Chanel’s legend has cut contours into my own styling theory. Below are three lines which consistently run through my fashion philosophy:
1. “Look for the woman in the dress. If there is no woman, there is no dress.”
Fashion should be built around the beauty of a woman’s body. In a day when women were padded, corseted, and confined, CC designed her dresses to showcase rather than alter.
2. “Elegance is refusal.”
Shake your lovely head at: garish accessorization, trends ill suited to your essence, chintzy extravagance, ostentatious consumption. Discriminate and radiate, the truly stylish lady knows when to say “no thankyou.”
3. “A women who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.”
Embrace today. Expect the day to be worthy of small touches of prettiness. Gift beauty to yourself and those around you. If you don’t hold now, you’ll never own tomorrow.
Audrey Hepburn. Definitely. I grew up watching (more like devouring) any film she was in, and always wanted to look just like her. Even if that meant the “before” version of Eliza Doolittle.
By the way, that quote of C.C.’s (at he beginning of your post)is my all-time favorite. I think of it every time my girls strut around in their dress-up heels and sunglasses.
I’m not fashion-literate enough to have one true icon, but there are a few people I admire: Grace Kelly because she was so simplistically classy, Marilyn Monroe because she embraced her curves and wasn’t a size 0… pretty much any woman who was classy and confident in themselves. Audrey Hepburn, Jackie O., Katherine Hepburn… and one modern-day icon: Angelina Jolie. I may not agree with some of her moral choices, but she is another classy, confident woman.
Ditto. Audrey Hepburn is the first to come to mind. In my mind, she is the epitome of class and simple elegance, much in the way Chanel describes it.
Simple elegance was my mantra when I got married, and Audrey was one of my inspirations.
I am another Audrey Hepburn lover… but those skinny pants she wore in Funny Face will NEVER look good on me. period.
Brigitte Bardo and Grace Kelly – beautiful classy women. As far men go Cary Grant. While I do appreciate more “modern day” icons there is such a wonderful aspect of nostolgia surrounding the above mentioned icons…
Absolutely Audrey Hepburn! She had a style that was simple yet classic and relevant for today!
Audrey Hepburn, Kate Winslet, and Kate Hudson. Neither of these women fit the stereotype of beauty, yet each is iconic in my mind.
Audrey Hepburn was lithe and tall in an age where being petite and curvy was considered beautiful. Undaunted, she chose to accentuate her own positives and set her own fashion. I adore her classic sense of style and how she set a new standard of ‘beauty.’
Kate Winslet has often been considered to ‘full figured’ (huh?) for Hollywood. Rather than dieting, she embraces her curves and is a great example to all women to love the body you have. I really respect Kate for being Kate and always telling women to love themselves.
Kate Hudson – I love her bohemian-ness. She simply doesn’t care what people think and dresses to make herself feel happy and feel good. She is quirky and the world needs more quirkyness.
These three woman always give me a boost whenever I see them and remind me to embrace and appreciate me and not let others define how I should look. That, plus Reachel’s amazing personalized Look Book, is all I need to be and feel fashionable. 🙂
I have always loved penelope cruz. She always looks so feminine yet never too frilly. I love when she wears vintage dresses and pale colors. I also love Natalie portman’s style. Simple but still feminine. I think for me I admire the women who can find that balance of feminine and classy. 🙂
My grandmother! She brought an element of class to everything she did, and her wardrobe was impeccable—she had the best style.
Of course I love Audrey Hepburn and Gwyneth Paltrow, as well, if we are going the Hollywood route.
Coco of course, Jackie, Audrey, SJP and Mamie with her red petticoat. 🙂
I’m a Grace Kelly girl all the way
Audrey Hepburn and it seems like I am not alone:)
Question – I love the idea of perfume but I have to say that I must be near allergic or something. Nearly all perfumes give me headaches. Colognes as well. It really is a shame. I wore Gap Dream in high school. It was the only fragrance that didn’t bother me. I have yet to find something. My poor husband too. We have a hard time finding a cologne that doesn’t send me with an instant migraine. Any ideas?
Lisa Fonssagrives.
She was actually a fashion model. Really the first. She studied ballet, and when she got a job with fashion photography, she studied paintings in the Louvre. She wanted to make sure she knew how to move in clothes that were so gorgeous.
Even after she retired from her modeling career, she continued making art. She did ceramics and other forms of sculpture. So cool.
Her most gorgeous photographs are not online. You should check out a book from the library.
Jennifer Aniston-effortless chic all the way. I love her.
Jackie O.-practically perfect in every way. She inspired a nation and did it in the most fantastic sunglasses.
Is it really that horrible not to wear perfume? I have yet to find one that doesn’t give me a migraine.