8 of the most iconic moments in fashion history: remembering when Victoria Beckham, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Diane Keaton and Michelle Yeoh made us all stop and take notice

Dec 31 , 2023

Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington at a Versace show in Milan in September 1991. Photo: Handout

Versace owned the 90s – and made household names of Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington – and who can forget when Victoria Beckham made her solo Met Gala debut in Dolce & Gabbana?

Style also takes a moment to celebrate Cantopop’s overlooked influence in high fashion, from Anita Mui’s long-standing creative relationship with Dior’s John Galliano, to when Jean Paul Gaultier dressed the legendary Leslie Cheung

These A-list models, actors and singers came to define their era thanks to the clothes they wore and the designers who designed them. As 2023 draws to a close, we take the long view and salute these standard bearers of style …

1. Victoria Beckham made her Met Gala debut

Victoria Beckham’s first Met Gala appearance, with designers Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce, and supermodels Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista. Photo: Handout

She may be one of the fashion world’s most famous designers, but back in 2003, Victoria Beckham was “just” a former Spice Girl turned short-lived solo singer, and a budding socialite trying to crack the fashion scene. To say she’s worked her way up the ladder would certainly be an understatement. April 28 marked the 20th anniversary of Beckham’s first outing to New York’s prestigious Met Gala, where she mingled with designers Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce, and clung fiercely to Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista. While the noughties were a confusing time for fashion, we doubt the Beckham we know and love today would approve of the Dolce & Gabbana number she wore to the goddess-themed event.

2. Michelle Yeoh and Donatella Versace teamed up for Amfar at Cannes

Donatella Versace and Michelle Yeoh at the Amfar Cinema Against Aids 2009 dinner during the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in May 2009. Photo: Getty Images

She’s been one of the names on everybody’s lips this year, thanks to her historic best actress Oscar win, but there is more to Michelle Yeoh than just blockbuster films. Before all the Everything Everywhere All at Once hoopla, the Malaysian actress might have been best known for starring in classics like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Tomorrow Never Dies. But Yeoh also holds a passion for philanthropy, and serves as an ambassador for the Hong Kong Cancer Fund, Live to Love, The Brain & Spine Institute, Aids Concern and Amfar – the Foundation for Aids Research, a cause that she has supported around the world. Yeoh’s stand-out appearance, however, was undoubtedly on May 21, 2009 when, alongside Donatella Versace, she introduced an auction in an Atelier Versace gown for Amfar’s Cinema Against Aids Gala during the Cannes Film Festival. Looking back, Yeoh’s timeless style, big heart and Academy Award-winning talents were as clear then as they are now.

3. Anita Mui made her final appearance at Paris Fashion Week

Anita Mui Yim-fong with Dior’s former creative director John Galliano at Paris Fashion Week in 2003. Photo: Handout

Dubbed the “Madonna of the East”, Hong Kong icon Anita Mui’s influence on fashion, music and pop culture transcended boundaries. As a fan of all things Dior, she quickly gained the attention of John Galliano, the brand’s creative director from 1996 to 2010, and the fashion label went on to create haute couture for Mui’s Fantasy Gig tour in 2002. Galliano personally selected pieces for the Cantopop diva to wear right up to her famous final concert, just months before her untimely death, at age 40 in December 2003. The pair were papped together for the last time six months earlier, when Mui attended Dior’s ready-to-wear autumn/winter 2004 fashion show in Paris. She may have been known as the “daughter of Hong Kong”, but 20 years on, Mui’s legacy is still celebrated internationally.