adminChipo Mapondera Fashion
Three time Vogue cover girl, and ever-evolving fashion chameleon, Rihanna, will receive the Fashion Icon Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in a few weeks.
The council’s CEO, Steven Kolb, said in a statement: “We are proud to present Rihanna with the CFDA award for her impact on the industry as fashion’s most exciting ambassador in recent memory.” Whether you love or hate her style (I love it), this got me thinking about what it takes to make a mark through one’s style and what the impact could be.
When it comes to fashion icons there are those that inspire through their ease and simplicity. Jacqui Onassis, Michelle Obama, Kate Moss, Lupita Nyong’o and Princess Diana are some women that neatly fit this bill, while men like tailor Sam Lambert, the young Nelson Mandela and the iconic actor Steve McQueen are the definition of good tailoring and attention to detail. What these individuals have in common is that they do not seek to make a statement but do so anyway, and look great every time.
Above all, they are comfortable in their own skin so it is easy for them to narrow down what works for them and stick to the formula. It’s a great lesson in editing for your taste and body every season, without veering off course at the mention of a new trend.
Contrary to the aforementioned visions of perfection, the next lot of iconic individuals are those that we could never look like and should not even try to imitate. They exist to up end traditional notions and, through their style, they inspire us to be so much more. They are society’s characters, those that were always destined to be different and stand out, including Brenda Fassie, Erykah Badu, Fela Kuti, Grace Jones, Chiwoniso Maraire and Bob Marley (there is clearly something about musicians as vehicles of individualism). If you march to the beat of your own drum it is hard to go unnoticed, and it is individuals like these that add colour and beauty to the world, both in the way that they look and in the powerful messages that they impart.
The game-changers are those that question social norms and change them before they receive the answer. Kanye West and Rihanna’s combinations of hip-hop street-wear brands and luxury fashion is bringing urban culture to the forefront, consequently changing what it is a rapper with street-cred should look like nowadays — perhaps wearing a skirt? Katherine Hepburn and Diane Keaton, both female power dressers trousers, refused to be objectified because of their sex, while David Bowie and Prince continue to refute the notion that men cannot be glamorous, through their alter egos. These are just a few examples but what resonates in them all is an inimitable attitude and a sense of defiance.
Finally, we have the fashion designers and fashion editors who shape how we think about fashion, creating the images of our times that filter down to the masses. They are revolutionary and completely overthrow the established notions of their time, whether it is Coco Chanel, the first feminist, who rid women of their corsets and put them in functional clothing and fabrics that allowed them to assert themselves, rather than being passive objects of beauty.
Another woman in the same vein is British designer Dame Vivienne Westwood whose punk-era creations were the sum of a destructive and riotous movement that shattered the status quo as well as the existing notions of what “desirable” meant. Diane Vreeland, the most renowned magazine editor of all time, championed the idea of individuality in fashion.
A style impresario herself she simply refused to believe that anything was too outrageous, and created images of fantasy that she believed were quite appropriate for every woman in-the-know. Why couldn’t fantasy become reality? Evidently nothing was impossible for the woman who entertained guests in the entirely red salon in her New York apartment. Fabulous!
The most important thing about fashion icons is not that they might dress “crazy”, or be ostentatious, quite the contrary as they cannot all be labelled in this way. Also, everyone admires different expressions of style, thus choosing different people to be inspired by. Perhaps you even pick up ideas from various fashionistas and fashionistos.
For me a true fashion icon represents a perspective, a message that is distilled into an expression of style. This perspective is not simply a reference on how to dress, but rather it represents the movement of the times and where society is going. This is important because it forces the rest of us to move forward, not only in the way that we look, but also in how we perceive the society that we are a part of.
Fashion is a symptom and embodiment of change and how we dress and express ourselves has a direct implication on how we behave. So take a moment to think about those that inspire your style. What do they represent and do you agree with the manifesto behind their image? Take a look at yourself in the same way and carefully consider the message you put out there. It does not have to be like anyone else’s. If you express yourself honestly it will probably be a unique hybrid of influences and ideas. Who knows, maybe you are, or will become, an icon to others with your unique take on style?
Online Reporter