The term “style icon” has been bandied about a lot lately on television, in magazines, even on the Internet, to describe women with enviable wardrobes, beautiful faces, figures and “droppable” names. I find that its indiscriminate use has left the term sounding trivial, common, irrelevant and lacking in substance. While admittedly there are countless stylish women of all ages here and in other cities around the globe, I believe that true style icons are few and far between.
Many might consider anyone with a great fashion sense and pedigree a style icon but I believe the term carries much more weight and responsibility than we care to seriously consider. Call me cynical or plain old-fashioned but it is not a term I would use loosely; it must be reserved for women who possess good manners, moral fortitude, social awareness and responsibility, not just a “Carrie Bradshaw wardrobe.”
In my years working as a model, traveling to many places and meeting all kinds of people, I have witnessed outlandish displays of wealth, wasteful and scandalous use of money (questionably acquired at times) by certain people who were considered trendsetters and style makers. They lived in tony addresses, went to private and Ivy League schools, spent weekends in gated beachside enclaves, used their face or name value to get into clubs for free, dressed to the nines, celebrated the high life and partied like there was no tomorrow. They were young, beautiful, frequently photographed poster children for their generation; would I consider them style icons? In hindsight, I think not.
While living in Tokyo in the ’80s and ’90s during the “bubble” jidai (period), Japanese women who worked in very expensive and exclusive clubs in Ginza pouring drinks, lighting cigarettes and making small talk with high-powered and high-net-worth individuals carried around Hermes and Chanel bags even before the terms “must-have” or “It” bag were coined. They shopped in Armani and Versace, sported diamond-studded gold Rolex watches, wore Bulgari jewelry and Mikimoto pearls, drove around in Jaguars and Mercedes- Benzes and spent at least US$150 dollars every day to have their hair shampooed and blow-dried. If you passed them on the street you’d be taken by their beauty and admire the elegance and ease with which they wore their expensive possessions. But do they classify as style icons? You tell me.
Playing live and in full color around us today are videos of celebrities constantly mired in controversies, airing their dirty laundry in public, showing up at interviews and having their photos taken in the latest Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana and other luxury brand acquisitions, clad in Christian Louboutin heels. They are extremely popular, often talented, sometimes overpaid personalities who hold the public in perpetual frenzied awe, but do their questionable personas merit the distinction of style icon?
I found three women of different backgrounds who are in one way or another involved in fashion but clearly transcend the frivolity and superficiality often associated with their business and prove that true style icons exist.
Natalie Massenet: The Belle of Online Shopping
Frequently described as one of the most influential women in the fashion business, Natalie Massenet, 45, a Los Angeles native and UCLA graduate married to an investment banker with two kids, is the founder and chairperson of Net-a-Porter.com, the ultimate online luxury destination with offices in London. Created in 2000, at a time when no one wanted to invest, Natalie took her idea of selling luxury brands online seriously and Net-a-Porter has since become an online success and business to contend with. Her laser focus on incorporating the commerce-meets-content approach has made it the benchmark for luxury e-commerce retailers all over the world; the site carries around 300 brands, including Lanvin, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu, Christian Louboutin and Roland Mouret, to name a few. She recently sold the last of her shares in the company to the Richemont Group, owner of Chloe, Cartier and Alfred Dunhill, to the tune of $79 million. She will remain executive chairman of the business despite the sale and will launch a menswear site in January 2011 called Mr. Porter to coincide with the release of the spring/summer 2011 collections. She has already lined up Burberry, Lanvin, YSL, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Margiela, Balmain and Dunhill to sell their collections in Mr. Porter. To complement both high-end sites, Massenet and her team have also created the Outnet.com, a more budget-friendly online site, with the same dedication to impeccable service and quality of goods.
Although constantly surrounded by expensive, exclusive luxury brands in her work, she offers very practical fashion tips to women. While she personally adores ’50s strapless styles with full skirts and loves to pair something sparkly and delicate with pieces with a tougher edge, she advises women to dress for their shape in clothes that fit beautifully rather than focusing on the brand or the size of the dress.
She keeps her life simple and devotes time outside of her job to her family and some charity work. Not only famous but highly respected in the fashion industry for her work ethic and tireless support of fashion designers, Natalie Massenet is known as a tough but fair and generous boss who shares her success with her team while keeping them constantly motivated. It is public knowledge that some of her staff made hundreds of thousands of dollars — if not millions — from the sale of Net-a-Porter shares to the Richemont Group. She supports Mother4Children, a London-based charity foundation that raises funds for the relief of disabled orphans.
