Vanessa Friedman is the Fashion Director and Chief Fashion Critic for the New York Times. In this role, to which she was nominated in 2014, she covers global fashion for both The New York Times and International New York Times. Previously, Mrs. Friedman was the first-ever fashion editor of the Financial Times from 2002 to 2014 and the fashion features director of InStyle UK from 2000 to 2002. She has also been the European editor at Elle and has written extensively for publications like the New Yorker, American Vogue, Vanity Fair, and the Economist.  

Much of Mrs. Friedman’s work has focused on the socio-political ramifications of fashion, such as how style choices help shape high-stake trials and make powerful statements in presidential debates. She is widely regarded as one of the foremost voices in fashion today.  

Mrs. Friedman studied history, European cultural studies, and creative writing at Princeton University and is also a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy.