Vanessa Friedman

In November 2019, Friedman came under fire for criticizing the white pantsuit worn by presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard during a Democratic debate, likening it to outfits worn by cult leaders. In 2016, Friedman had written an article praising the Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton for wearing an identical outfit. Friedman remained under scrutiny from many credible news sources for several days, but The New York Times did not address the issue.

In March 2014, Friedman was named the "fashion director and chief fashion critic" of The New York Times.

From 2002 to March 2014, Friedman was the fashion editor of the Financial Times. She is the first person to hold the post. Friedman writes a weekly column for the Saturday FT, as well as editing the Style page, and helps cover the luxury industry for the daily newspaper, and edits the twice-yearly supplement The Business of Fashion.

In 1998, Friedman was published in The New Yorker. She was the Fashion Features Director for InStyle UK, a position she held from 2000 to 2002. Prior to this, she worked as a Fashion Correspondent for the FT, as an Arts Contributor at The Economist and was the European Editor at Elle US. She has also written extensively on a freelance basis for Entertainment Weekly, Vogue, The New Yorker and Vanity Fair.

Friedman married J. David Stewart in New York City, on June 15, 1996. They live together with their 3 children in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Vanessa Victoria Friedman (born 1967) is Fashion Director and Chief Fashion Critic at The New York Times.