FASHION ICONS

Five RAZZ writers share fashion icons they feel embody ‘VIBRANCY’, spanning over many time periods, from Marie Antionette to Mimi Moocher.

Let’s look past her lack of tact (‘let them eat cake’); Marie Antoinette was a vibrant fashion icon whose style ironically resembled a luxurious dessert. The Queen Consort of France had a lavish assortment of outfits, encapsulating her and her husband Louis XVI’s hedonistic lifestyle.

Portraits of Marie conjure up images of hyper-femininity and her allure resonates through the picture; her dresses being embellished with feathers and extravagant bows. In true diva fashion, she never wore anything more than once; she had 300 dresses made for her every year, while the destitute people of France were suffering during this period. Marie Antoinette’s style permeates through generations of French fashion and has had a knock-on effect throughout the fashion industry as a whole.

My personal favourite designer, Vivienne Westwood, has clearly taken inspiration from the French queen’s elaborate attire. The British designer’s runway collections revolve around the simple nature of the corset, much like Marie’s, as the centrepiece of her creations, which I believe to be fit for a queen.

‘My personal favourite designer, Vivienne Westwood, has clearly taken inspiration from the French queen’s elaborate attire. ‘

The fashion legacy of Marie Antoinette lives on today. With Kirsten Dunst as the lead, Sofia Coppola’s film Marie Antoinette presents the queen as the epitome of vibrancy, which we can take style inspiration from, but learn from as an omen against excessive indulgence.

Luiza McDowell, Deputy Online Editor

A fashion revolution took place in the UK during the 1960s. Model Dame Lesley Dawson, aka ‘Twiggy’, became emblematic of this vigor and vibrancy, and remains an icon to this day. Twiggy’s aesthetic can be categorised into three compartments: Androgyny, ‘The Chelsea Look’, and Colour. Haute couture, or ‘high fashion’, originated in Paris and focuses on the designing of custom-made garments for a typically slender figure – Vivienne Westwood epitomises this style. Twiggy, so-named due to her thin frame, recently stated she doesn’t think ‘high-fashion will ever move completely away from slimness’.

In order to avoid digesting Twiggy’s aesthetic as harmful (her style is similar to the heroine chic of the 90s), we should keep in mind that she started modelling as a schoolgirl. She admits that her look was ‘a total impossibility for women over twenty’.

Her slimness did, however, aid her in commercialising androgyny. As well as opting for braless styles, Twiggy modelled ties, waistcoats, men’s hats, shorts, and suit waistcoats, men’s hats, shorts, and suit jackets. This innovative and playful take on fashion certainly paved the way for figures such as Bowie to bring androgyny to the mainstream.

‘You can’t comment on Twiggy’s aesthetic without acknowledging designer Mary Quant, and the iconic ‘Chelsea Look’. ‘

You can’t comment on Twiggy’s aesthetic without acknowledging designer Mary Quant, and the iconic ‘Chelsea Look’. Bazaar, the boutique Quant co-founded in 1955 on the King’s Road, was iconic for its miniskirts. These were frequently modelled by Twiggy and went hand-in-hand with the transgressive youth culture emerging in London.

Finally, makeup and colour played a huge role in defining the vibrant side of Twiggy’s aesthetic. She is known for her brightly coloured eyeshadow and heavy eyeliner. The counter-cultural revolution of the 1960s is often associated with bright colours – I’d suggest that Twiggy is integral in explaining why. Twiggy revitalised fashion as an art form and a mode of self-expression; her legacy is timeless.

Following the release of Brett Morgan’s documentary-biopic Moonage Daydream, it is only fitting to look back over the legacy of David Bowie and the mark he left on the world of fashion. Sure, we all recognise Bowie as a rock legend and leading figure of the 70s music scene, yet the ‘father of androgyny’ was just as influential in regards to his eccentric style.

