WHO: Grace Coddington
WHEN: 1958–Forever
WHY: When I worked with Grace for my "Alice in Wonderland" shoot for Vogue, I was completely in awe of her. Her brain is a stylish idea FACTORY! I recently found out that she's leaving her permanent role at the magazine (she'll stay on as creative director at large), and I knew she needed an Idol Worship moment ASAP! There are so many fascinating things about her that she has two books ("Grace: Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue" and "Grace: A Memoir") and a movie coming out soon.
Here are just a few of the reasons she's the coolest cat around: 1) She loooves CATS! Grace and her partner Didier Malige even devoted a whole book to illustrations of kitties. A must-buy for your bookshelf or coffee table if you don't already own it. 2) She was a model before she became an editor, so she really understands all aspects of the industry. (Plus, Didier is a famous hair stylist!) 3) She didn't let a truly horrible experience get in the way of her career. After she won Vogue's Young Model contest at 17, and was shooting for several years with famous photogs like David Bailey, she was in a car accident that severely damaged her eyelid. Even though it was fixed and she healed—lemonade was made from lemons and she devoted her life to making magic from behind the lens instead. A one-of-a-kind, gorgeous, amazing lady, that Grace!

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Grace grew up on the island of Anglesey in Wales (and went to school at a convent!), and her only escape was to flip through the pages of Vogue—which came three months late because she was so far away.