Cathy Horyn received her undergraduate degree from Barnard College, Columbia University, in 1978, and a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University in Chicago in 1980. She began her newspaper career at The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, covering public schools. In 1986, she became at fashion writer for The Detroit News, and then moved to The Washington Post. Between 1994 and 1998, she was a staff writer for Vanity Fair, reporting on Hollywood and fashion. She joined The New York Times in 1998 as chief fashion critic, and remained at the Times until 2014, also contributing to The New York Times Magazine. Since 2015, she has been a critic for The Cut and New York Magazine.