Paris Hilton Tops Blackwell's 2003 List

Socialite-turned-reality TV star Paris Hilton has topped acid-tongued fashion critic MR BLACKWELL's list for committing the worst fashion crimes of the past year.

The former fashion designer feels the hotel heiress - whose hit reality show The Simple Life debuted just weeks after her homemade sex video with her ex-boyfriend surfaced on the internet - is the natural choice for his 44th annual list this year (04).

He says, "Paris came up shining with a big spotlight saying, 'Pick me!' She does everything she can to be outrageous, everything she can to be over the top, everything she can to be too much and she succeeded - and what she got from it was a great TV show."

Madonna and BRITNEY SPEARS - "kissin' cousins of couture crime" - were tied for second place, followed by "country-fried kitsch" Shania Twain, DIANE KEATON, Jessica Simpson, "half-sequined scarecrow, half-gaudy acrobat" CELINE DION, MISSY ELLIOTT, Melanie Griffith, Courtney Love and Lara Flynn Boyle.

On the positive side, Blackwell praised Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Garner, Diane Lane, Salma Hayek, Oprah Winfrey, Katie Holmes, Tippi Hedren, Beyonce KNOWLES, Faith Hill, Sarah Jessica Parker and Britain's COUNTESS OF WESSEX, the former SOPHIE RHYS-JONES, as "Fabulous Fashion Independents for 2003".