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A fashion icon or fashion leader is a influential person who introduces new styles which

spread Spread may refer to: Places * Spread, West Virginia Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Spread'' (film), a 2009 film. * ''$pread'', a quarterly magazine by and for sex workers * "Spread", a song by OutKast from their 2003 album ''Speakerboxxx/T ...

throughout fashion culture and become part of

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

. They initiate a new style which others may follow. They may be famous personalities such as political leaders,

celebrities Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

, or sports personalities. For example, during the 1960s,

Jackie Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A pop ...

was a great fashion icon for American women, and her style became a sign of wealth, power, and distinction; and her famous Pink Chanel suit is one of the most referenced and revisited of all of her items of clothing.

Twiggy Dame Lesley Lawson (''née'' Hornby; born 19 September 1949) is an English model, actress, and singer, widely known by the nickname Twiggy. She was a British cultural icon and a prominent teenaged model during the swinging '60s in London. ...

was an

It girl An "it girl" is an attractive young woman, who is perceived to have both sex appeal and a personality that is especially engaging. The expression ''it girl'' originated in British upper-class society around the turn of the 20th century. ...

, she was a teenaged model and fashion icon of

Swinging Sixties The Swinging Sixties was a youth-driven cultural revolution that took place in the United Kingdom during the mid-to-late 1960s, emphasising modernity and fun-loving hedonism, with Swinging London as its centre. It saw a flourishing in art, mus ...

Fashion leaders

"Fashion leaders" are an older term replaced in the second half of the 20th century. Fashion leaders were important people of higher hierarchy and society such as ''royalty, aristocrats and their wives and mistresses. *

Empress Joséphine Joséphine Bonaparte (, born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie; 23 June 1763 – 29 May 1814) was Empress of the French as the first wife of Emperor Napoleon I from 18 May 1804 until their marriage was annulled on 10 January 1810. ...

, the first wife of

Emperor Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

was herself holding the ''Empire dress line.'' *

Beau Brummell George Bryan "Beau" Brummell (7 June 1778 – 30 March 1840) was an important figure in Regency England and, for many years, the arbiter of men's fashion. At one time, he was a close friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV, but ...

, a friend of the King

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

was a fashion leader in men's fashion. *

Nur Jahan Nur Jahan, born Mehr-un-Nissa P ersian: نورجهان (; – 18 December 1645) was the wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir from 1620 until his death in 1627. Nur Jahan was born Mehr-un-Nissa, as the daughter of a Mirza Ghi ...

, the Mughal emperor

Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...

was a fashion enthusiast, and she was having a great interest in clothing items of that time; she set many fashion trends. Nur Jahan was very creative and had a good fashion sense, and she is credited for many textile materials and dresses like

nurmahali dress ''Nurmahali'' dress is an inexpensive wedding dress with brocade, the introduction of which has been attributed to Nur Jahan (1577–1645). She designed many dresses; the Noormahali marriage dress was one of them. The dress was for poor people, ...

and fine cloths like

Panchtoliya ''Panchtoliya'' was an old cotton cloth of the Mughal Empire, Mughal period. The Panchtoliya was very light in weight and used for the veil. It was weighing only 2-5 tola (one tola is 10 grams) per piece. The credit of Panchtoliya goes to the Mugh ...

''badla'' (silver-threaded brocade), ''kinari'' (silver-threaded lace), etc. *

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

was a fashion leader in the 1980s and 1990s.

Other style icons

Mary Quant Dame Barbara Mary Quant, Mrs Plunket Greene, (born 11 February 1930)The Mary Quant exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2019-20 stated her year of birth as 1930, and that she became a student at Goldsmiths College around 1950. is a ...

was a famous fashion designer and fashion icon of the 1960s who introduced

mini skirt A miniskirt (sometimes hyphenated as mini-skirt, separated as mini skirt, or sometimes shortened to simply mini) is a skirt with its hemline well above the knees, generally at mid-thigh level, normally no longer than below the buttocks; and a ...

, She is also attributed for

hotpants Hotpants or hot pants are extremely short shorts. The term was first used by ''Women's Wear Daily'' in 1970 to describe shorts made in luxury fabrics such as velvet and satin for fashionable wear, rather than their more practical equivalents th ...

, the slip dress, and PVC raincoats. *

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, t ...

