5. Sarah Burton, the most respected designer in fashion today — It's a hard feat to achieve the levels of respect, success, and talent that Sarah Burton has today, and even more difficult to have done it at a label that's still haunted by the ghost of its namesake. Burton has taken Alexander McQueen to new (profitable) directions, continued to make the house the premiere benchmark for what it means to be strong and feminine, all the while keeping Lee McQueen's legacy alive. Versatility, soulfulness, and undeniable design chops…Sarah Burton is the female singular designer to beat, these days.

Photo: David Burton/Courtesy of Alexander McQueen