Style Icons

The general 'celebrity' concept may be a creation of the modern media minded world, style icons have been transfixing audiences since the birth of cinema and cameras making stars out of much loved legends such as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and on and on. For this reason I thought I'd share with you some of my vintage and not so vintage style icons.

So let's start our style time line in 1926 with the birth of Norma Jeane Mortensen. Whilst curves in all the right places will never go out of fashion, Miss Monroe made it a statement and those hips are a large part of her ever growing legacy. She began her career with The Blue Book Modeling Agency and after doing a bit of research decided to get in with her own icons by dying her brunette locks blonde. Now I think the brunette curls give Marilyn a lovely 'girl next door' look, it's a distinctive change from plane spray painter Norma Jeane, to the icon that we all know and love. Either way, she's absolutely gorgeous and for me the reason red lips mean you feel like a million dollars.


Moving on to 1929 when Ella van Heemstra gave birth to Audrey Kathleen Ruston, later to become Audrey Hepburn. Whilst Monroe went on to become a national sex icon Hepburn to me is doe eyed innocence encapsulated in a waif frame (your not fooling anyone with that Tiffany's breakfast pastry!) Audrey Hepburn however is another icon who decided that her brunette head of the 50's had to go and replaced it with her 60's blonde. Audrey's classic look is timeless and would look just as stylish on the runway today as she did on screen 'back in't day.' 

Skipping fantastically into the 21st century two of my more modern style icons. Born in L'Haÿ-les-Roses (Paris, France, if you didn't guess) in 1982 Clémence Guichard is one of my favourite icons. Taking her mothers maiden name of Poésy she's known to the UK as Fluer Delacour in Harry Potter but she became one of my favourite actresses starring opposite Kevin McKidd in Gunpowder Treason and Plot - spectacular performances from both if you're into Elizabethan England drama - but style wise she caught my attention in Birdsong and lets face it, I would love to live that life in Paris, well perhaps without the war and abusive husband... Either way, her style is chic, sophisticated and effortless.

Image of The Month

 Last but not least my most recently born style love is our image of the month Leighton Meester. Gracing us with her presence in 1986 she got effortless au naturel down to a T. I still shamelessly covet my Blair Waldorf style dress and remain mesmerised by the Vera Wang Lovestruck advert, which Leighton is owning every time. I think what I love most about her style though is that she's such a blank canvas. She can adopt a range of different looks and still look like she just woke up fabulous.