The singer-songwriter occupied a liminal space between the masculine and the feminine through the creation of various alter-egos, often coinciding with his latest album release or creative collaboration. The gender iconoclast transcended contemporary trends, instead embodying the other-worldly creatures of his imagination. The 1972 album

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust not only gave us songs like ‘Starman’ and ‘Moonage Dream’, but gave birth to a transcendental alien rock star, clad with a striking orange mullet and nihilistic outlook on the world.

‘[...] the ‘father of androgyny’ was just as influential in regards to his eccentric style.’

Only four years later, the ‘Thin White Duke’ first appeared on the title track of Station to Station. Although his stripped-back tuxedo appeared relatively unadventurous, the suit’s rendering drew influence from the ‘Le Smoking’ Yves Saint Laurent piece – a revolutionary work in the emergence of androgynous fashion.

Most identifiably, the album art for Aladdin Sane produced the emblematic ‘lightning-bolt’ image. Now recognised as a symbol of the glam rock iconography, the portrait is distinctively synonymous with the rock star’s musical identity and electric presence.

Looking back on only three of Bowie’s most recognisable characters, it is clear that his legacy upon the world of fashion is undeniable. To many, he superseded style itself with a host of futuristic wardrobe choices that felt deliberately avant-garde, but never pretentious. Although we will always mourn the loss of David Bowie, his ability to rewrite the boundaries of men’s fashion earn him the title of a true style icon.

‘‘Although we will always mourn the loss of David Bowie, his ability to rewrite the boundaries of men’s fashion earn him the title of a true style icon.’’

Maya Fernandes

What word springs to mind when you hear ‘Lady Gaga’? Camp. Iconic. Genius. Trashy. Maybe you think of a certain song or an album. Personally, I think of couture. From the infamous meat-dress to catholic motifs, 9-inch platform heels and futuristic cut-outs, I think most of us can agree that her fashion has always been vibrant. Gaga was a pioneer for post-modern fashion, particularly in her early career, with artists such as Doja Cat and even Harry Styles taking inspiration from her looks (see the Marc Jacobs 2020 collection).

‘From the infamous meat-dress to catholic motifs, 9-inch platform heels and futuristic cut-outs, I think most of us can agree that her fashion has always been vibrant.’

Describing her 2019 Met Gala look, titled ‘Camp: Notes on Fashion,’ Gaga said she wants her work to ‘read like an essay or poem.’ Not only does this highlight her dedication to fashion as an art, it also explicitly references the influence of cabaret and cultural architects such as Elton John and Bowie’s androgynous alter ego, ‘Ziggy Stardust.’ Throughout fabricating this look, Lady Gaga asks herself, ‘Why be extravagant?’ I found this question relates to so much of our everyday life, whether to go for it, or not. Because, if vibrancy isn’t simply to be the most authentic, unapologetic version of ourselves, what is?

Rebecca Graham

A slightly younger, Gen-Z fashion icon, Mia Regan (also known as Mimi Moocher) made her name known in the fashion industry during the peak of Covid-19. Since March 2020, Mia’s modern artistry and spin on sustainable fashion have taken over Instagram feeds with her colourful edits and collages. As a result, she has featured in British Vogue magazine issues, taken the likes of brands Miu Miu and Missoni, and featured on the Jaydon & Jodie’s podcast, A Place To Ponder. But why and what is this “Mimi movement”?

Mia’s aesthetic is largely defined by her ability to make ‘mismatched look matched’ using contrasting vibrant colours. She has inspired an age of colour amongst many young adults: those pink trousers you have…trade a white top for a bright blue cami to spice things up. However, her love for sustainable fashion with a creative spin is what gives her fame. An app many of us are guilty of spending a little too much money on, most of Mia’s pieces are found on DEPOP: sustainable, handmade, reworked, or second-hand.

‘She has inspired an age of colour amongst many young adults: those pink trousers you have…trade a white top for a bright blue cami to spice things up.’

Her Instagram has become the perfect platform to flaunt her sustainable fashion finds and demonstrate her artistry, targeting the Gen-Z audience with her short ‘outfit of the day (OOTD)’ videos – Mia is certainly a colourful insta stalk.

Ciara Barton