Tell Us About: Style Icons!

It’s time for another Global Writing Challenge prompt. Our current membership consists of Deb’s World, Suzy Turner, Rosie Amber, Within a World of My Own, and me. Guess what? Leslie is back! She’s now blogging on Substack. We have another possibility but are still waiting to hear definitively. Suzy chose this month’s theme, and I think her post will be just amazing! I love the Global Writing Challenge because it’s always fun to see what others come up with…the responses rarely repeat.  On top of the wonderfully different opinions and thoughts, the writing itself is wonderful! I hope you’ll visit all of these blogs because you are going to be amazed at, not only the diversity of ideas, but the stories of each person. There’s also a link party at the end of this post!

If you’d like to join us, here is the prompt for March:

• March – Festivals

A little history…

If I’m absolutely honest with you…do you kinda hate that saying?  I mean, it’s not like I’m going to lie to you, but I suppose I could “bend” the truth a bit.  Anyway, if I’m being honest, I haven’t always been the fashionista you know and love…hahaha!!  My earliest style icons were probably the girls in the Sears catalog!  When that new seasonal catalog came, I would pore over the pages, trying to decide what I’d get if I could actually get something.  And, on those oh so rare occasions when I could get a new outfit, I’d just pick the entire outfit right off the page or mannequin!  So, I guess the pages of the Sears catalog or the mannequins in Sears or Montgomery Wards were my very first fashion icons.

Emma Peel…

But, then I remember noticing fashionably dressed women.  I wouldn’t say I noticed the fashion; I just noticed there was something different about those women.  I’m thinking, specifically of Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in “The Avengers.”  I remember her wearing a catsuit once, and that image has stuck with me ever since.  So, then my fashion icons became the women on the screen, big and small.  The only one that really sticks with me, though, is Emma Peel.

The 60s…

I grew up in the 60s when fashion was hitting some high notes with the mod look.  I would say my first true fashion icon was Twiggy.  I mean those eyes!  That was what I first noticed, followed closely by her haircut.  No one I knew, other than the men in my family, wore their hair that short.  I wasn’t struck by her shape except for the little shift dresses she wore.  Janis Joplin, in her crocheted vest and her bell bottoms, the Beatles in their Sergeant Pepper looks, and, just on the verge of my consciousness was Jackie Kennedy.  Quite the range, right?

Teenage angst…

During my teen years, when I was trying so desperately to fit in (as most teenagers are wont to do), I turned to my original style icon…the Sears catalog.  This time, though, JC Penney had joined in, and Montgomery Ward had receded.  I remember buying three versions of the same outfit.  The knit top had a square neck (which I avoid now as it does nothing for me), puffed short sleeves (another avoidance), and wide stripes.  The pants were high waisted twill bell bottoms, very, very wide bell bottoms.  The tops I had had brown/ivory stripes, navy/off white stripes, and red/off white stripes.  I had a pair of brown bell bottoms, off white bell bottoms, and I think navy ones.  The funny thing was several of my friends had the same outfits.  We were friends so we’d coordinate when we were going to wear which combination. I do remember, during my Junior year, my mom…I mean Santa…had brought me a rose colored sweater, a floral shirt to wear under it, and some kind of matching pants.  We had large group lectures, and it just so happened, another classmate had received the exact same outfit.  We ran in two completely different circles…hers was more top shelf than mine.  One day, we both wore the same outfit.  The big problem?  We sat in the same row, and it was the front row which had three seats.  Some guy from the back yelled at the sole guy in the row, “Hey, where’s your pink sweater?”  Of course, she could get away with it.  Me?  Not so much!

Beginning…

As I got older, I replaced the Sears catalog with the Talbots catalog and LS Ayres which was an upscale family owned department store (now owned by Macy’s).  I would buy the entire outfit as presented, never thinking about mixing or matching.  Oh, that’s not entirely true.  I would buy separates quite frequently and do a little bit of mixing and matching.  But, for the most part, I relied on those mannequins and models in the catalogs as my style icons.  I did, however, have one outfit I thought was quite the thing.  I had modeled it after Katherine Hepburn, of all people.  It was a crisp short sleeve white blouse worn with a khaki pleated skirt.  I thought I looked…well, something!

