Style Icon - No way!

[MJCouture]

I think she has a very strong sense of personal style, she understands and appreciates clothes and wears what truely reflects her personality. She is inspired by people she admires, but she does not flat out copy them, she always makes it her own. Nicole and Lindsay have both coppied looks of hers only days after she wears them. It is a subtle difference, but I honestly think if you really pay attention to how she dresses you will see she is different.

 

[karishma21]

this thread sounds like a bad idea.. its just asking for trouble

 

[StyleIsInUs]

good thread, I agree taperjeangirl! to many people recognize themselfs as style icons, probably because anybody's interesting out there, who could lead as true fashion icon. These tacky people just put on clothes from runway and make it no stylish. The problem is, most of them copy the 60's,70's and 80's looks (lohan, olsen,richie,miller etc.), and so they don't make their own "mark" instead.

 

[taperjeangirl]

this thread sounds like a bad idea.. its just asking for trouble

Hey as long as everyone remains polite while expressing thier view then all is cool. The whole point of a forum afterall is about discussion, and discussion is boring if we all hold the same view

I prefer Mary Kate to Ashley. MK was doing the whole boho thing even before Sienna Miller appeared. Here is a little snippet from an old article I read a while back.

From Guardian.co.uk

Annoyingly, it's not just their millions that makes them so much better dressed than me, apparently: "They're very money conscious and won't spend an extortionate amount on a skirt, for example ," says Ruby Warrington, style editor of Sneak and Smash Hits, who met with their former stylist, Judy Swartz, last year (they don't need her now as have apparently both developed their own natural styles.) "Judy said on every trip they'll put at least a day aside for trawling vintage and thrift stores," continues Warrington. "And accessorise, accessorise, accessorise was the mantra she drummed into them from an early age."
Now, despite Mary-Kate's (firmly denied) anorexia and drug-addiction rumours, I still hanker after her quirky style - but not quite so much as Warrington does for Ashley. "She can be wearing scruffed-up jeans with a white vest and green Balenciaga bag looking just great," she says.

From a personal view I dont like the styled look that is in all the magazines. I hate the fact that when I had my hair bobbed a few weeks back that friends called it "very Sienna" when I got home later that night I forced Mr Taper Jean Girl to cut my a fringe pronto!

 

[Whitelinen]

Even though bohemian style and boho are slightly different thing, boho owes 99% to hippie/bohemian icons like Janis Joplin & other hippies. So I don't think MK&A can be called the starters of an iconical trend, because basically bohemian = boho, and bohemian happened decades ago. They can be the ones who brought it back for a while, but they are not the icons of this style.

Even though I do think Ashley Olsen does dress decently (referring to the first post of this page), she still does not have something that is personal enough. It's been done before.

I don't think this thread will become a mess, because (at least that's how I understood the topic) we are not here to discuss "who's an icon and who's not" (specifically) and our personal preferences, but who is ICONICAL in fashion. I don't like half of the fashion icons, but I still do agree and understand that they're style icons.

 

[emma peel]

wearing what you love, having a vision of what the clothes mean to you, and drawing inspiration from the past in interesting ways is a style icon in my opinion.

having a characteristic look is important, because in a way it means you have your wardrobe staples and aren't constantly putting your wet finger in the air to see which way the wind blows. there's a story of jackie o that she would wear a raggy fur coat she loved (and look great in it) because it made her feel good.

i think being a icon means you love nice things but do other things in the world, whether it be act, edit books (jackie o), etc. being a dedicated follower of fashion means you probably can't be iconic-- fashion is change, and iconicity is permanence.

 

[taperjeangirl]

What I meant was Mary Kate seemed to be doing boho before Sienna. I think it's sad for fashion that the same styles are constantly being reworked and nothing new is being thrust out there because people have a set view of how we should be dressing ie Zoe and her clones.

Not sure if that makes sense but it's been a long day and had one glass to many with my evening meal.

