While the fashion industry continues to introduce us to new styles every season, the industry would not be where it is today without the help of influential fashion icons.
Nowadays, celebrities are able to take pictures of their outfit and share it with friends, family, and fans on social media. However, many of the women who invented these iconic styles didn’t have the same influential opportunities, so the fact that we still consider them fashion icons means they must have known what they were doing!
The following 10 fashion icons not only had successful careers, but they also used their keen fashion senses to catapult them into stardom.
Here are some of the most influential
fashionistas and the trends they made famous:
1. Audrey Hepburn: The Little Black Dress
Actress Audrey Hepbur
n poses as Holly Golightly
in the 1961 movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's." (AP
Photo)
2. Diana Ross: Maximalist
1980: American pop singer Diana Ross. (Photo by
Central Press/Getty Images)
Although Diana Ross’ style changed over the course of her career, Motown would not be what it is today without her influence. From extravagant wigs to embellished gowns , Diana shed a positive light on the term ‘diva’ and blurred the line between costume and everyday wear.
Elizabeth Taylor, born 27 February 1932 in
London England, was an British-American actress
who starred in movies such as “Who’s Afraid of
Virginia Woolf?”, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,”
and “Cleopatra”. During her career, Elizabeth
Taylor won two Academy Awards, each time for
Best Actress - once for “Butterfield 8” and
once for “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
She was ranked 7th on the American Film
Institute’s 50 greatest American Screen
legends. She was favored for her glamorous
lifestyle and was a beautiful fashion icon.
Elizabeth Taylor’s fashion sense can only be described as fearless. She gave off a hint of glamour everywhere she went with her plunging necklines, fur wraps, feather boas, and eye-catching headpieces that would likely be considered over-the-top next to today’s styles. Still, Elizabeth Taylor’s love for glitz and glam resonated with her at all times, and her impact on the fashion industry is still evident.
4. Grace Kelly: The Preppy Princess
In this April 20, 1955 file photo, Designer Oleg
Cassini stands with actress Grace Kelly at the
world premiere of "Strategic Air Comand" in New
York. Grace Kelly can bring to mind several
things: an Oscar-winning Hollywood actress, a
mother, a princess and a Nicole Kidman movie
premiering at the Cannes Film Festival on
Wednesday, May 14, 2014. (AP Photo, File)
5. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: Chic Simple
Jackie Onassis (1929 - 1994), widow of American
President John F Kennedy and wife of Greek
born Argentinian ship owner Aristotle Onassis,
leaving Claridges Hotel in London. She is
wearing a safari-style jacket over flared hipster
trousers and a polo neck jersey. (Photo by Ted
West/Getty Images)
Jackie Kennedy grabbed the public’s
attention with her chic, yet simple fashion
sense. From boxy Chanel suits to Halston pillbox hats, she reshaped fashion’s view of conservative clothes and left a noteworthy fashion legacy behind.
6. Katharine Hepburn: The First Lady
of Menswear
Katharine Hepburn in a scene from the film 'The
Philadelphia Story', 1940. (Photo by Metro-
Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images)
Katharine Hepburn was one of the most idolized actresses of her generation. On-screen, Katharine fashioned her very own personal style that embodied the American look, whereas her off screen wardrobe favored sportswear. Still, the costumes she wore for her movies are what shaped the Hepburn look into what it is today.
7. Lauren Bacall: Princess of Prints
Ready in a polka dot tunic to stop the
Leicester Square traffic in London Oct. 2, 1972, is American actress Lauren Bacall here to star in the London production of the American musical
"Applause," opening at Her Majesty's
Theater on Nov. 16, 1972. Miss Bacall (whose
first husband was the late Humphrey Begart) will
be making her British stage debut in the show
repeating the role she originated on Broadway
and which won her a Tony Award for "Best
Actress in a Musical." (AP Photo/Press
Association)
Lauren Bacall’s seductiveness in combination with her effortless glamour is what makes her one of fashion’s most iconic actresses. From silk blouses , to blazers , to pencil skirts , and even to pleated trousers , Lauren transformed professional attire into a simplistically glamourous style.
Madonna tour - Madonna, who canceled the first
of three shows in Philadelphia because of a sore
throat, sings fefore 14,000 fans during her
"Blonde Ambition" tour, which also took her to
Tokyo and Rome. (AP-Photo/Sean Kardon)
3.12.1990
Madonna is the pop diva of fashion. Although she originally adopted a casual tomboy look in the 80s, she quickly evolved into one of the most influential fashion gurus in the industry. Infact, concerts wouldn’t be as extravagant as they are today if it weren’t for Madonna’s on-stage fashion choices that changed the way people view artists.
9. Marilyn Monroe: Dangerous Curves
Our undated picture shows Marilyn Monroe in the
famous scene from the movie "the seven year
itch". (AP Photo)
British model and actress Twiggy steps from a
Rolls Royce car at an airport shortly after
retiring from modelling, October 3, 1970. (Photo
by Express Newspapers/Getty Images)
photographed with drawn-on lashes, which was a trend that had yet to be explored. Once she had established herself as an ‘it’ girl, she became a notable fashion icon known for her daring and trendsetting 60s styles!
Sources:
Courtesy from Sarah Boyd
Founder of Simply Stylist & Simply Digital Network
Co-Founder of The International Style Institute
www.simplystylist.com
www.simply-inc.com
www.theinternationalstyleinstitute.com
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