By Every generation has new style icons. They’re all inspirational in their own ways. They’re all unique, yet they appeal to the masses. Even today, we look at style icons across decades and admire them for their messages. We aspire to be as cool, collected, or classy as them.
The allure of these icons isn’t confined to a certain age, gender, or profession.. Young girls still look to Coco Chanel as a classic beauty and David Bowie is seen as not only a talented musician, but a pioneer in both fashion and music.
To inspire you to dress in what makes you feel the most confident, no matter what’s trendy, AEO created these visuals with the best quotes from style icons.
Sarah Jessica Parker
Both Sarah Jessica Parker and her popular Sex in the City character Carrie Bradshaw are known for their great taste in clothes. Carrie was always shopping and spending too much of her paycheck on unique clothes and shoes saying, “I like my money right where I can see it — hanging in my closet.” No matter what, she was always dressed to the nines.
Similarly, Sarah Jessica Parker is fearless in her clothing choices. She wears what she wants, and encourages everyone to do the same.
Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly’s classic and refined beauty was envied by many. She mastered the classy, elegant look with feminine dresses and tailored pants. Hérmes even named a bag after her — the Kelly. Hérmes must have really been inspired by style icons, because years later they also named a bag after the notorious Jane Birkin.
David Bowie
We can all value David Bowie’s experimental style. He’s most famous for his Ziggy Stardust look, but throughout his career he showcased a variety of styles from classic to radical. His message: don’t be afraid to re-invent yourself.
Madonna
Madonna is known for her netted shirts and fingerless gloves, but most of all she’s known for popularizing “underwear” as outerwear. The popular designer Jean Paul Gaultier created gorgeous custom corsets for her shows, the most famous being the pink cone bra.
Coco Chanel
If a little black dress is your go-to, you can thank Coco Chanel. She popularized this style and pioneered the Chanel Suit for women. This suit had a looser silhouette and provided women with more functional, fashionable attire.
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell is most known for his hat, but he’s also involved in the fashion seen in other ways — as a designer. He’s helped Adidas design collections and worked with G-star Raw to curate a sustainability focused line.
Audrey Hepburn
Hepburn’s movie performances are fantastic, but she wasn’t just a great actress, she also played a huge role in redefining the fashion and beauty scene. She was one of the first actresses to embrace full eyebrows with natural arches and she traded full skirts and heels for pants and flats.
When curating your style, remember that it’s fine to think outside the box and it’s okay to re-invent yourself. Maybe you’ll be like Coco Chanel and stick to one classic look or perhaps a more eclectic David Bowie style is for you. There’s no right answer as long as it makes you feel confident!