 

[Miss Dalloway]

wearing what you love, having a vision of what the clothes mean to you, and drawing inspiration from the past in interesting ways is a style icon in my opinion.

having a characteristic look is important, because in a way it means you have your wardrobe staples and aren't constantly putting your wet finger in the air to see which way the wind blows. there's a story of jackie o that she would wear a raggy fur coat she loved (and look great in it) because it made her feel good.

i think being a icon means you love nice things but do other things in the world, whether it be act, edit books (jackie o), etc. being a dedicated follower of fashion means you probably can't be iconic-- fashion is change, and iconicity is permanence.

I agree with what you wrote completly!

 

[MJCouture]

What I meant was Mary Kate seemed to be doing boho before Sienna. I think it's sad for fashion that the same styles are constantly being reworked and nothing new is being thrust out there because people have a set view of how we should be dressing ie Zoe and her clones.

Not sure if that makes sense but it's been a long day and had one glass to many with my evening meal.

A year or so ago I would have agreed with you 100% on the MK issue. But I think she lost her way as far as style goes in such a short period of time. Now she seems to either be trendy or just a total mess, maybe its because she takes her style to seriously? I don't know but I think that Ashley's tendency to keep it basic, but still edgy and chic gives her more staying power.

For those who said this topic was a bad idea, I have to disagree. I think we all have our own opinions on who/what is style, and there is nothing wrong with healthy debate. Very interesting discussion!

 

[MJCouture]

i think being a icon means you love nice things but do other things in the world, whether it be act, edit books (jackie o), etc. being a dedicated follower of fashion means you probably can't be iconic-- fashion is change, and iconicity is permanence.

very valid point, couldn't agree more!

 

[eternitygoddess]

For me, a style icon is someone who makes the clothes seem like they were made for her. You can look at the clothes and get a sense of her personality.

 

[Whitelinen]

^a good point.

I don't know but I think that Ashley's tendency to keep it basic, but still edgy and chic gives her more staying power.

Well yes, with this I do agree, but it still does not make her look iconical.

 

[dandylions]

personally i dont find that style icons are really well style Icons. its a lot easier to look stylish when you have unlimited cash and designers throwing clothes at you. and yes they can wear the most bizarre (or trendy) clothes without looking a complete mess simply because

1. theyre gorgeous (and if you have a pretty face you can make dirt look like gold, thats why we have pretty models !)

2. they have the stick skinny model-esque figure (if not height) down pat.

thats my personal theory behind why mischa barton just looks gorgeous in whatever she wears, she can wear a tank and jeans and still look glamourina simply cause shes mischa barton!

i dont thk we have Icons now, just well dress and stylish people with a lot of money to burn. the iconical status can only come into play when they Become icons in whatever fields they work in (acting / singing / etcetc). if you look at all the older icons (madonna, audrey hepburn etc) they all became icons in their respective fields before people really gave them a Fashion icon status. If you look at all the people we are naming fashion icons, they arent icons! they havent won any grammys or oscars and i dont thk they'll still there IT girls 10 yrs from now. theyll just be forgotten actors/actresses/singers whose days in the sun are gone. Poof!

 

[eternitygoddess]

'Style/fashion icon' is such a controversial term, but I'm going to try define what it means to me.

I think a style icon must always look well put; neat and elegant and not looking as if they've just woken up of bed.

The biggest issue with style icon is that everyone thinks that whoever wears clothes well (Halle Berry, Eva Longoria, etc.) should be given that title. I disagree. I think the most important requirement for a style icon is that they have a strong individual style. No matter what they wear, whether it's pajamas or an low-cut evening gown or a business suit, it always has their personality stamped all over it. Audrey Hepburn wearing the LBD is distincitve from millions of other women wearing LBDs. Someone can wear a suit and pillbox hat but still not look like Jackie O.

Style icons are people that stand the test of time, not just spur-of-the-moment women like Jessica Simpson or Beyonce. They're people who don't just wear clothes well, but they also know how to accessorize and importantly, they must have the aura and class to carry off the outfit.

