L’Wren Scott’s Best Dresses on the World’s Best Dressed

Venerable fashion designer L’Wren Scott, who was found dead in her New York apartment on Monday, dressed everyone from movie stars to First Ladies, in classic and distinctive styles that worked well on almost all body types. She taught herself to sew during her childhood in Utah, partly because she stood 6 feet tall and couldn’t find any clothes to fit her. Her clothes routinely won spots on Best Dressed lists, which made her a popular pick for first-time red carpet stars.

She even won the approval of the notoriously hard-to-impress Vogue editor Anna Wintour. “L’Wren was a total perfectionist, someone who absolutely embodied everything her marvelous clothes stood for: strength of character combined with a confident and powerful style,” Wintour said in a statement. “In person, L’Wren was always unbelievably generous, gracious, kind, and so much fun. Her old world American manners and charm were from another time, but her sensibility was always fiercely modern. We will all miss her.”

Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker knows a thing or two about fashion, and the Sex & The City star regularly wore L’Wren Scott. In 2011, Parker said of Scott, “I think L’Wren has an extraordinary ability to make dresses that genuinely flatter a woman. She makes an unbelievably contemporary dress in a remarkably old-fashioned way for all sorts of women and body types.”

Parker, a frequent client of Scott’s, notably chose (from left) a gold fringed L’Wren Scott dress at the annual Serpentine Gallery Summer Party in London on June 26, 2013, a hot pink L’Wren Scott mini to the London premier of her film Did You Hear About The Morgans? on Dec. 8, 2009, and a skin tight black L’Wren Scott dress to the MTV Movie Awards on June 1, 2008.

Nicole Kidman

A long time friend of Scott’s, Kidman said, “L’Wren and I have been dear friends for years now…She knows what aspects to accentuate in a woman, and is able to make you feel incredibly sexy and sophisticated when you are in one of her exquisite designs.”

Kidman frequently wore Scott’s designs, most notably (from left) to the Rome Film Festival premiere of Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus in 2006, to the 81st Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles in 2009, and again to the Academy Awards in Hollywood in 2013.

Christina Hendricks

The Mad Men star has turned to Scott’s designs often and said of the designer, “L’Wren’s clothes make you feel like a sexy pin-up, a sophisticated lady and a rockstar all at once. She designs for how women want to look and for what men want to look at.” Many other fans echoed the point that Scott had a particularly good understanding of how clothes fit the body.

Hendricks took two memorable turns in L’Wren Scott gowns, first at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sept. 20, 2009 (left), and more recently at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in West Hollywood, Calif, on March 2, 2014.

Michelle Obama

One of Scott’s highest profile clients, U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama has become as famous for wearing L’Wren Scott as she is for wearing J. Crew. Obama has been seen wearing Scott’s designs several times during President Obama’s two terms, including a slinky gold dress during an official dinner at the Casa Presidential in San Salvador March 22, 2011 (left) and a pink two-piece ensemble while speaking at the GMA Science Forum meeting in Washington, D.C. on March 16, 2010. Obama also famously insisted on wearing her own raspberry L’Wren Scott dress for a shoot for Harper’s Bazaar in 2010.

Allison Williams

Girls star Allison Williams has become known for her sophisticated sense of style on the red carpet. She has also become a loyal fan of Scott’s, wearing a graphic red and black dress to the Seventh Annual Women Of Worth Awards on Dec. 6, 2012 in New York City (left) and a skin-tight blue leather sheath to the 2013 CNN Heroes: An All Star Tribute at The American Museum of Natural History on Nov. 19, 2013 in New York City.

Angelina Jolie

In 2012, it was rumored that Jolie wanted Scott to design her wedding dress for her nuptials to partner Brad Pitt. A long-time fan of Scott’s, Jolie chose a classic L’Wren Scott L.B.D. to wear to “The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford” film premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater Sept. 18, 2007 in New York City with Pitt.

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy

Former French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy frequently wore L’Wren Scott while her husband was in office, including this perfectly tailored black dress on June 22, 2009 at the Chateau de Versailles outside Paris.

Naomi Campbell

Beloved by actresses and models alike, Scott’s designs have been a favorite of Naomi Campbell’s. She wore a memorable floor length feathered L’Wren Scott gown to amfAR’s Cinema Against AIDS benefit gala at the Hotel du Cap on May 20, 2010 in Antibes, France.

Amy Adams

Adams chose a L’Wren Scott gown for the 2011 Academy Awards, the year she was nominated for Best Actress her work in The Fighter. The shimmering navy column, paired with Cartier jewels, was one of the most memorable red carpet looks of the event.

Penelope Cruz

After spending several months out of the spotlight while pregnant, Cruz made a big return to the red carpet in this sparkling red L’Wren Scott gown for the 2011 Academy Awards. Cruz would later choose Scott again that year when she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of fame.

Madonna

In 2009, Scott quit modeling and became a celebrity stylist instead. Madonna was one of Scott’s first clients, and remained loyal to her as Scott became a designer. Madge chose several of Scott’s designs while promoting the film W.E., her directorial debut, choosing a black shift dress for the 68th Venice Film Festival on Sept. 1, 2011 in Venice (left) and a similarly cut patterned dress for the 55th BFI London Film Festival on Oct. 23, 2011.

Jessica Paré

Mad Men star Jessica Paré is a newer devotee of Scott’s, choosing her gowns for key moments in her burgeoning career. Paré made a bold statement (and many best-dressed lists) with a gold floor length L’Wren Scott column for her first Met Gala in 2012.

Tina Fey

All eyes were on Fey when she hosted her first Golden Globes ceremony in 2013 with Amy Poehler. While Poehler wore several Stella McCartney gowns, Fey favored L’Wren Scott, wearing two of her designs, one stunning black and white sleeveless on the red carpet (pictured) and a deep teal floor length gown later on stage.

Kyra Sedgwick

Fashion forward Sedgwick has favored Scott’s designs for her red carpet appearances, and has also attended Scott’s fashion shows with her husband, Kevin Bacon. Sedgwick landed on InStyle’s ‘100 Best Dresses of the Decade’ list with this white and silver L’Wren Scott sheath at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 21, 2008 in Los Angeles.