Who's the most stylish of them all?

Tracey Emin

artist
How do you define style?

Good style is someone that is very at ease, but more often it's a case of very bad style. I don't mean that in a postmodern way - a perfect example being very pointy high-heels with flared jeans. The only exception to this rule can be a radical rock chick. I find anything tight higher than my waistline is a physical crime. My biggest mistakes ever have been heels higher than four inches, minus platforms or anything restrictive.

Name your style icon

Eric Van Buren Wright, the menswear designer presently working on the collections for Cavalli. He's the chicest, coolest thing on two legs; Doctor Doolittle to the fashion world. A few years ago I was in Rome, in a restaurant called Bolognaise, very drunk and extremely happy, but at the same time in floods of tears. I was with my friend Johnny Shand Kydd, who said, "What on earth is wrong with you?" And as the tears rolled down my face, I cried out, "I want to look like Eric." To which Johnny replied, "Oh my God, there's going to be a lot of dyeing and stretching going on tonight then!"

What's more important, style or fashion?

Style, style, style. I am positively useless with fashion. It started when I was about six years old. I always secretly preferred my school uniform.

What's your favourite fashion era or item?

There are a number of things - Helmut Lang jeans, Westwood ballgowns, YSL classic jackets, Speedo swimming gloves (to be worn for swimming!), Adidas tracksuit bottoms, Samsonite fold-up bags, espadrilles, cowboy boots and trainers.

How would you describe your own style?

Mediterranean, lots of gold (well before the bling thing), mind-blowing cleavage, mix-and-match sharply tailored jackets with T-shirts and tracksuit bottoms, and - on special occasions - copious amounts of Westwood taffeta and a face that never stops moving, with very little make-up.

Rankin
photographer

How do you define style?

It's when someone is comfortable with themselves and what they are wearing. I never feel comfortable with what I'm wearing, so don't think that I'm very stylish. It is also when the design of something, like a hotel or a bar, feels natural and not forced.

Name your style icon

David Bailey. He's not someone who really cares about what he looks like, but he creates images that are so stylish. He also embodies an era, which is a pretty amazing thing to have done. The fact that he's still out there doing it and creating the same quality of work is incredible. That's iconic.

What's more important, style or fashion?

World hunger is much more important than either.

What's your favourite fashion era or item?

My favourite item has to be a pair of Costume National shoes, and my favourite era was the 1930s and 1940s. Hollywood stars then had an easiness to them, and even though their look was actually quite contrived, they managed to look as if they were doing it all without trying.

How would you describe your own style?

Very badly put together. I wear whatever the stylist gives me for a shoot, or whatever I get for free.

Jonathan Saunders
fashion designer

How do you define style?

Combining an eye for quality and craftsmanship in clothing with putting them together in a personal way - so that the individual wears the clothes, and not the other way round.

Name your style icon

Peggy Guggenheim.

What's more important, style or fashion?

They are very different. Style is a character trait; fashion is an industry. I would say being stylish is more important. Seasonal fashion has to be interpreted by the individual. It is not great to wear a complete look from a show.

What's your favourite fashion era or item?

It has to be the 1920s. There was a massive shift across all design fields, challenging what was considered beautiful. The era also embraced changes in technology, and was when the concept of ready-to-wear was developed.

How would you describe your own style?

Simple, neutral and inoffensive - I hope!

Andrew Fairlie
chef

How do you define style?

The words that immediately spring to mind are distinctive, luxurious, elegant and chic, whether it is the beautiful lines of a Philippe Starck vase or the very distinctive look of Vivienne Westwood clothes. They may not be to everyone's taste, but there is no denying that they are both stylish.

I wouldn't necessarily deem someone to be stylish just because they were wearing expensive designer clothes. They know themselves well enough to take the odd risk, but the foundation of their personal look is there. They take influences from the experiences that shape them, and look good and comfortable in what they choose to wear because they are confident in their choice and in themselves.

Name your style icon

Paul Weller. There is no denying that he oozes style. From the slim-cut suits in his early days with The Jam to his urbane, cool and casual look today, that is 100% Weller.

What's more important, style or fashion?

I think of them as two completely

different concepts. A fashionable person will alter their style and be dictated to by a magazine, whereas a stylish person will use trends and adapt and integrate them into their own style. Fashion goes out of style, but style is timeless.

What's your favourite fashion item or era?

The era would have to be the mod look of the 1960s. I loved the comfortable, smart-casual look and the sharp Italian suits and shoes - and the music was pretty cool too. At the moment I love my Ebel watch. I love the design, and it looks good worn with both casual or smart dress.

How would you describe your own style?

I would have to say that it's classic. As I wear chef's whites most of the time, I don't possess a huge wardrobe. I was introduced to Louis Mendelssohn, a fantastic tailor, a couple of years ago, who now makes all my suits. I knew after he cut my first one that I couldn't go back to off-the-shelf ever again. I also buy casualwear from a pal in London. I'm fortunate that I can buy clothes from people who know my style.

Stuart Cosgrove
director, nations and regions, Channel 4 Television

How do you define style?

Style is the language of appearances. It can be anything from the length of the turn-ups to the internal tartan in a classic Harrington. It is detail, and no one should take it too seriously.

Name your style icon

The Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin. I have a photo of him in his space helmet, with CCCP emblazoned on his uniform. He is the forgotten style king of the 1960s.

What's more important, style or fashion?

Style - fashion is its industrial pal.

What's your favourite fashion era or item?

Probably the classic Crombie coat. I don't own one, but I always admire it on a passing gent.

How would you describe your own style?

Executive scruff - I wear urban outfits.

Claudia Croft fashion
features director, Sunday Times Style magazine

How do you define style?

Style is a way of doing things. It's about how you live your life. Everyone has their own style, but some people's way of doing things is more interesting than others.

Name your style icon

My fictional icon is Thackeray's uber-minx Becky Sharpe, from Vanity Fair. My real-life icon is Lindsay Lohan and her million-dollar shopping budget - what's not to admire?

What's more important, style or fashion?

Fashion always gets a bad press, but I don't think you can have style without a certain amount of fashion.

What's your favourite fashion era or item?

The 1920s and the 1960s because they looked so different from the eras that went before.

How would you describe your own style?

Messy.

Dylan Jones
editor, GQ

How do you define style?

Style is about doing your own thing and feeling happy in your skin; it's about looking good and feeling comfortable.

Name your style icon

When I was younger I was obsessed with David Bowie. I've also always appreciated the style of the great Tom Wolfe, the pre-eminent American journalist of the last 40 years and probably still the best-dressed man in New York.

What's more important, style or fashion?

Style is always more important than fashion, because fashions come and go. It's easier for women to look fashionable, but men can land on a look that can take them from puberty to old age.

What's your favourite fashion era or item?

Punk, London, 1977.

How would you describe your own style?

A show-off in a Savile Row suit. And M&S boxer shorts.