Last but not least, they can walk into Goodwill/Macy's and pick out a good outfit. They don't solely rely on famous 'designers' or the idea that money can buy style.

Hope I've made some sense.

 

[australian_girl]

style icons are people who influence style.

Mary-Kate Olsen influenced Marc Jacobs and many other top designers mentioned the olsens.

Have you not seen the catwalk lately? All of the top designers have outfits that are screaming MK. Whether you think they have style or not, you can not deny it, these girls have influenced fashion. From the catwalk these looks are watered down to eventually filter into mainstream chain stores.

But i agree they are too young to be considered style icons. To say that any of the "it stars" are style icons is absurd. How can you say this after a couple of trendy seasons.

I do beleive that MK&A Olsen will stand the test of time.

Also i think Ashley differs from the bartons,richies and lohans because she shows youth but MATURITY in her clothes. Something the other brats are largely lacking. (Sorry to offend anyone by calling them brats).

When you see girls shopping in the city, you can tell the ones that are just rich and can afford to buy from designers and follow trends, and than you see the ones that actually have their own style.

 

[lemeray]

What exactly do you think makes Ashley Olsen different from the other girls in Hollywood?

I like Ashley's sense of style but its nothing innovative in terms of starting a trend. She just knows how to pick the best of the best and create an outfit which looks amazing on her.

 

[Whitelinen]

'Style/fashion icon' is such a controversial term, but I'm going to try define what it means to me.

I think a style icon must always look well put; neat and elegant and not looking as if they've just woken up of bed.

The biggest issue with style icon is that everyone thinks that whoever wears clothes well (Halle Berry, Eva Longoria, etc.) should be given that title. I disagree. I think the most important requirement for a style icon is that they have a strong individual style. No matter what they wear, whether it's pajamas or an low-cut evening gown or a business suit, it always has their personality stamped all over it. Audrey Hepburn wearing the LBD is distincitve from millions of other women wearing LBDs. Someone can wear a suit and pillbox hat but still not look like Jackie O.

Style icons are people that stand the test of time, not just spur-of-the-moment women like Jessica Simpson or Beyonce. They're people who don't just wear clothes well, but they also know how to accessorize and importantly, they must have the aura and class to carry off the outfit.

Last but not least, they can walk into Goodwill/Macy's and pick out a good outfit. They don't solely rely on famous 'designers' or the idea that money can buy style.

Hope I've made some sense.

I think you did. At least to me

 

[MJCouture]

^a good point.



Well yes, with this I do agree, but it still does not make her look iconical.

right. I didn't say she was iconical, I think all of these girls are too young to be icons regardless of how much style they have, they havent DONE enough to be icons. I just think Ashley has the most pontential out of the crew to blossom into an icon.

 

[Miss Dalloway]

'Style/fashion icon' is such a controversial term, but I'm going to try define what it means to me.

I think a style icon must always look well put; neat and elegant and not looking as if they've just woken up of bed.

The biggest issue with style icon is that everyone thinks that whoever wears clothes well (Halle Berry, Eva Longoria, etc.) should be given that title. I disagree. I think the most important requirement for a style icon is that they have a strong individual style. No matter what they wear, whether it's pajamas or an low-cut evening gown or a business suit, it always has their personality stamped all over it. Audrey Hepburn wearing the LBD is distincitve from millions of other women wearing LBDs. Someone can wear a suit and pillbox hat but still not look like Jackie O.

Style icons are people that stand the test of time, not just spur-of-the-moment women like Jessica Simpson or Beyonce. They're people who don't just wear clothes well, but they also know how to accessorize and importantly, they must have the aura and class to carry off the outfit.

Last but not least, they can walk into Goodwill/Macy's and pick out a good outfit. They don't solely rely on famous 'designers' or the idea that money can buy style.

Hope I've made some sense.

Eterentygodess excellant points exactly what i thought about this matter!
Signed!

 

[kikidior]

^ definitely. that's well put.