The Anatomy of a Fashion Icon
Every century has defining icons of the day. In 18th century France, before the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette was the fashion icon of her day. In the late 19th century, Empress Eugenie paved the way for fashion and style. In the 20th and 21st century, there are a plethora of names granted the title of fashion icon. From Beyoncé to Taylor Swift, Marilyn Monroe to Audrey Hepburn, Princess Diana to Lady Kate Middleton, Jackie Kennedy-Onassis to Michelle Obama – all of these women, and many more, are distinctively different in their own way. Yet, they have all carried the title and the accolades that come with it. So, perhaps, they are not as unalike as we as assume. To share the same position, one could argue that they must share similarities. But, what could the connection be between them?
There are a number of ways to answer this question.
Kayla Kim, 23, a graduate student in advertising here at AAU had this to share on the subject when asked to describe what fashion icon meant to her. “I think timeless beauty. She looks well put together all the time. I think Audrey Hepburn. I think Anna Wintour. They are modest. They don’t consider themselves as fashion icons, but they are. They know people look up to them, but they aren’t dressing to be called fashion icons. They are just dressing naturally for themselves.”
Indeed, one could argue that many icons of their day did not actively seek out the role, but became the role as their careers and names grew in fame. Some would call them more lifestyle icons than fashion icons. However, lifestyle possess the key word, “style,” which almost always goes hand and hand with fashion.
Jacqueline Collins, 26, an MFA student in Fashion Design, brought to light the point that many of those dubbed fashion icons are not actually in the world of fashion as a career. “They’re [fashion icons] more in other areas of art, like music and film, and stuff like that. I know growing up the singer of my favorite band was more impactful on [my] fashion than anything I saw in magazines,” she shares as we converse in Café Dior.
One of the biggest names influencing fashion in our day and age, Kim Kardashian, did not get her fame from being an icon in any known industry at all, let alone fashion. Her fame came from being famous; which is a conundrum in itself. However, her example, and those before her, like Paris Hilton, do bring another important trait to light. All fashion icons have status.
Being a queen, empress, pop star, movie siren, or the FLOTUS is a status that firmly places these women in
the public eye. This gives them something the everyday person does not possess, which Jenna McDonald, 23, a graduate student in product development called, “name recognition. People say Vera Wang, and you have a distinct image in your head, or Chanel. When you think fashion or what is the hottest thing to wear you know who you want.”
So, the status of these women evokes an image, one that every day woman aspires to emulate. The English writer, Charles Colton (1780 – 1832), once said, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” The fact that consumers are willing to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars of their own money to look like the celebrities of the day is extremely flattering to say the least. It also brings to our next vital characteristic of a successful fashion icon: money.
Forbes magazine places Beyoncé at a net worth of $265 million, Taylor Swift $250 million, Kim Kardashian $51 million. These women, and those like them, have the most important resource necessary to acquire the latest and greatest in fashion. They have the money to be fashionable.
“They’re all rich, they have lots of money. They can buy from the places most people can’t afford, and most people find them as fashion icons just because they are buying designer clothes,” says Shamaine, 22, also a product development student, who admits that she, personally, has no one she perceives as a fashion icon, “They [people] just like that person. They’re just idolizing the person, and they agree with anything they do,” she finishes.
So, to recap: Status, recognition, wealth. All these traits make a fashion icon. However, if it was that easy, then any rich person out there could, in theory, be a fashion icon. Perhaps there is more.
Maybe we must look to the social climate of the time to understand why these women were the chosen fashion icons of their era. Marilyn Monroe epitomized the sexy, movie siren of the 1950s for her full-figured, curvaceous body – the ideal fashionable body of the time. Similar to present day, women seek out to emulate those who represent the ideal of beauty at that time. But is beauty all that matters?
Fashion merchandising student, Tanya, 25, said, “The definition of a fashion icon, for me, does not have to be a pretty person or does not have to be good looking. But you have to have your own style. For me Diana Vreeland is an inspiration for me, because she does not have to follow any fashion or she doesn’t go by other people’s fashion, she has her own distinct style… It makes her look unique.”
Perhaps, this is the x-factor that is needed for true fashion icon status. Maybe, a uniqueness that sets them apart, along with all the other traits mentioned, is what truly creates a fashion icon. Gerikka, a 24-year-old fashion design major, described a fashion icon as someone who, “embodies fashion, but makes it their own. Somebody that’s super creative. Somebody who wears something and sets trends. Like a Teyana Taylor. You look to them for what’s next in fashion.”
It goes without saying that our modern day fashion icons, and all those who came before, definitely have a knack for setting trends. Usually, with their status and wealth, comes access to a world most of us can only image. We assume that their style choices must come from some coveted fashion secret only the most elite are made privy to knowing. So, we watch, we wait, and we emulate. All in an attempt to stay on the trendy and fashionable.
However, at the end of the day, the verdict on what makes a fashion icon a fashion icon is still up for debate. No two people interviewed regarded fashion, icons, or style the exact same way. Perhaps, this is the true nature of fashion, an ever-changing chimera of past, present, and projections of the future. As a result, the fashion icon will be as fluctuating as the fashions she influences, wears, and lives by.
Photo Credits:
1) fred baby - Audrey_Hepburn via photopin (license)
3) Yahoo! Entretenimiento - Backstage- Diesel via photopin (license)