A new photographic exhibition celebrates the 20th century's most stylish women. Women's Editor Christen Pears reports.

AUDREY Hepburn in a little black dress, hair piled high, a cigarette holder between her fingers. Jackie Onassis hiding behind a pair of over-sized sunglasses. A corseted, Madonna, her hair dyed platinum blonde, staring nonchalantly at the camera.

There are some women whose style gives them iconic status, women we love to look at, admire and copy. From Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich to Princess Diana and Sophie Dahl, the Style Queens exhibition has been put together by Getty Images Gallery in London and Harpers & Queen magazine.

"What is fascinating is how relevant these images are to the way women want to live and dress today," says Getty Images Gallery director, Louise Garczewska. "Women still aspire to look like Audrey Hepburn, possibly the ultimate style icon."

Drawing on the extensive Hulton Getty archive, it features diverse and memorable images, ranging from candid backstage shots to studio portraits.

Lucy Yeomans, editor of Harpers & Queen, sums up the exhibition. "Style doesn't have to be a label. It's not something you find in your wardrobe. You've either got it, or you haven't. And these women definitely have it."

* Style Queens of the 20th Century at Getty Images Gallery, 3 Jubilee Place, Chelsea, London SW3. Open to the public from Wednesday to June 5.