Fashion involves following, cialis watching and innovating. We see styles we love on catwalks, on celebrities and on the streets. Creating our own personal looks means taking what we see and making it something more. But even with our individual and genius ideas, where would we be without heroic fashion icons? Those historical figures that made it possible for us to wear what we wear and love what we love. The fashion world of today allows us to express ourselves in ways that the people of the past could never have imagined. Last summer, I started a fashion blog. It was something that I had wanted to do for years, but somehow I had never had the confidence. What eventually pushed me to do it was all the amazing women on the blogosphere. Looking up to Minnie from TheStylishWanderer.com, I realised that every girl with an influential, powerful voice in the fashion world had started off like me, just sitting at home with a mind full of ideas and ambitions. She gave me a new outlet and hobby that I could channel my creativity through, something to make me feel like I was participating. Everyone has their own personal fashion icons, and they encourage us to come out of our shell and express ourselves in ways we otherwise couldn’t have.
In tune with personal icons are the ones who we get to know. These fashionable characters tug on our heart-strings and pull us along in their story, looking drop-dead fabulous all the while. Carrie Bradshaw is both my life idol and fashion idol. Her philosophy of friendship, creativity, city-living and her weakness for high fashion is something which I can relate to on a human level, as well as on an artistic one.
Watching Sex and the City makes me feel like I could run away to the fashion capital of the world and live a dream lifestyle, all the while coveting the Dior purple skirt she wore in Abu Dhabi. I have an equally strong desire to have been born in America in the 1920s, into an old-money family with enough riches to buy me the wardrobe of Daisy in The Great Gatsby. I would certainly make a beautiful little fool.
These personal idols that we all hold close are matched by a bombardment of global fashion stars that connect us all. During the fashion weeks of the world, loyal followers flock to be involved and to keep updated. This unification is vital to the happiness of any fashion follower. Icons bring us together in the simplest and best of ways. When we first saw Cara Delevinge’s amazing, dark eyebrows, we could go proudly without plucking our own and admire other people’s natural fuzziness. Icons give us this power to break taboos and feel comfortable doing so. People with porcelain skin can be proud of their complexions thanks to leaders such as Nicola Roberts, who makes this skin tone a symbol of beauty.
So, just like any other aspect of culture, the fashion world requires inspirational leaders to change society’s view of a topic. In every part of life, people band together in opinions until selected cultural figures such as Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart or Claude Monet strive to change them. Like these awakenings, the art of fashion calls those who stood out in history to alter its course. Before icons such as Audrey Hepburn, the idea of women in flat pumps was unheard of. Similarly, Coco Chanel brought black out of mourning by making it an everyday colour, rather than it just being for funerals and grief. The colour now stands as a symbol of power, mystery, strength and much more. Without these two icons, the wardrobe basic that is the black ballet pump may have never been acceptable.
In modern times, we have fashion icons that break down barriers and flirt with disaster every time they appear in public. While for us it may be difficult to imagine Lady Gaga’s famous meat-suit or Kermit-the-Frog costume being inspirational to the future of fashion, and we may laugh at the idea of the next generation seeking out Madonna’s cone-bras, the beauty of fashion is its unpredictability. Much like society may have been appalled by Twiggy’s risqué micro-miniskirts in the sixties, our society put its head down in shame as we watched Miley’s bear outfit parade around the stage. In the century to come, the daring trends of our grandchildren may shock us, and there may be outcries of “have they no shame?” However, the allure, fascination and wonder of the fashion world is never knowing what comes next, and wanting to hold onto our mother’s old vintage pieces just in case we find that we cannot live without them someday. These potential future fashion icons keep us on our toes with an open mind and a light heart.
