Tag Archives: The Style Icon

Can you feel the punk?

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The other day I witnessed a passionate discussion about the rise of punk, one person quite rightly insisting that punk music was born in the United States while the other gamely tried to agree while asserting equally correctly that punk in the UK was very different, bringing with it a complete cultural aesthetic, with art, fashion and music coming together to make a punk scene. One of the people who made punk in the UK less a musical evolution and more a cultural revolution was Vivienne Westwood. How fitting that she is a style icon at The Style Icon, the grand fashion event running until the end of the month. This gown from Legal Insanity incorporates many the tempestuous and wild themes that distinguish Westwood’s designs and make her a fashion revolutionary – not just a fashion designer.

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Like a comet, burning bright and fast

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What makes someone a style icon? It’s not simply beauty or looking chic. There are hundreds of beautiful, well-dressed personalities who will never become a style icon. On the other hand, there is the somewhat louche Vali Myers, the bohemian artist and dancer. Not a conventional beauty, her artful dishabille and raw elegance inspired no less than four collections in Fall 2013, from MiuMiu and Prada to Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton.

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Monica Outlander was also inspired by Vali Myers. The connection makes sense. I can see Myers influence in Outlander’s own artwork. You can see an example of Momo’s art in the background of this vendor here. You can see some of Myers work here. This top and pants are called Vali in Myers honor and convey the elegantly undone bohemian aesthetic that is Myers iconic contribution to style.
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Lake Woebegon

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Growing up in Minnesota, it’s natural that I love to listen to a Prairie Home Companion. I always found so much that resonated with me in the stories of Lake Woebegon. I grew up in an even smaller village. We had only one business in our town, “the” resort. I just realized I have absolutely no idea what the real name of the resort was or is. It was just THE resort. There were a dozen little cabins and the cafe where you could buy hot dogs, fries and earthworms, as you do.

I have been feeling a bit woebegone myself and tuned in on the web and enjoyed listening to this song, a plaint about the cold to the traditional spriritual “”Down to the River”. It made me laugh and happy to be living in Oregon.

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Like a House Needs a Door

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The post title has no relationship with my photos, but it seemed a good companion to Gidge’s post today. There’s a song called House Without a Door, a jazz instrumental, but the mood of this song is more in sync with Pharrell’s Happy.

My dress today needed a stunning setting, so I headed over the The Chamber Society’s new dance club, The Sable Club. In keeping with the rest of the village, it’s a Jazz Age venue rich with period detail. My dress is more modern, in particular when seen from behind where its dangerously low back is revealed.

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The dress is from Delirium Style – a special release for The Style Icon, a fashion fair organized by Legal Insanity honoring the icons of fashion past and present. I am looking forward to seeing who inspired the designers and how they interpret and reimagine their inspiration.

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