Actress, Hollywood Royalty, 34

REFRESHING ATTRIBUTE NO. 1: Never shops till she drops. "Let's face it—it's just clothes."

REFRESHING ATTRIBUTE NO. 2: Has done wonders for Tinseltown's tarty image. "I could never wear something flouncy and complicated."

At her first film auditions, this Broadway baby was told she didn't look sexy enough. "I just didn't match their idea of what sexy was," recalls the Tony and Oscar nominee. "My idea of what's attractive wasn't tight jeans and high heels." Several memorable movies—and a memorable marriage—later, Bening is celebrated for her sensuous understatement, a kind of timeless style she shares with husband Warren Beatty. Though the new mother lives in leggings and oversize blouses in private, she always looks picture-perfect in public—with the help of designer duds by the likes of Donna Karan, Karl Lagerfeld, Calvin Klein and Armani. "Chic, elegant, classic," adjudges Anne Klein designer Louis Dell'Olio. "She knows what style is all about.