Growing Awareness…

And, then a light bulb went off.  I started paying attention to how and why I wore something. I credit a lot of that to April Cornell.  I have told the story of that before so I won’t bore you with it now (you can read about it here).  But, I realized there was a world of fashion that I’d never seen nor paid attention to.  Suddenly, fashion became, in my mind at least, synonymous with style.  And, I didn’t have any.  It was then I started looking at clothing as more than something to put on…shocking, right?  I started looking through magazines, taking notes here and there. I began reading biographies and memoirs about “fashion icons.”  I remember reading a biography of Coco Chanel.  I’d heard of her, knew only of her leather goods and perfume; I had no idea she’d created a fashion tsunami with her unstructured and menswear-inspired clothing.  I honestly didn’t realize fashion was political and made a statement. 

Other icons…

From there, I went on to notice other fashion icons.  I noticed the gamine nature of Audrey Hepburn’s clothing.  I swooned over Jacqueline Kennedy’s suits (even though she’d passed out of that era decades earlier).  I coveted Marilyn Monroe’s…well, everything…but especially her satin!  I wanted to wear Cher’s barely there gowns.  All around me there had been this fashion revolution (again in my mind at least), and I had missed it.

Fashion Fairy Dust…

When I was teaching, I taught in a school with a principal who was very much about how “his” teachers looked.  I wore mainly clothing from the less expensive section of Ayres with a few pieces from Talbots here and there.  After I got my Master’s Degree and a significant raise, I started shopping more and more at Talbots and Coldwater Creek (before it got all mumsy).  When we traveled to Indianapolis, I would look in at J Jill and wish I were that cool.  Again, I’ve written about the different version of J Jill I loved so much back then.  That was also when Nigel would buy me a dress or two (or three) at April Cornell.  Eventually, my wardrobe became full of business dress.  It wasn’t exactly stylish, but I was known for “my style.”  Then, blogs happened…well, they’d been happening for a while, but I had only just begun reading them.  And, I discovered Debbie at Fashion Fairy Dust (now Your Styled Story on Instagram).  I know I refer to her a lot, but she really is responsible for the evolution of my style.  She gave me permission to wear purple with orange with bits and bobs of turquoise thrown into the mix.  She told me it was perfectly OK to wear stripes with florals.  I even commented on her blog, and she’d reply.  That, my friends, was life changing for me!  I do believe it was at that time I began to develop my own style. 

My Style Icons at the moment…

And, that is where we come to my style icons right now.  I still love the beautifully cut suits Jacqueline Kennedy wore, but I know her body is not my body.  But, I can wear a sweater based on the lady jacket.  Another style icon is Stevie Nicks.  I love the flowy skirts, kimonos, and scarves.  And, that brings me to Steven Tyler…yes, I have male fashion icons!  I love the way the man rocks a scarf, rings, and bracelets.  I embrace the boho style Sarah Jessica Parker wore as Carrie Bradshaw.  I aspire to the “could care less” attitude of Iris Apfel and her many bracelets, big glasses, and colorful clothing.  Janis Joplin is still there, too.  When I pull on my horseshoe jeans, I think of Janis.  I have a pattern for her crocheted (or maybe it’s macrame) vest. It’s on my to-do list for this summer.  I love that wide leg jeans are in style though they’re really nothing like the bell bottoms we wore.  I channel my inner 50s housewife when I wear my April Cornell dresses.  Yes, I consider the 50s housewife a style icon.  So, how does the Gudrun Sjoden style fit into style icon?  Hmm…this may surprise you, but it reminds me of Twiggy!  Those bright cheery colors and beautiful florals definitely have 60s flare, don’t you think.

Wrap it up, Marsha!

As I’ve often mentioned, I don’t really think I fit into any neat category of style.  I’m happy with identifying as a fashion chameleon.  It’s so much more fun!  While I don’t believe any one style icon has helped me craft my style, I do think I’ve taken a bit from here, a skosh from there, and a touch from everywhere…as any good style chameleon would. So, can we talk? Have you always been aware of fashion/style? Do you think there’s a difference between fashion and style? Who are your style icons? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as soon as possible.

Thank you!

I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for reading, commenting, subscribing or emailing! It truly means so much to me! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.

What others are saying…

Debbie says, “Over the years Debbie has discovered her own style and has named it as ‘Joyful Original’”

Suzy “writes about true style icons, from rebellious women in trousers to fictional witches who dress like themselves, trends be damned.”

Sally “discusses unconventional style icons including male performers, fictional characters, works of art, and animals/plants – there is style inspiration everywhere around us!”

Rosie “is talking about garden styles.”

Leslie “has never thought of herself as a fashionista by any means but we all have a certain flair about the clothes we wear, the home we create, the life we live.  Check out what has most impacted her sense of style.”

And, now, it’s your turn!

If you’d like to link up your posts about snow, you may link up here or at any of the other blogs!