ELEANOR Lambert died last week at the age of 100. Grand age, worthy of note, but I can sense: "Who's she?" crossing your minds.

Until I read her obituary, I hadn't heard of her either, though her most famous creation is known world-wide and, without her, we might never have seen the name Calvin Klein peering coyly over the top of that male model's jeans.

Eleanor Lambert's idea - love it or hate it, and many in the fashion world did and do hate it - was the annual list of best-dressed women. She also founded the Coty Awards for designers, a launch pad for such as Mr Klein.

It all began in 1940 as a boost for the US fashion industry, which was struggling even though America wasn't then involved in the Second World War. Over here, it was make do and mend. Magazines were advising women that their dcollet evening dresses weren't quite the thing in wartime, but could still be worn with the addition of a suitable jacket. A "dashing bolero" could be made from an old lace curtain. Over there, fashion companies were running rather clunking adverts trying to shame women into buying a new dress.

Eleanor Lambert didn't think much of that for an idea. As a publicist in the Thirties, she had fought America's fashion corner against Paris and Milan, so she decided to set up a version of the Paris list, which had become a casualty of the war. She contacted style experts across the world and, in spite of a world war raging, got enough replies to enable her to put together the first list.

Ever since, it has caused comment, admiration, controversy and ridicule. People have tried to bribe their way on to, and off, it; spend their way to it, or have whinged at being left out. Top designers have rubbished it. Of course it's sparked controversy.

Style is a personal opinion and it may be that we just can't stand the woman at the top, even if she looks like, and has spent, a million dollars.

Style, to me, would never include Madonna, but Lambert's list has done. More than once. In my book, style and elegance are put on together. Think Betty Boothroyd, (former Speaker of the House of Commons), the Countess of Wessex, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly - and you're with me. In your style book, they might well score the notorious "nul points".

Eleanor Lambert knew exactly what she was doing: getting fashions talked about. And she did, maintaining her interest and presence right up to last month's New York Fashion Week