Liya Kebede: The African Muse of 20th-Century Fashion
Liya Kebede, 32, has been touted by Vogue as a member of the “New Establishment,” a select group of models who are beautiful, professional and substantial. Discovered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by a film director and introduced to a French modeling agent while studying in a French lycee, Kebede moved to Paris at the age of 18 and went on to model in New York City, which she now considers home. She immediately caught the attention of fashion photographers and magazine editors and appeared on numerous covers of Vogue, Harper’s & Queen, South African Elle, i-D, even Time magazine. In 2003, she became the first woman of color to be signed as an exclusive model by the American cosmetic brand Estee Lauder in its 59-year history.
An international beauty, runway favorite and designer muse, Kebede was not content to remain simply a model. Recalling the horrible conditions women and children faced in Africa, she put up the Liya Kebede Foundation, a charity dedicated to saving the lives of mothers and children worldwide from survivable pregnancies and childbirth complications. In 2005 she was named World Health Organization Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child health; she travels extensively, helps organize forums and discussions and has spoken in front of audiences to raise awareness on the plight of women and children in developing nations.
Besides being a WHO Ambassador, a charity founder, a model and a wife with two children, Kebede is now also a designer of a children’s clothing line she developed called Lemlem. The brand consists of chic, ethnic clothes handcrafted by women in Ethiopia using traditional techniques like embroidery and weaving, a tribute to her Ethiopian heritage and rich culture.
Kebede leads a low-profile life in NYC and is photographed these days mostly at social events that have something to do with her charitable efforts and her role as WHO ambassador.
Aerin Lauder:The Reluctant Park Avenue Princess
Aerin Lauder, 40, is the antithesis of the stereotypical social-butterfly Park Avenue princess who belongs to the “ladies who lunch” crowd and holds a job solely to pass time until getting married. Not only does Lauder work through lunch, she holds the important position of senior vice president and creative director at Estee Lauder; she is part of the new breed of trust-fund tycoons.
A communications-degree holder from the University of Pennsylvania, Aerin is closely compared to her grandmother Estee Lauder’s style and spirit with her industrious and feisty character. She shows no trace of entitlement or hauteur and was raised to despise arrogance. “Whatever you do, do it well,” she remembers Estee saying as she forged ahead with dedication and fervor to help turn around the company and reinvent the brand in 2001. She works hard to keep the trademark sophistication of the brand while introducing modern tones that appeal to a younger audience. She has developed instant hits like the Mirror Images, a lipstick that lets women layer a glossy lipstick over matte and the Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia Perfume.
Despite her inheritance of several million dollars, she is a simple girl who enjoys doing ordinary things and worries about stuff we other women generally do. Married with two children, she loves to hang out with her family in their newly acquired country home in Long Island and considers uninterrupted time with her family precious and priceless. She admits to a weakness for street-sold pretzels, would consider a nip or tuck if the need arose, and “would love to do something about my arms,” she adds in jest.
Describing her style as Classic American, she dresses elegantly and never looks contrived, especially when attending glamorous events. On her “fat” days she wears Balenciaga and turns to well-tailored black pants, a pretty blouse and simple shoes for a fail-proof everyday outfit. She is comfortable wearing jeans (J Brand, preferably) during date nights with her husband, Eric, and confesses to shopping at Target online as a guilty pleasure.
She lends her time to worthy causes such as the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and has co-sponsored many fundraisers with close friends, family and colleagues from the fashion industry. She is an astute fashion supporter and trawls Milan and Paris, especially during Fashion Week, always on the lookout for upcoming fashion and color trends. She is not only a terrific ambassador for Estee Lauder but also an incredible role model for the modern woman.
The Total Package
It is easy to be blindsided by material wealth and be impressed by external beauty and all their trappings; after all, our sense of sight is wired to react positively to all that. But if we cannot get past what is pleasing to the eyes, we deny ourselves knowing true role models, women who can inspire us to be better persons with their uncompromising character, teach us the joy of giving with their passion for relevant causes, encourage us to work hard with their strict work ethic, and enjoy life’s simple pleasures with their priorities clearly in place. Surely these three women are not perfect but if we look past the pretty faces and pretty dresses, beyond the glamour and the glitz that is part of their lives, behind the façade we will discover three jewels and true style icons.