25 WOMEN DESIGNERS

In honor of the women that have blazed the trail in fashion design, we take a look at the 25 most influential female designers, with the help of Parsons' Francesca Granata and Pratt's Jennifer Minniti.

The upcoming Costume Institute exhibit and Monday's Met Ball honors two of fashion's most beloved women designers: Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada. But what about the other female names that have helped to change fashion forever?

Recently, 's Nicole Phelps noted that in New York fashion today there is a surprising lack of big-name female designers, which begged the question: "Is it easier to succeed in New York fashion as a man?" Phelps certainly has a point: After all, in the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund's eight year history, the prize has only been awarded to women designers twice.

The dearth of female designers in New York is particularly disheartening, when you consider the important role women have played in shaping fashion's past and present. From Coco Chanel, to Phoebe Philo, female designers have provided a fresh--and needed--perspective on fashion and in many cases, they changed the industry as we know it.

So, in honor of those women that have blazed the trail in fashion design, we take a look at the 25 most influential female designers, with the help of Parsons' Francesca Granata and Pratt's Jennifer Minniti. Scroll through and get inspired.

MADELEINE CHÉRUIT

She may not be a household name like Coco Chanel or Elsa Schiaparelli, but the fact is Madeleine Chéruit helped pave the way for female fashion designers, becoming one of the first women to control a major French fashion house, at the turn of the century. Chéruit got her start working as a dressmaker at Raudnitz & Cie House of Couture in the late 1880s, but her talent was so exceptional that she eventually took over the salon and its more than 100 employees in 1905, renaming it Chéruit. She helped launch the career of Paul Poiret by supporting his designs, won the praise of Vogue, and was one of the few couture houses that remained open during WWI. Though the house shuttered in 1935, Chéruit's influence in fashion design--and particularly female fashion design--can still be felt. In fact, it was Elsa Schiaparelli who famously took over Chéruit's 98-room studio and salon, forever tying the two designers together.

JEANNE PAQUIN

Considered by many to be one of the first female couturiers, Paquin was known for her fashionable eighteenth century-inspired pastel evening dresses, as well as for her "publicity stunts", which in early twentieth century Paris meant organizing fashion parades (the runway show predecessor) and sending outfitted models to society events like operas and races. Sacre Bleu!

COCO CHANEL 

Obviously, Coco Chanel needs no introduction--her influence today is as strong as ever, as the house she founded remains one of the most coveted and respected labels in the world. "She introduced what are now staples of sportswear into womenswear, in part, by borrowing from the vocabulary of menswear," Parsons' Francesca Granata tells me. "Her relevance to fashion is incredible.