Certain people always seem to make an event by simply showing up. Whether they’re at the opera, a private dinner party, or a new restaurant opening in the Mission, their grace, confidence, and edgy style compel you to take a closer look at how they put themselves together. We couldn’t resist any longer: we had to create our first annual best-dressed list.

Our judges know a thing or two about catching eyes themselves: godfather of style Wilkes Bashford; Saks Fifth Avenue mistress of chic Therese Post; Kimberly Bini, the woman who would have been everyone’s top pick if she hadn’t moved to L.A.; and Paul Price, executive vice president at Lucky Brand Jeans. Naturally, I put in my two cents, too. It wasn’t easy—drumroll, please—but here they are: 2006’s winners.


SAN FRANCISCO'S BEST-DRESSED
Joy Bianchi
“She’s the Diana Vreeland of our time. She oozes style and originality and is 100 percent Joy: feminine, elegant, and beautifully severe. I always look forward to seeing what she has on and love to learn the history of what she is wearing.” —Paul Price

THE HIGH PRIESTESS OF VINTAGE
As a child, Bianchi was dressed in the latest fashions from I. Magnin and Paris. Today she still likes to don full regalia, including hat and gloves, and can be seen about town in exquisite vintage pieces. She’s an eclectic risk taker whose heart is as big as her fashion sense: proceeds from her vintage store in Ghirardelli Square benefit the organization she’s dedicated much of her life to, Helpers of the Mentally Retarded.


SAN FRANCISCO'S BEST-DRESSED
BJ Wasserman
“BJ defines modern and masculine; his sexy rock-and-roll approach suits his striking good looks. He’ll even wear leopard prints now and then—he doesn’t mind standing out in the crowd.” —Kimberly Bini

THE OFF-THE-CUFF STYLIST
Wasserman claims he doesn’t sweat his look. “If there’s any hesitation, I just grab whatever’s in front of me, put it on, and go.” His smooth, Ocean’s Eleven style looks a whole lot more pulled together than that, though. His kids, Katya and Izaiah Wolf, and wife, Marisa, are his top priorities, but he also invests in and develops real estate and works with his father in the family jewelry business.


SAN FRANCISCO'S BEST-DRESSED
Vanessa Getty
“Vanessa manages to mix the old with the new in a beautiful, original, and unpredictable way. She isn’t afraid to wear whatever she wants, and she always carries the clothes, they never carry her.” —Paul Price

THE GLAMOUR GIRL
Getty’s timeless, classic look makes her one of San Francisco’s ultimate style setters (see page 126); she represents glamour with a capital G. Getty graces the city’s grandest events in one-shoulder Halstons and strapless vintage or the latest fashions from the European and New York runways. When she’s in L.A., she often picks things up at Decades, too.


SAN FRANCISCO'S BEST-DRESSED
Willie Brown
“Willie Brown is a natural when it comes to fashion. He is one of the best-dressed people anywhere; he has a very strong sense of his own style, and he inherently knows what works for him. He always looks incredibly elegant—it’s never a forced look.” —Wilkes Bashford

THE DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN
Former mayor Brown always looks sharp, no matter what the occasion. Wilkes Bashford is his fashion guru, but Brown doesn’t consider himself dressed without a beautiful woman on his arm (lately, Sonya Molodetskaya). Although he’s not wearing one here, Brown is known for his beautiful hats; we hear he gets some of them from Mrs. Dewson’s in the Fillmore. A regular at benefits and galas around town, on air in “Keepin’ It Real with Will & Willie,” and in KRON appearances with Phil Matier, he looks as dashing today as he did when he ran the city.


SAN FRANCISCO'S BEST-DRESSED
Adria Bini
“She’s very eclectic and daring. It’s so rare to find someone with their own unique sense of style like Adria. She puts everything together in such an offbeat way, yet it somehow works perfectly every time.” —Wilkes Bashford

THE FREE SPIRIT
Bini knows how to use wild, eye-catching accents that make a simple outfit flamboyant or sophisticated. Born in Tuscany, Bini came to San Francisco 25 years ago with her husband Dante Bini, the well-known architect. She opened her accessories store Zona Moda as a way to stay connected with her homeland; it keeps her traveling to Italy and France for handpicked treasures.


SAN FRANCISCO'S BEST-DRESSED
Skip Price
“Yes, he’s my brother, but since age 6 he has always been the coolest-dressed, whether at the beach with his daughter or lounging by the pool. He can wear a Target T-shirt under a Gucci blazer and turn heads and stop traffic.” —Paul Price

THE LAID-BACK LOOKER
As half of Price + Price Productions, Price designs interactive spaces for his events—including bashes for the San Francisco Opera and the Bay Area Discovery Museum—that are creative and stylish and always get tongues wagging. Comfort and fit are paramount to Price; he juxtaposes color and texture in unexpected ways and pays close attention to details like sunglasses and belts.


SAN FRANCISCO'S BEST-DRESSED
Brittney Cade
“Cade is the perfect combination of sweet and sexy; with her rocker-girl attitude and innocent looks, she can pull off black leather pants as well as a white ruffled skirt. She’s at the top of the list of fashion’s up-and-comers.” —Kathryn Retzer

THE INGENUE
Most often seen on the arm of Green Day’s bassist, Mike Dirnt, Cade looks like a cross between Kate Hudson and Victoria Traina but has a pretty-meets-punk flair all her own (see Back Story). She’s not afraid to rip up vintage and reconstruct it to suit herself. Whether she’s in cool cowboy boots backstage, rocking at the MTV Video Music Awards, or managing Berkeley’s Magnet boutique, she exudes rocker chic.


SAN FRANCISCO'S BEST-DRESSED
J. Riccardo Benavides
“Every time I see Riccardo, my initial impression is: wow, he looks so put together—interesting colors, textured fabrics, and always a perfect fit. Riccardo has fun with fashion just as he has terrific enthusiasm for life.” —Therese Post

THE MAESTRO OF FUN
As founder of i*de*as, the Special Events Co., Benavides has concocted major events like last year’s opening-night San Francisco Ballet gala. While he has loads of ideas of his own, Benavides relies on Louise Chen at Saks Fifth Avenue and Guillermo Canahuati at Neiman Marcus to help define his vibrant style. But the person who got him interested in looking good in the first place was his grandfather, who always wore a three-piece suit, a pocket watch, and “the shiniest shoes I’ve ever seen."