Colleen Sturtevant · CC BY-SA 4.0

Rose from assistant designer at Anne Klein to head of the label after Klein's death in 1974, then struck out on her own in 1984 with a philosophy she called "modern clothes for modern people," built around seven interchangeable essentials anchored by the bodysuit. She launched the more affordable DKNY line in 1988, became known as the Queen of Seventh Avenue, and later received the CFDA's Lifetime Achievement Award.