fashion sense really crystallized.”
2 of 10
John Fedele
Arnold Donald
Donald describes his style as “just business, a suit with a tie—my son says I dress like a dork.” Still, that sleek formality has carried him from Monsanto to his own company, Merisant, to the boardrooms of just about every major cultural institution in St. Louis and the CEO’s office for Carnival Corporation. Which is in Miami. Which is killing him. “Because everybody’s doing it, I wear an open-collared shirt,” he says. “But I grew up in New Orleans and went to an all-boys Catholic high school—I feel funny without a tie. It’s like it’s holding my head on.” The first time that Donald remembers caring what he wore was first grade: “It was for a performance of ‘On the Good Ship Lollipop.’ We were all in white with canes, and I wanted the right white. I didn’t want to look any more goofy than I had to.”
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John Fedele
Susan Sherman
As one of St. Louis’ most influential fashionistas—and the first Best-Dressed List honoree to grace SLM’s cover—Sherman always showcases an impeccable fashion sense. Her involvement in the arts, including as former chair of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, led to her interest in fashion as an art form. In 2011, she helped create Craft Alliance’s Fashion Lab, a series of events that explore the connection between art and fashion. “I look at designers as true artists,” she says. “It’s all about construction and materials.” Although she has an innate eye for style, her love of it has evolved over the years. “When I was growing up, I pretty much wore what my parents told me to,” she says. “But as I matured, I had a true fashion education, the same way I learned to appreciate contemporary art.”
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John Fedele
David Diener
Diener’s exuberant personality is as fun as his lime-rimmed sneakers and purple polka-dot pocket square. At the photo shoot, the prominent wealth-management advisor previewed his dancing skills; he’ll be a contestant in next year’s Dancing With the St. Louis Stars, grooving to disco. Diener says his appreciation for fashion harks back to his childhood. “My grandfather was a tailor. Although he died when I was young, he made a huge impression on me,” he says. “I’m very particular about fabric and quality, and I’ve been taught the rules of fashion my whole life—though I’ve bent a few.” He offers this wise advice: “Whenever you go out in public, always look the best you can look. When you’re well-groomed and present yourself positively, you make a great first impression, so you can be the best you can be.”
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John Fedele
Ozzie Smith
Look at Smith’s left hand, and you’re likely to see his National Baseball Hall of Fame ring, a symbol of his legendary sports status. Yet Smith’s wardrobe—like the man himself—is understated and sophisticated. “As I’ve become older, I’ve gotten more formal,” he says. “Once I became a professional player, I always tried to dress well in order to represent the sport and the city to the best of my ability.” Smith dresses so well, in fact, that in the late 1980s, he graced the cover of GQ. “The photographer liked what I had on so much that he said I didn’t need to change for the photo shoot,” he says. “Apparently, Cary Grant and I were the only people he said that to, so that made me feel pretty good.”
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John Fedele
Sohaila Danesh
An interior designer and owner of Arlene Lilie Interior Design, Danesh often wears her good-luck charm, a silver bracelet she bought in Iran. It bears a symbol of Zoroastrianism, an ancient Iranian religion. “It means ‘Good words, good thoughts, good deeds,’” she explains. “It basically says, ‘Be a good person.’” Her Persian ancestry influences every part of her life, including her style. “All of my favorite stuff is Persian. But when you wear that kind of fashion, you have to be careful not to look like you’re wearing a costume.” Danesh’s fashion sense leans toward simplicity, with elegant shift dresses and simple silhouettes showcasing beautiful details, like her gray Dolce&Gabbana suit, with crystals hanging from the buttons. “I think fashion was at its peak in the 1960s and ’70s,” she says. “Everything looks the same now—and I don’t do trendy.”
7 of 10
John Fedele
Jimmy Jamieson
A renowned interior designer, Jamieson has a style sensibility that goes back to elementary school. “I was probably the only fourth-grader who asked for shirts with French cuffs,” he says. “My parents never let me have Beatle boots—but I have them now.” Featured on the inaugural list, Jamieson explains that in the past 10 years, the interpretation of age- and occasion-appropriate fashion has changed. “The lines between casual and dressy—and dressy and formal—are much more blurred now,” he says. “But it’s always been about interpreting classic fashion with new trends.” Although his closet is full of high-end designers, he often blends high- and low-end items. “Ten years ago, I would never have worn a Prada suit with a $10 tie; now, I do it all the time,” he says. “One thing I’ll never wear, though, is $10 shoes.”
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John Fedele
Faith Berger
Berger’s fashion persona developed on the playground. “I can remember when I was 2 or 3,” she says, “sitting on the edge of the sandbox with my legs off the side and leaning over to play so my pinafore wouldn’t get dirty.” As a successful art consultant, Berger’s passions for sculpture and architectural clothing go hand in hand and are continually evolving. But she isn’t sure that the world is always ready for her sense of style. “I’ve made every mistake in the book; I think I’ve learned to be more true to myself, but it’s still a little watered-down,” she says. “If I really was completely who I wanted to be with fashion, I probably wouldn’t have many friends.”
9 of 10
John Fedele
Doug Winship
After more than 33 years in the fashion industry, the general mana-ger of Mister Guy is a connoisseur of menswear. “There is a big trend toward natural fabrics, American brands, and the heritage look,” he says. “The next generation in fashion is looking in a different way. Denim is now 30 percent of our business.” Winship’s personal style is what he describes as “Italian prep.” Although his interest in fashion goes back to his grandfather’s custom-made suits and English handmade shoes, his original career aspirations were in another league. “I originally wanted to be a professional baseball player,” he says. “Growing up in Pennsylvania, when I was in Little League, we would drive by Stan Musial’s old house in Donora—I wanted to be him.”
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John Fedele
Kim Miller
“I live in jeans, and my closet is full of scarves,” says Miller, who now lives in San Diego but still frequently returns to St. Louis. Her style has evolved to fit her new surroundings—more casual and athletic. “I thought everyone would be more stylish in California, but it’s actually the opposite,” she says. “Everyone is so casual there, and people are much more elegant and refined here. My closet is full of Lululemon now.” A longtime philanthropist whose daughter recently went to college, Miller plans to devote her time to helping foster children and retired military personnel. “If I can do something to improve someone else’s life,” says Miller, “that’s what fulfills me the most.”
Written by Nancy Curtis. Photography by John Fedele. Styling by Jan Leach Givens.
In 2004, Vanity Fair began publishing the International Best-Dressed List, a concept conceived decades earlier by fashionista Eleanor Lambert as a way to raise the status of the U.S. in the fashion world. That same year, coincidentally, SLM began producing its own best-dressed list. In the first edition, SLM included a note of appreciation to the inaugural class of honorees: "Thank you for showing the world that St. Louis is not only a city that is rich in history, culture, sports, and art, but is also home to some of the most impeccably dressed people in the world." This year, in celebration of the Best Dressed List's 10th year, we're bringing back 10 fashion icons who embody that notion, St. Louisans who stand out year after year, their personalities and taste always reflected in their style—or, as Vanity Fair might put it, the "most soigné of the soigné."
Click here for a gallery of every Best-Dressed honoree from the past decade.
