For example, I don't think that Marylin Monroe was a "fashion" icon. I believe that she is an icon because she represents the 50' with a lifestyle and she had a tragic/amazing life at the same time. All of that make a person becoming an icon. Not just because she wears haute couture clothes .
When people ask me to choose an icon, I think immedialtely about Josephine Baker. Well, she representes for me the diversty, the controversion, the generosity, etc...
So what I try to say is that real icons have an extraodinary life, personality, different believes, fight for something, represent a lifestyle or a period of time, have a tragic destiny. But how can we consider a star who just apply what her fashion advisor said as a fashion icon?
This is where I want to talk about Daphne Guiness.
I went to the FIT museum to see the exhibit made out of the incredible looks owned by Daphne Guiness. What I really liked is how she consider the Haute Couture as art, and the exhibit showed really well this feeling.
It seems that she doesn't try to say "here is the best of the best", but more "this is what I consider as amazing, and I want to share it with you".
So she definitely has a collector type of approach, and I respect the person for that. All the press are defining this exhibit as a fashion icon exhibit, but I think that's deeper than that.
Fashion icon goes with a big part of ego-centric attitude, that we don't feel at all during this exhibit.
In terms of style, Guiness is for me the modern and Haute Couture version of Cruela Denfer, which I think is pretty cool ; )
Here is a few images you might like...
