Carey Mulligan wins best dressed woman in Harper Bazaar poll
British actress Carey Mulligan poses at the 14th Annual Hollywood Awards Gala in Beverly Hills, California October 25, 2010. REUTERS

Carey Mulligan, the Oscar-nominated and BAFTA winning actress has been named Britain's 'Best Dressed Woman' ahead of style icon Victoria Beckham and models Kate Moss and Yasmin Le Bon.

Carey was a surprise winner at the polls conducted by Harper's Bazaar. Ex-Spice girl and now a fashion stylist Victoria came second with Yasmin Le Bon in the third. TV presenter Alexa Chung and singer Florence Welch came in at fourth and fifth place respectively, Dailymailonline.com reported.

Kate Moss did not make it the top 10 even and was pushed to a lowly 13th place.

Explaining the decision, fashion designer Erdem Moralioglu, who was on the judging panel, said of the actress's style: So Sixties French New Wave - like a Godard starlet - but totally modern, the website added. Other judges for the Harper's Bazaar list were milliner Stephen Jones and Harper's Bazaar Editor-at-large, Kim Hersov.

Carey Mulligan herself takes no credit for her dressing. According to her she has a brilliant stylist who gets it right for her. Prime Minister David Cameron's wife Samantha also featured on the list in tenth position, ahead of Gwyneth Paltrow, Stella McCartney and Sienna Miller.

Carey Mulligan's lead role of Jenny in An Education won her an Oscar nomination in 2009 and it was at this Red Carpet event that people noticed her distinct sense of style. She had worn a black Prada gown covered with jewels. She has also acted in Wall Street: Money never Sleeps and was dating actor Shia LaBeouf for some time.