Sean \P. Diddy\ Combs

Sean "Puffy" Combs

UPDATED 09/14/1998 at 01:00 AM EDT • Originally published 09/14/1998 at 01:00 AM EDT

After triumphing as a rapper, producer and head of Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs, 28, has conquered fashion too. Whether in perfectly cut gangster suits or stylishly baggy casual wear, he displays a flair that makes him "the hip-hop version of GQ," says L.A. Laker Kobe Bryant. "Puff Daddy's the new James Brown," raves Barneys' Simon Doonan, adding that "he throws his outfits together very much in the tradition of Motown—for if pure enjoyment." Now the restless entrepreneur, who knows a good thing when he sees it, has spotted one in his mirror: Next spring, he'll launch a menswear line. If fashion writer Carrie Donovan's view counts, a new success is at hand. The 5'11" Combs "is a wonderful dresser," she says. "I like everything."