Hollywood's 25 most powerful stylists: Portman and Williams mastermind Kate Young tops list

Michelle Williams at the 2012 Academy Awards

After stars including Jessica Chastain and Michelle Williams topped best dressed lists during awards ceremony season, the women behind their looks rate highly in an annual ranking by US publication The Hollywood Reporter (THR) of the industry's 25 most powerful stylists -- which this year excludes fashion mogul Rachel Zoe.

After evaluating factors such as clients, visibility during awards season and breadth of influence, THR cites Kate Young, whose patrons include Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams, as this year's most powerful stylist.

The latter wore red Louis Vuitton to the Academy Awards last month and came second in a Twitter best dressed list, according to data based on tweets sent regarding the awards ceremony with the hashtag #BESTDRESSED. Jessica Chastain topped the poll with her black and gold Alexander McQueen dress, although her stylist Elizabeth Stewart, who also dresses Viola Davis, Freida Pinto and Jennifer Lawrence, came in fourth place in THR's list.

Meanwhile, Emma Stone, who impressed at the Oscars in a bow-detail Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown, is styled by Petra Flannery -- who takes third place in THR's compilation. Last year Rachel Zoe, who gained attention in the early 2000s due to her work with the likes of Mischa Barton, Nicole Richie and Keira Knightley, topped THR's most powerful stylist list. This year Zoe doesn't feature on the rundown, although this exclusion is explained in an article by THR's Shirley Halperin.

"Because her success has been so beyond what anyone thought a stylist could achieve, THR decided to recuse her from this year's list," wrote Halperin of the stylist who has become a television star and boasts her own multimillion-dollar fashion empire.

The ladies on this year's list are breaking into the design world too though -- Young last year teamed up with designer Lynne Hiriak for the knitwear line Cardigan by Kate Young and Leslie Fremar created a capsule line of basics for Fruit of the Loom.

The Hollywood Reporter's 25 most powerful stylists and some of their main clients:

1. Kate Young: Michelle Williams, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz
2. Leslie Fremar: Charlize Theron, Julianne Moore, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson
3. Petra Flannery: Emma Stone, Claire Danes, Zoe Saldana, Mila Kunis, Megan Fox
4. Elizabeth Stewart: Jessica Chastain, Freida Pinto, Jennifer Lawrence, Viola Davis
5. Kemal Harris and Karla Welch: Olivia Wilde, Hailee Steinfeld, Zooey Deschanel, Stacy Keibler
6. Jen Rade: Angelina Jolie, Pink, Katherine McPhee
7. Ryan Hastings: Rooney Mara, Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson
8. Samantha McMillen: Carey Mulligan, Evan Rachel Wood, Dakota and Elle Fanning
9. Deborah Waknin: Sofia Vergara, Sandra Bullock, Diane Keaton, Halle Berry
10. Cristina Ehrlich: Penelope Cruz, Amy Adams, Amber Heard, Tina Fey, Julianna Marguiles
11. Jeanne Yang: Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise, Andrew Garfield, Christian Bale
12. L'Wren Scott: Nicole Kidman, Sarah Jessica Parker
13. Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn: Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Rachel McAdams, Lily Collins
14. Elizabeth Saltzman: Gwyneth Paltrow
15. Cher Coulter: Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Kate Bosworth, Elizabeth Olsen
16. Leith Clark: Keira Knightley, Kirsten Dunst
17. Jessica Paster: Emily Blunt, Felicity Jones, Andrea Riseborough, Ellie Kemper
18. Penny Lovell: Rose Byrne, Ginnifer Goodwin
19. Wendi and Nicole Ferreira: Octavia Spencer, Elizabeth Banks, Channing Tatum
20. Brad Goreski: Jessica Alba, Rashida Jones, Maya Rudolph, Demi Moore, Noomi Rapace
21. Nicole Chavez: Rachel Bilson, Kristen Bell, Catherine Zeta-Jones
22. Johnny Wujek: Katy Perry, Kate Mara, Nicki Minaj
23. George Kotsiopoulos: Janet McTeer, Alice Eve
24. Arianne Phillips: Madonna
25. Ilaria Urbanti: Nina Dobrev, Krysten Ritter, Bradley Cooper, Armie Hammer