My mother was a fashion icon

It takes a certain type of woman to be a fashion icon: confident in her own skin, bold, not afraid to attract attention, uninterested in the opinions of others when it comes to how she dresses.

My mother was a fashion icon. She came from a tradition of fashionable women, both my grandmother and aunt.

Balancing on the edge of her bed, I would cringe watching my mother get ready for an evening out, yet I was equally fascinated by how she could put an outfit together. She was fearless when it came to fashion.

I remember one evening before an event, she pulled a flounced floral knee-length blue and green chiffon dress out of her closet that looked more like a tiered lampshade than a cocktail dress. 

When she put it on with a pair of pointed toe satin heels and silk stockings, popped a deep blue chiffon headband over her loosely-held chignon, my mother looked like she’d just stepped out of a 60s fashion magazine.

It was one of many memorable outfits she wore to party after party, her only escape from the daily rituals of raising four kids each born three years apart.

She was one of the lucky women who could look good no matter what she put on her head. Any hat, headband, scarf or bow would transform her appearance.

Like my mother, names like Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, CoCo Chanel, Grace Kelly, Princess Diana and Carolyn Bessette, come to mind when I think of fashion icons. They are women who defined their own style. That style was memorable.

There could even be an argument historically to include Marie Antoinette and Queen Elizabeth in this category: those who are at the pinnacle of personal style.

Today’s icons, whether you admire their sense of style or not, would include Kim Kardashian, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Lopez, and yes, Melania Trump.

When a woman is elevated to the role of fashion icon, people wait to see what she’ll wear next. She sets trends although she doesn’t care to follow trends herself.

Icon status today has been somewhat degraded to include sensational dressing: tasteless half-naked clothing, for example. Sad, because true icons have a certain power over the public. A woman who stands out because of her fashion sense inspires others. That's why women want to emulate her.

The best dressed women can fashion edit their own closets. They understand how important it is to see an outfit as a whole: elements put together to create a “look”. 

They take risks, pull from different sources of inspiration to create their personal style.  They pay attention to fit, fabric, color and drape.

They have an eclectic approach to dressing. They don’t look for items that match. They look for items that complement one another.; items that can be integrated. They often mix classics with vintage or modern. They have an impeccable color sense. They know which colors look best on them.

Dressing can be an adventure, an expression of your personality. Experiment until you feel your fashion choices are truly your own.

Enjoy the search for clothes that express who you are. There will be hits and misses, some splurges and some great buys. Why not become your own fashion icon? Find your style and own it.

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