Fashion icon — it sure is a coveted title, but with exploding influencer culture and the rise of innumerable digital celebrities, the term has become oversaturated. But a true fashion icon is not a mere title, but someone whose signature style turns heads, shocks people and influences the trends of the era. It takes years of prep for someone’s sartorial choices and visual identity to influence and literally change what the rest of us wear and how we wear them.
There sure is no dearth of influential fashion icons, but there are some whose charisma and sartorial mastery has broken boundaries, challenged the status quo and defied fashion norms. Here’s our favourite four icons whose decisive style choices are timeless in their appeal.
Princess Diana
The first image that comes to mind when we talk about fashion icons is undeniably Lady D. Whether it’s the way she experimented with clothes or how she used it to spark conversations about her life situations, she was a pioneer in breaking the norms and the world is still obsessed with her legacy. She broke conventions and forged her own path that was elegant, casual, and modern. What Princess D wore not only reflected her personality and state of mind, but it also gained cult status (Who can forget the ‘show-stopping revenge dress’?!).
Zendaya
The youngest fashion icon, Zendaya’s meteoric rise from Disney studios to a global fashion powerhouse is nothing short of a fairy tale. The world’s favourite fashion It-girl, her red-carpet moments are proof of the fact that being unafraid to take risks sure does pay off. Yes, collaborating with fashion innovator Law Roach has certainly elevated her style, but the young fashionista has a very distinctive sense of style, which shows in her unconventional yet impactful clothing choices. As pointed out by Vogue — ‘Zendaya can virtually carry off any look’ — this young fashion icon has effortlessly slipped out of her teenage fashion fails to invent red carpet looks that are fearless and jaw-dropping good. Whether it’s making the Valentino pink truly her own or pairing athleisure set with a trench, the global star’s journey has only just begun.
Zeenat Aman
Risqué silhouettes, sophisticated chic, and timeless class interspersed with a tinge of the rebellious, this pretty much sums up this iconic actor’s fashion moments that set the silver screens on fire all through the 70s and 80s. Zeenat Aman, a torchbearer of progressive fashion, made quite a striking impact on and off screen. Her ‘no filters’ attitude towards life and style continues to enchant audiences even today and her admirable courage and panache has inspired women the world over. Today, she’s not just a beacon of fashion, but of the empowered woman who gets right back up on her feet every time she falls and continues to live life on her own terms.
Carrie Bradshaw aka Sarah Jessica Parker
Bold, eclectic and fiercely individualistic, the fashion sense of the fictional character played by Sarah Jessica Parker in ‘Sex and the City’ epitomises the power of self-expression and individuality. The sitcom elevated the fashion game and created some much-admired fashion moments that every woman craved to emulate. Carrie constantly challenged style conventions to create some iconic moments. But her enduring appeal can be attributed to the way she sparked conversations with her preppy, boho, minimal and sometimes maximalist sense of fashion.
The world has witnessed several influential fashion minds who have redefined the feminine stereotype. From expressing themselves through their clothes to driving trends, the best of them are not just remembered for the clothes they wore but for the way they have successfully created a recognisable style that is unique to them — demonstrating that it’s not what you wear but how you wear it.