fashion

 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