We all have our personal fashion heroes. For some it’s one of the classics, like Caroline Bessette Kennedy, the Olsen twins, or Chloë Sevigny. If you’re like me, you look for fashion inspiration in fictional characters, like Carrie Bradshaw, Rachel Green, or (my absolute favorite) Buffy Summers. I probably have Pinterest folders dedicated to at least 3 of these women. I, along with many other fashion enthusiasts, reference them and turn to them religiously when it comes to style, as if they invented getting dressed. Somehow, seeing something—even if it’s the simplest outfit ever—on one of these ‘style icons’ just hits different. Why is that?
We’re obsessed with these women not because of what they wore, but because of how they wore it. Their outfits are usually quite simple if you were to dissect it, and most of the time quite minimalistic.
They experimented with their wardrobes, they re-wore their pieces, some of them were mysterious, and some of them not. But they had their own distinct style, which is found only through experience and authenticity. Their outfits made sense on them, it wasn’t recreated from a random picture on Pinterest, and that’s why it looked good.
Anyway, I’m not here to write another essay about how we’re not authentic because of social media and how the lack of subcultures in today’s society is the reason we don’t have any inspiration or fashion icons like in the past anymore. If you scroll on this app for more than 10 minutes I’m sure you’ll see plenty of that—expressed better than I could. Instead I want to say that sometimes social media can be good when it comes to fashion, and I actually do like seeing an abundance of different styles every day through my phone. I don’t really agree with this sentiment that we don’t have style icons like the old days. It’s true to some extent maybe, but even if we don’t have a CBK today, I think you can fill that void quite easily if you try.
There used to be a distinction between celebrities and influencers, in the way they interacted with the world and how much they shared, but that distinction is getting more and more blurry. Which is fine, but it is true that the mysteriousness sometimes adds to the style and the allure of the person. Some celebrities are leaning more into that, they don’t have a social media presence and only show their faces when they have something to promote. It’s always refreshing, and even if it’s not for everyone, it works really well especially with their style sometimes.
Taylor Russell
The ultimate mysterious girl… I genuinely don’t know anything about her! And I love that! Every picture I see of her is candid, and she is always so well dressed.
Zoë Kravitz
Honestly I don’t like her recent style as much, but she’s always been one of my biggest fashion inspirations. She’s one of those people that make everything look so effortless.
Peggy Gou
She’s the ultimate cool girl to me.
influencers
I’m not one to usually defend influencers, especially fashion influencers, but I don’t think the mystery works for everyone. Some people’s styles just make so much more sense when you know them a little. Clothes reflect our personality anyway, right? I don’t necessarily turn to these influencers to recreate their outfits or find pieces to buy, but I like their vibe and I like how they showcase their style. I find some inspiration here and there, and I like following people who seem well established and rooted in their personal style. It’s very satisfying.
I’ve been following her for a very long time and I think she might have been the one to get me into thrifting with her videos. She also has her own brand now and they sell great pieces!
Very experimental. I just love people who have fun with their clothes.
Simple but effective, every time. I take a lot of inspiration from her daily.
I love the way she matches and layers different pieces. I love seeing her process of coming up with an outfit.
I think this might have been more for me than anyone else because I just love documenting stuff like this. Who are your fashion icons?
Having a rotation of people you look up to for their style can be very inspirational if you know how to use it. Don’t try to recreate outfits or do exactly what someone else is doing, but rather look at how they made it make sense within themselves. Something that makes sense for someone else might not for you, and that’s okay. Fashion is about having fun but also living in your clothes. Most importantly, it’s about knowing yourself. It’s about you.
love, asli
i love Taylor Russel’s style <3
NOTHING is more iconic than buffy summer’s wardrobe