fashion icons
May 11 2012
- Gianni Versace
From models and muses to designers and
photographers, the world of style has no shortage of superstars. TIME
picked the 100 most influential fashion icons since 1923, the beginning
of TIME magazine.
Designer and brands
Azzedine Alaïa
While other designers clamor for the
affection of fashion editors and store buyers, Azzedine Alaïa makes the
industry come to him. The Tunisian-born designer doesn’t advertise in
magazines, is uninterested in social media and has no problem telling
Anna Wintour, the revered editor of Vogue, that she has no taste or
lasting influence. In more than 50 years in the fashion industry, Alaïa
has worked with Christian Dior, Guy Laroche, Thierry Mugler and even
Miuccia Prada. But it’s his smaller, eponymous label, started in the
late 1970s — along with his refusal to sacrifice aesthetic for fame —
that’s made him one of the greatest designers in history. A master at
flattering the female figure, Alaïa created formfitting designs that
earned him the nickname ‘King of Cling’ during the height of his fame in
the 1980s. In 1995 his name was immortalized in pop culture when Cher,
the lead character of the film Clueless, resisted bowing down to a
gun-pointing robber because she was wearing Alaïa — ‘a totally important
designer.’ And indeed he was — and is nearly 20 years later.
Giorgio Armani
One of Italy’s most successful fashion
moguls got his start in the trenches of the industry, working as a
window dresser for a department store. Giorgio Armani launched his
eponymous company in 1975 and rocketed to mass acclaim when Richard Gere
modeled his suits on the silver screen as the suave and sophisticated
American Gigolo. In the 1980s, Armani introduced his best-known design
element, the soft shoulder, on his famed suits, adding an air of comfort
and modernism to the overly rigid jacket. Armani is a household name
today, and his sculpted and sparkly gowns make regular appearances on
the red carpet. The designer recently partnered with pop star Lady Gaga
to create the elaborate costumes she wore on tour. But his influence
extends beyond clothes. The Armani moniker is seen not only on tags and
inserts; hotels, perfume and watches also bear his name.
Cristobal Balenciaga
The son of a fisherman and a seamstress,
Cristóbal Balenciaga began working for a tailor when he was 12. A local
noblewoman noted his talent and sent him to train in Madrid, where he
learned to cut, drape and fit his own patterns — skills that would wow
fellow designers for the rest of his life. Balenciaga set up his couture
shop in 1937, and in the 1950s he dramatically reinvented the female
silhouette by broadening the shoulders and removing the waist, as seen
in his enduring creations like the tunic dress, chemise dress, baby-doll
dress and balloon skirt. His influence lives on not just in his own
fashion house (now run by Nicolas Ghesquière) but also in his former
students and apprentices. Oscar de la Renta, Emanuel Ungaro and Hubert
de Givenchy are among his mentees.
Manolo Blahnik
Madonna told a biographer that Manolo
Blahnik’s shoes were ‘better than sex.’ Sexy in this case means very
high heels, and the pop star is not the only one to fall while wearing
the towering shoes. Blahnik, who originally wanted to become a
theater-set designer, opened a shoe shop in London in the early 1970s,
and his heels took off with the era’s celebrities. In 1974 he became the
first man to appear on the cover of British Vogue.
Sara Blakely
Sara Blakely has helped shape the modern
woman — literally. As founder and creator of Spanx, Blakely reinvented
how women dress while simultaneously redefining an industry. Her line of
stretchy undergarments, shapewear and hosiery compresses and smooths
figures of all sizes no matter how clingy the clothes worn over them.
Blakely was working as a saleswoman during the day and doing stand-up
comedy at night when she dreamed up Spanx in 2000. In a moment of
frustration over a pair of white pants, Blakely took scissors, lopped
the feet off some pantyhose and put them on underneath.
Pierre Cardin