Stella McCartney at the Time 100 Most Influential People in the World Gala 2009As a fashion designer, it is only right that Stella McCartney looks absolutely fabulous at all times.

So she must be relieved to know that her efforts have not gone unnoticed as she was crowned the best-dressed woman of 2009 by Harper's Bazaar yesterday.The mum-of-three has put her own flattering designs to good use, whether popping out to the shops or attending a high-profile fashion bash.

The panel of judges who picked Stella as the winner included designers Roland Mouret, Christopher Kane and Christian Louboutin as well as Guardian columnist Hadley Freeman and Harper's Bazaar editor, Lucy Yeomans.

And Stella's ability to show that her designs work for real life and not just the catwalk, influenced the panel's choice.

Roland Mouret said: "Stella articulates the values of her mother Linda, and creates sexy clothes that women want to wear. She dresses for herself and her husband – I really like that."

Women with a style all of their own were abundant in the list, from quirky Alexa Chung and the always stylish Yasmin Le Bon, right through to artist Tracey Emin and Samantha Cameron.

View the full Best Dressed list in the December issue of Harper's Bazaar.