(see,

Fashion of Audrey Hepburn The fashion of actress Audrey Hepburn, both on and off-screen, has impacted trends and pop culture, and she is considered a style icon. Fashion and style Hepburn's style, subject to prominence after her rise to fame in the 1950s, was associ ...

) *

(see,

Fashion of Diana, Princess of Wales The fashion of Diana, Princess of Wales, had a substantial impact on the clothing industry; her style in the 1980s and 1990s led her to be considered a fashion icon. Fashion and style The Princess chose her dressing style based on both the ro ...

) *

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

(see,

Fashion of Madonna American singer-songwriter Madonna is considered a Fashion icon, fashion and style icon. Fashion critics, designers and scholars have examined her influence in fashion from different stages. Her connection with the fashion community was labeled ...

)

Political leaders

Following politicians are fashion icons too. *

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...

is a fashion icon for half-sleeved

Kurta A ''kurta'' is a loose collarless shirt or tunic worn in many regions of South Asia, (subscription required) Quote: "A loose shirt or tunic worn by men and women." Quote: "Kurta: a loose shirt without a collar, worn by women and men from South ...

Power dressing

Margaret Thatcher stock portrait (cropped)

Power dressing Born in the second half of the 1970s and developed in the 1980s, power dressing is a fashion style that enables women to establish their authority in a professional and political environment traditionally dominated by men. History The term ''power ...

a clothing style that enables women to establish their authority and power in the traditionally male dominated profession such as politics. Margaret Thatcher's style sets the rules on how female politicians should dress, which is a conservative, powerful but simultaneously feminine way. *

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...

was the one of the first to incorporate the spirit of power suits. *

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Oppo ...

popularized the use of trouser suits or pantsuits.

Dresses

Similar to the

Little Black Dress The little black dress (LBD) is a black evening or cocktail dress, cut simply and often quite short. Fashion historians ascribe the origins of the little black dress to the 1920s designs of Coco Chanel. It is intended to be long-lasting, versat ...

that is associated with actress

. the following dresses and garments are famous with the names of fashion icons. *

Eugénie hat A Eugénie hat (sometimes also eugenie hat, Empress Eugenie hat or empress hat) is a small women's hat that is usually worn tilted forwards over the face, or it may be angled low over one eye. Typically, it is made of velvet or felt, although a ...

, the original Eugénie hat was named after

Eugénie de Montijo ''Doña'' María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick, 19th Countess of Teba, 16th Marchioness of Ardales (5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920), known as Eugénie de Montijo (), was Empress of the French from her marriage to Emperor Napo ...

, wife of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

, whose fashion choices were publicized in fashion sketches and closely scrutinized across Europe and the United States. *

Pink Chanel suit of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy was wearing a pink suit when her husband, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. She insisted on wearing the suit, stained with his blood, during the swearing-in of Lyndon B. ...

Black Givenchy dress of Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn wore a "little black dress" in the 1961 romantic comedy film '' Breakfast at Tiffany's''. The garment was designed by Hubert de Givenchy, and is worn during the opening scene of the film. The dress is referred to as one of the m ...

White dress of Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe wore a white dress in the 1955 film ''The Seven Year Itch'', directed by Billy Wilder. It was created by costume designer William Travilla and worn in the movie's best-known scene. The image of it and her above a windy subway grati ...

* Marilyn Monroe's pink dress *

Black dress of Rita Hayworth In the 1946 film '' Gilda'', Rita Hayworth wore a black dress made by American costume designer Jean Louis. It was used in a scene in which the character of Gilda sings the song " Put the Blame on Mame", improvising a quick striptease, choreograp ...

Quotes

{{Blockquote, text="Style is not fashion until it has reached the street"{{Cite book, last=Steele, first=Valerie, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hLUIEAAAQBAJ&q=Style+is+not+fashion+until+it+has+reached+the+street&pg=PA286, title=The Berg Companion to Fashion, date=2015-08-01, publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing, isbn=978-1-4742-6470-9, language=en{{Rp, 286, author=

Coco Chanel Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel ( , ; 19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971) was a French fashion designer and businesswoman. The founder and namesake of the Chanel brand, she was credited in the post-World War I era with popularizing a sporty, c ...

Citations

Fashion Human appearance

Fashion leaders

Other style icons

Political leaders

Power dressing

Dresses

Quotes

See also

Citations