Which celebrities truly influence fashion?

[LoveAndArt]

She may not be the designer of her own costumes, but nobody denies that Lady Gaga herself is a fashion phenomenon. She's probably not the designer of her own costumes, but she has a very creative team called Haus of Gaga, which designs and create many of her clothes, hairstyles and other stuff. She has been revolutionizing the world of fashion since 2008, dividing people in support of or against her fashion, making them talk about fashion with a deeper imagination.

She's constantly compared to Madonna, who aslo revolutionized the fashion industry years ago, yet Gaga's originality and talent are not doubtful (singers like Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj are perfect examples )

What do you think about Gaga's impact on fashion industry?

Well, most of my fashion illustration and sketches are inspired by Gaga's fashion, so yeah, in some sense, she definitely revolutionized fashion and has inspired a lot of designers and many people consider her as a fashion icon.

 

[Thefrenchy]

I think it all depends on one's point of view but I really don't see how she revolutionized fashion if by that you mean that she has had an impact on how the fashion industry works, on trends and/or the way people dress everyday.

She may interest some fashion people because she's quite daring and I guess it is always more amusing for designers and people of the industry to feel that they can do pretty much whatever they want with her and she will agree.

While I find her fearlessness quite remarkable, she's just a character who wears costumes. Not a person with a real impact on fashion.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

I think we have a avid Gaga fan on our hands
Perhaps there should be a "Dislike it" option on the poll for those who don't approve?
My personal vote was for "Meh!", though that would be verging on the non-existent dislike option. Though I approve entirely of people who are trying to do something new and have the power to influence others, I feel Gaga is really just a clothes horse, if her style had to be labelled it would be "Extreme with the intent of being absolutely shocking".
But I don't care if she wants to be extreme, I do care when she chooses a designer piece which as soon as she is seen wearing it, it is immediately associated with unimaginable, unwearable costume, the result being oridinary people (ordinary consumers) associate that designer with Lady Gaga and her flamboyance and they forget to question whether that piece of clothing was actually wearable, or pushing the boundaries or just extremely beautiful because she's styled it with a wig or a crystal star or seven inch platforms.
For me, Gaga turns whatever she touches into costume which beg to be ridiculed by the press and public, even if they don't deserve it.

 

[iluvjeisa]

Moderator Note:

I have generalized the title to fit the Forum tone - Fashion In Depth is not a place for fan worship. It is an interesting topic though.

 

[Thefrenchy]

^ I was looking around and it seems that we already had a thread very similar to this: http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f1...ffects-celebrity-fashion-industry-106825.html , don't you think?

 

[iluvjeisa]

^That thread is about the effects of fame on fashion - this thread would be about WHO those celebrities are - accompanied by proper motivations.

Lady Gaga has been suggested as one who influences fashion. I beg to differ. She influences it in the sense that she reminded people it is fun to act out rather than just strive to be "perfect". Other than that, I can't see what she has to add that Grace Jones and Nina Hagen hadn't. Sanity, perhaps, she seems to fake eccentricity rather that truly possess it...

 

[Thefrenchy]

Here are some who come to my mind...

NEWSPAPER.LI + ZIMBIO.COM

 

[iluvjeisa]

^I agree with two of your choices.

Jacqueline Kennedy: Introduced the pillow hat to the average American and was thus instrumental in the rise of Halston.

Kate Moss: Well, one doesn't even have to argue.

And then I have to grudgingly agree with Sara Jessica Parker - she was instrumental in pulling off that god-awful show of hers. She obviously didn't create the concept of the show and its impact was dreadful, but she did have an influence.

As for the others - Sienna Miller wears dresses well, but she isn't even a good actress, she isn't good at what she does, she is nothing remarkable so how can she be inspirational? Michelle Obama - I don't see her having any lasting effect on fashion. She is just a lovely, famous and politically influential lady with good dress sense. Mary Kate and Ashley - will anybody even remember who they are once they hit 30?

 

[CommanderTMugler]

While I find her fearlessness quite remarkable, she's just a character who wears costumes. Not a person with a real impact on fashion.

I completely agree with this. Like any other celeb, she has just brought more attention to brands she wears, the only difference is that she wears unconventional pieces.

 

[YoninahAliza]

Which celebrities influence fashion is mostly subjective. If you are a fan of Lady Gaga then you will argue that she's made an impact or if you are fan of Kate Moss then you will argue that she's influential too. Obviously, their are some people who will always be considered influential, whether or not you agree with their style or not...people like Jackie Kennedy. Like I would personally argue that Michelle Obama has influenced fashion, maybe not the way things are designed, but she's definitely influenced how they dress or where they shop. I'm not sure if any designer in particular is modeling their clothes after her (maybe some are?) but the fact that Michelle has championed designers/labels that are more wearable make's average women feel like they can relate to her. And thus, she's had an impact on the buying power of women. I feel like part of the reason why Michelle is herald for her fashion sense is because it's been a long time since we've seen a first lady with great style and it's probably the first time we've seen one who wears cheeper brands too. And a lot of women (including myself) find this inspirational. Plus, she's not all style, Michelle has substance too...she's a smart, funny women...the whole package. And that can be very appealing to normal women.

