Fl@unt it: The Method to Becoming A Style Icon

What exactly is a style icon?

There are many names that spring to my mind as I think of contemporary style icons such as Kate Moss, Solange Knowles, Lenny Kravitz, Emma Watson, Johnny Depp and David Beckham, just to name a few. A diverse range of celebrities but they all share in common a sense of elevated style like no other.

Style is not to be confused with fashion and materialism. Yes, it is connected to the way a person looks in the clothes they choose to wear but it is more to do with the way in which a person carries themselves in their clothes and the cool attitude they exude from what they wear. 

Take for example former couple Kate Moss and Johnny Depp, who both share a rock and roll stylish edge as they seem to effortlessly throw together items of clothing that suits them, regardless of the fashion of the moment, sticking to their statement looks year after year. They do not compromise their style showing a joint confidence that doesn't have to shout to be heard.

It's the swagger, that individual confidence that sets a style icon above rest. A person who is not afraid to stand out from the crowd - not in an exhibitionist way - but in a self-assured manner, knowing they look good but simultaneously not taking themselves too seriously. Style is experimentation and creation - finding the fun in fashion and appearance as well as identifying oneself with it. Rihanna and Sarah Jessica Parker match this type of style icon as they explore the boundaries of fashion always. 

Sharpness is another factor. A style icon never looks unkept, unready, messy or confused with how they appear. David Beckham and Kanye West are able to slack it out in high tops and baggy T-shirts but they still keep it fresh and when the time calls, they still look as sharp as ever in a suit.

And lasty, their is the element of timelessness. This truly defines a great style icon and it is the original stylish stars, such as James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Billie Holiday, that embody this element influencing so many new style icons today.

And so there is the method to becoming a style icon. Fashions may come and go but the element of style will never fade with the memories of past style icons kept very much alive in the new style icons of today. 

"Fashion fades, Style is eternal." - Yves Saint Laurent