By Ines Cross
Prepare yourselves for a showdown between the greatest style icons: then & now.
We’ll start somewhere in the mid twentieth-century with Blonde Bombshell, Brigitte Bardot – a feline home to the French Riviera. Think stripes, whites and ankles on show – always. To counter the 60s sex kitten is Britain’s own Ultra Mod: Twiggy – an advocate of ‘short hair, don’t care,’ luscious lashes and anything A-line. The 60s would be nothing without Jane Birkin and her young, wild, free attitude and aesthetic. She left such an imprint on the fashion scene that the 80s Hermes’ Birkin bag was born. Moving swiftly on to an era, which any pre-millennium child will never forget: the 90s. Behold the glory days for top models: Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Christy Turlington and the rest of the long-legged crew, sporting silk camis as dresses, the boldest plaid prints and the world’s shortest mini skirts. But hey, if you’ve got it, flaunt it (thanks Queen B for the reminder). The 90s was also the decade of the Spice Girls, whose style can only be described as an eclectic mix of vinyl, British flags and the odd scrunchie. If you’re looking to represent the famous five in any way, shape or form, I recommend hitting up Jeffrey Campbell for some stellar platform footwear.
Now these are just a few of the more ‘spunky’ style queens – we’ve also got the Hollywood classics: Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and America’s sweetheart, Grace Kelly. But if we step through the looking glass into 2015, there is new inspiration to turn to. Alexa Chung – unfalteringly is known for her sartorial superiority, having refined daily dressing to an art form and reviving the repetto flat. What with the 21st century bringing a social media explosion, we can also turn to bloggers, most notably Man Repeller: Leandra Medine and Rookie Mag’s own Tavi Gevinson – who FYI – started the platinum hair trend, age 11, for all you freshly dyed silver foxes out there. So, dynamic duos – sibling edition is also a thing. Take the Olsen Twins – founders of the minimalistic company ‘The Row’, the Fanning sisters and the KUWTK’s very own Kendall and Kylie Jenner and their sister bff’s Bella and Gigi Hadid – all of whom have graced the pages of Vogue – whether it be teen, international or via the internet. I’m going to have to say out of all of them, Gigi’s caught my attention most what with her latest Versace black mini dress and (wait for it) adidas superstars to the met gala after party. This Foster-Hadid hybrid is revolutionizing black – tie as we know it. Last and certainly not least, we have two pop culture icons fighting for the spotlight. Bow down bitches to Queen B and Badgal RiRi who seem to be showing more and more skin with each new public appearance. How can we brand them style icons then? Easy – they have no boundaries – the first and foremost rule in fashion. Word to the wise: break trends don’t make trends.