Two other women who I think influence fashion, or the designers behind the labels, are Sofia Coppola and Tilda Swinton. Both women have a sure sense of style. And people like Marc Jacobs have found a muse in Sofia. Or Tilda Swinton working with Pringle of Scotland to create looks. I don't know about you, but I have certainly thought at times, "would Sofia wear this?" while picking out a look. And judging my how popular her thread is, I'm not the only one. I think even if celebrities aren't muses or collaborating with a label they can still have an impact on the industry in the sense of economics or influencing the style of "regular people" just by what they wear. It probably has something to do with the rise of the tabloid culture since now we get to see what celebrities wear when they aren't on the red carpet and thus they are often wearing something closer to what we would wear too. They have the ability to influence the masses by what brands they wear or how they dress. So maybe, someone like Sienna Miller won't be remembered in eighty years but right now she's influencing the way people are dressing. And that's still important.

 

[Thefrenchy]

^I agree with two of your choices.

Jacqueline Kennedy: Introduced the pillow hat to the average American and was thus instrumental in the rise of Halston.

Kate Moss: Well, one doesn't even have to argue.

And then I have to grudgingly agree with Sara Jessica Parker - she was instrumental in pulling off that god-awful show of hers. She obviously didn't create the concept of the show and its impact was dreadful, but she did have an influence.

As for the others - Sienna Miller wears dresses well, but she isn't even a good actress, she isn't good at what she does, she is nothing remarkable so how can she be inspirational? Michelle Obama - I don't see her having any lasting effect on fashion. She is just a lovely, famous and politically influential lady with good dress sense. Mary Kate and Ashley - will anybody even remember who they are once they hit 30?

Here is why I posted Siena, Mrs Obama and the Olsen sisters. Siena Miller mostly because she did help to revive the boho style with Kate Moss in the 00s, Michelle Obama because I have read she definitely had an influence on many American women (I'm not American so I can't comment on that but here is a video)



and for the Olsens, they definitely created a signature look that has had an impact on people (cf: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06EFD81E3DF935A35750C0A9639C8B63 & http://www.wmagazine.com/celebrities/archive/mary_kate_olsen?currentPage=5 ).

 

[before]

I don't believe Michelle Obama is as influential as the media portrays her to be. Perhaps that's because I'm not the in right demographic. I think she's more part of a trend in that women representing certain institutions have to connect to the masses.
They do so by wearing more mainstream, less expensive labels so that other women find their choices appealing and buy such designs themselves. Kate Middleton also comes to mind and follows a similar approach.

 

[TianSoFine]

I've never been a fan of Michelle Obama's style and I don't think she's revolutionized anything but I definitely think she has a bit of an influence. There were definitely more people paying attention to Jason Wu after she wore his dresses.

Kate Moss is also a good one.

 

[clocked]

I don't believe Michelle Obama is as influential as the media portrays her to be. Perhaps that's because I'm not the in right demographic. I think she's more part of a trend in that women representing certain institutions have to connect to the masses.
They do so by wearing more mainstream, less expensive labels so that other women find their choices appealing and buy such designs themselves. Kate Middleton also comes to mind and follows a similar approach.

my thoughts exactly

 

[Deleted member 1957]

actually Michelle has had quite an impact on fashion, she made that suburban chic look influential once again and several NY designers like Michael Kors and Oscar de la Renta have shown her influence in their collections. Most collections that come out nowadays including couture always seem red carpet ready which means the designers realize the influence of celebrities on the general public.
Gaga, Beyonce, Rihanna, Gwyneth, Michelle, Madonna, Gisele and so many others that I havent mentioned have influenced fashion at one point or another.

 

[agee]

The way I dealt with the question was to think of criteria that I think reflect influence and then identify celebrities that fit the criteria. The criteria (not an exhaustive list) that I developed are:

1a. Celebrity cited by a designer (or concluded by observers) as an inspiration / muse for a collection or an aesthetic.

1b. Celebrity (or character) whose style / life sparked a trend or aesthetic.

2. Celebrity whose patronage of a designer put the designer on the map / raised the designer's profile.



This is not an exhaustive list either, but here's my first pass:

1a. Celebrity cited by a designer (or concluded by observers) as an inspiration / muse for a collection or an aesthetic.
Amy Winehouse (Jean-Paul Gaultier)
Michelle Obama (Oscar de la Renta)
Carine Roitfeld (Tom Ford)


1b. Celebrity (or character) whose style / life sparked a trend or aesthetic.
Michael Jackson (Balmain under Christophe Decarnin)


2. Celebrity whose patronage of a designer put the designer on the map / raised the designer's profile.
Madonna (Jean-Paul Gaultier)
Audrey Hepburn (Hubert de Givenchy)
Michelle Obama (Jason Wu)

 

[trikekos]

Chloe Sevigny and most recently Kristen Stewart(Proenza+Balenciaga)?

I don't know. I feel like designers are more inspired by beauty and personality, not much by style and clothes celebrities wear.

Elizabeth Taylor was considered worst-dressed and vulgar and now she's inspiration of someone like Carine Roitfeld.

 

[emma peel]

^ i was just thinking chloe sevigny, though i don't love love love her sometimes weird highwaisted mom shorts style, she is a fashion darling

 

[saann]

^I'm sorry but Kristen Stewart has zero influence on fashion. She can't even pull off half the clothes she wears. As for the SJP suggestion, I would say that it's more her character that influenced fashion (and later on SJP herself) than the actress playing her.

I think few celebrities have really influenced fashion. And generally they just bring awareness and attention to emerging and existing fashion rather than influence it. Like the Gaga example.. In the Bad Romance video with her in McQueen. She didn't influence that collection but she sure brought parts of his aesthetic into the mainstream.

 

[EnModeArtiste]

-Brigitte Bardot:If she didn't actually influence the clothes, I think her beauty has been an inspiration for designer/hairstylist/makeup artist more than any one.
Daphne G. for the new addict ads

sparkspiration.com

Lara Stone for Vogue Paris

magxone.com