KATE MOSS has completed her comeback from cocaine-fuelled notoriety, being elevated to Vanity Fair’s Best Dressed Hall of Fame.

The magazine’s style gurus gave the model the seal of sartorial excellence also bestowed on such queens of style as Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy.

The list appears in next month’s issue, for which Moss has posed in a Marlene Dietrich-inspired photoshoot.

Amy Fine Collins, of Vanity Fair, said: “Kate Moss captured the highest number of votes in the women’s category. Her closest contender, HM Queen Rania of Jordan, pulled in just slightly more than half of Moss’s massive tally.”

Fine Collins described Moss as a “scandal-proof waif”. The model’s image and earnings have recovered remarkably since she was photographed snorting what appeared to be cocaine last September.

The Best Dressed List, from which Hall of Fame candidates are chosen, includes Condoleezza Rice, David Beckham and Prince William. The former England captain’s wife, Victoria Beckham, is absent, however, and Prince Harry’s poor taste in fancy dress may have scuppered his chances. Other celebrities who do feature include Gwen Stefani, Sofia Coppola and Zac Goldsmith and his wife, Sheherazade.

After the cocaine allegations Moss was dropped by Burberry, and the high street chain H&M; and the cosmetic brand Rimmel announced that it was reviewing her contract.

Chanel decided not to renew her contract. Moss’s response was to apologise, check into rehab and distance herself from Pete Doherty, the lead Babyshambles singer, who has also had drug problems.

The strategy worked: Moss has had her contract renewed by Burberry, remained the face of Rimmel and acquired deals with a list of organisations that include Versace, Calvin Klein, Bulgari, Stella McCartney, Virgin Mobile and Nikon. Her predicted earnings have been put at more than twice the level before the scandal erupted.

Karl Lagerfeld summed up her appeal when he said recently: “There is no second Kate Moss. People want to look like her and be like her.”

In an age when celebrity images are carefully controlled by PRs and stylists, her decadent lifestyle adds an element of danger to her allure and boosts her commercial value — as long as she continues to look good. As Fine Collins writes: “Even a mantle of depravity can be worn with panache.”

The key to Moss’s style is individuality and insouciance. Michael Roberts, fashion and style director of Vanity Fair, said: “Kate has a natural talent for putting fresh looks together that are inspirational for other modern girls to follow . . . and it doesn’t hurt that she looks uncannily beautiful even after a hard night out.”

The number of items described on the auction website eBay as “very Kate Moss” indicates how many trends she has popularised: skinny jeans, waistcoats, gold chains, ballet pumps, quilted Chanel bags . . .

Moss has maintained her mystique by refusing to give interviews — hence the depiction of her as the eternally enigmatic Dietrich in her role as Catherine The Great. Moss lets her image speak for itself.

The September issue of Vanity Fair goes on sale on Friday.

THE CHANGING FORTUNES OF A FASHION SETTER

H&M

On photos of Kate Moss allegedly taking cocaine in September 2005: “We met Kate and her agent and she has told us she regrets the incident and has apologised to us. We are going to give her a second chance. We take issues like this very seriously. There were a lot of discussions about it yesterday before it was decided to carry on with the campaign.”

On subsequently dropping Moss in September 2005: “H&M will cancel the advertising campaign with model Kate Moss. H&M is strongly against drug abuse”

Burberry

On dropping Moss in September 2005: “At the current time we had one project scheduled with Kate for this autumn and in the circumstances both Kate and Burberry have mutually agreed that it is inappropriate to go ahead.”

On reinstating Moss in November 2005: “Kate Moss is very cool . . . She is absolutely part of our family”

Roberto Cavalli

On shooting a campaign with Moss in November 2005: “Kate looks absolutely fantastic. She is confident and stylish and she works well with the Cavalli look. She is back working and doing what she does best and, like usual, she was really professional”

Belstaff

On signing a £1 million deal with Moss last month: “The cocaine scandal did not concern us at all and, if anything, it seems to have done only good for Kate”