Fashionable women throughout history

My friend Katie White and I recently completed a showcase window display for our FCS 3200 Visual Merchandising class, and we chose to do a tribute to fashionable female icons. March is Women’s History Month, and we focused on fashion icons from the past 100 years. Our window featured a lot of fabulous ladies, but I’ve made a list of my top five favorite fashionable women and the trends they started.

Audrey Hepburn:

(MCT) Audrey Hepburn starred as Eliza Doolittle in the Academy Award-winning film “My Fair Lady.”

Hepburn tops almost every list of icons from the last century because of her film roles, but her vast range of wardrobe choices is equally impressive. Both on the big screen and in everyday life, Hepburn wore Givenchy gowns, black turtlenecks, and ballet flats. But slim cut cigarette pants are the one item of clothing that is most identifiable with her. Tall or short, heavy or thin, every woman can take style tips from Hepburn’s classic wardrobe.

Coco Chanel:
Tweed suits, multiple strands of pearls, and enamel cuffs are all popular because of the legendary Chanel. The iconic idea of the little black dress was Chanel’s creation, combining both style and comfort. Now, little black dresses are seen on almost every red carpet on the likes of Anne Hathaway and Angelina Jolie.

Sarah Jessica Parker:
Carrie Bradshaw made Manolo Blahnik a household name, but Sarah Jessica Parker has brought affordable, stylish garments to the masses. Her Bitten line debuted in 2007 at Steve & Barry’s with the majority of the items selling for under $20. Trends introduced through Sex and the City include nameplate necklaces, flower pins, and stilettos.

Grace Kelly:
She may have been America’s sweetheart, but Princess Grace of Monaco ignited a trend by appearing on a 1956 Life magazine cover. In the photo, Kelly obscured her pregnancy with daughter Caroline by holding a structured, crocodile Hermes purse over her stomach. Renamed the Kelly bag, Hermes continues to sell the purse today in many color variations for thousands of dollars.

Diane von Furstenberg:
Born in Belgium and briefly married to a German prince, the classic designer is formally known as Princess Diane of Fürstenberg. In 1973, three years after she launched her fashion career with a $30,000 investment, Furstenberg created the wrap dress. Made of knit jersey, the garment is now so popular that it is featured in the collection of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Heather Holland, a Weekend Scene Opinion columnist, is a junior majoring in public relations and fashion merchandising and can be reached via e-mail at heather.l.holland@wmich.edu.

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Mar 26 2009. Filed under Weekend Scene. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
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