Coco Chanel, arguably one of the most revered fashion icons in the history of design, once said: “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”
Chanel effectively understood that there was more to dresses than how they looked on a mannequin. Today, Chanel’s impeccable intuition about clothes is relevant again. Celebrity fashion icons from New York to Los Angeles are the ones who can ignite a trend, make a haircut popular (the “Rachel” was one, which was popularized from the hit ’90’s sitcom “Friends”) and help sell out a dress in a local boutique. Today, some look to celebrities to ensure that a certain style is acceptable.
It’s no wonder why Marc Jacobs sends his new violet quilted tote to Mary-Kate Olsen before he unveils his line for that season. It’s why Alexander McQueen offers Katie Holmes his latest pair of snakeskin kitten heels. The reason is that if these celebrities wear it and love it, it’s guaranteed to be hot. It’s guaranteed to make its way from the racks in the department store into the shopping bags of customers.
Stars like Victoria Beckham, the couture connoisseur, or Mary-Kate Olsen and Rachel Bilson, the bohemian mavens, have been the go-to’s for visual fashion expertise. They decorate page six of every fashion magazine, and headline television’s entertainment news.
Victoria Beckham represents high-end fashion, wearing classy clothes for every occasion, including the red carpet, her husband’s soccer games and on trips to her children’s schooling events. Whether she is wearing sleek Proenza Schouler petticoat dresses, chunky Versace platform heels, or skin-tight Balenciaga leather pants, Beckham epitomizes the technique of blending affluent pieces and effortless luxury with everyday life. Some girls wants a style like Beckham, who has the ability to strut down a dirty side street in the most expensive leather pumps as a way stand out in the crowd.
On the other end of the spectrum, stars like Mary-Kate Olsen and Rachel Bilson are leaving their lofty apartments in bright liquid tights, roughed up motorcycle boots, fringed ponchos, retro empire-waist sundresses and lengthy checkered scarves, mixing up different patterns and getting cozy in oversized cardigans and pants. Enlisting the bohemian approach to fashion, at times it looks as if these money-making actresses scoped out their trash cans or their grandmother’s closet rather than the Bloomingdale’s on Broadway. However, the Bohemian trend is undeniably popular amongst many young women.
“This style makes celebrities look down-to-earth. It makes them look like they’re not flaunting their money,” says Margie Schimpf, a student here at Quinnipiac.
Their particular look is easy to emulate for many young women. Stores such as Urban Outfitters, J. Crew, H &M and Forever 21 are up to par with the accessories, shoes and clothes Olsen and Bilson show off on a daily basis.
Lately, celebrities have proven that they are capable of setting trends other than those concerning the chicest outfits. Rihanna and Katie Holmes have introduced the latest haircut to have: the short and sweet pixie cut. It’s no doubt that any young girl will embrace the look of these raven-haired beauties that perform their hit songs on the radio or accompany their equally famous husbands on a private jet.
More than ever, it seems that young girls are paying more attention to the outfits they will wear to school and parties, and this latest occurrence can be attributed to the heightened importance celebrities put on fashion themselves. They are noted in magazines for their fashion sense every week.
Increasingly, girls are hoping to be just as conscious of the fads Rachel Bilson and Victoria Beckham are raving about and just as confident wearing the trends Coco Chanel would approve of – even if it’s just on the short walk to class.
