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                Style Icon: Duchess Catherine + Pippa Middleton

In what was probably the most watched event of 2011, both of these women became part of a cultural phenomenon by just stepping out of a car. One was about to become a member of the royal family and the other, a proud sister beaming with happiness. In that moment, two of the most-watched style icons were born.

Duchess Catherine and her sister Pippa Middleton both represent the ease of British style: mastering the pulled-together casual look as well as elegance and grandeur in their evening style.  Growing up in a home with self-made parents, both women knew the hard work it took to be successful and both worked to have great careers individually. The fact that neither of them have lost sight of what life means and maintain a strong work ethic make them role models for so many.

Duchess Catherine’s story reads like a fairytale: beautiful, intelligent girl meets the man she wants to grow old with and marries him. It just so happens that this man is a prince - Prince William, the oldest son of the eternally admired Princess Diana. In many ways, the duchess reminds us of the late Princess: poised under pressure, graceful in the public eye and humbly giving her time and attention to causes she cares about. Since her marriage, she has had hands-on involvement with several charities and organizations. Last year she joined a British Girl Scout troop on one of their excursions, thrilling the children. In keeping with devoting her time to causes affecting young children, she is a Royal Patron of East Angilia’s Children’s Hospices, an organization that helps families of children with life-threatening illnesses. Having recently announced that she and the Prince will be welcoming a new life into their family, her steadfast support of children’s causes and her work with them indicate the devoted, hands-on mother she will be.

Pippa became a household name on the day of her sister’s wedding, and has used her newfound recognition to pursue her own dreams. After working for her parents’ party planning business, in which she still plays an active role, she has branched out on her own. The publication of her book, Celebrate: A Year of Festivities for Families and Friends marked her first foray into making a name for herself, using the experience she gained working with her parents to share her ideas for hosting and entertaining.

While both sisters are high on every fashion watcher’s radar, the Duchess is responsible for the worldwide “Kate Middleton Effect”- any time she wears something new; it is immediately searched for and sold out. Watching the two sisters give their takes on fashion’s hottest trends has also become a movement.

Eye-catching shades of sapphire and electric blue have been popular in recent years, so at the announcement of her engagement, the Duchess selected a sapphire blue Issa dress to compliment her sapphire engagement ring. The dress in that color was sold out within hours. Months later, the day following her sister’s wedding, Pippa emerged from the hotel with her family wearing an electric blue blazer over a neutral toned outfit.

While many like to discuss the Duchess’ frequent decision to wear certain outfits more than once, which we love about her humbleness, the gowns she chooses to wear to major events deserve to share that attention. Last summer, at a concert preceding the 2012 Olympic games, she arrived in an outstanding jade-hued Jenny Packham gown. Known for wearing very classic gowns the plunging v-neck and lace open back of this dress took our breath away. In December, weeks after announcing her pregnancy she made an appearance at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards in what has come to be one of her favorite designers, Alexander McQueen. The long-sleeved hunter green gown was perfectly tailored and showed off the radiant appearance of the expectant mother.

Pippa has become the quintessential street-chic icon. She effortlessly pairs denim with a blazer or a delicate dress with a leather jacket and boots in ways that women everywhere want to emulate. However, her street-chic aside, the custom Alexander McQueen gown she wore to her sister’s wedding is what sparked a phenomenon revolving around her. The simplicity of the ivory colored gown contrasted nicely against the ornateness of the event itself and complemented without overshadowing her sister’s dress.

Of course, no talk of the Middleton sisters and their great taste in fashion would be complete without mentioning the wonder that was the Duchess’ wedding gown. It had been speculated for months that Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen would design the dress but it was never confirmed. Then came the day of the wedding and we were all graced with the beautiful sight that was her gown. While some cried that the dress was too simple, it was a perfect reflection of the woman who wore it. It also sparked a trend in lace long-sleeved wedding dresses as opposed to the strapless style that has been a favorite for so long.

Duchess Catherine and Pippa are great examples of how to hold yourself in the public eye and still manage to live your life on your terms, while not without scandal at times, but always with quiet confidence, grace, and the support of a strong family.

Style Icon: Daphne Guinness

           “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”

                                                                                                                 -       Oscar Wilde

They’ve called her eccentric. She detests the word eccentric. She prefers the term bohemian. You certainly know someone she whose look she has inspired and you are likely a fan of the designers who consider her a muse. And yet, you have probably never heard her name or seen her face. Few are as legendary in fashion as heiress Daphne Guinness. To many, she is the personification of what it should be because she takes risks and wears clothes that make her feel and look like her best self. She never goes after what is popular.

Her signature platinum blonde and espresso brown hair immediately make her recognizable and she has been known to go to great lengths in the name of her personal style. Guinness’ trademark look consists of fitted trousers, an avant-garde blazer and footwear usually seen on the runway. She has been known to paint her lips with nail polish to achieve her desired lip color, and she can often be seen wearing shockingly colored contact lenses when the situation calls for them.  Karl Lagerfeld considers her one of his finest muses, and when Tom Ford made his big return to womenswear with his Spring/Summer 2011 collection he asked her to close his private show. The late Alexander McQueen counted her as one of his most devoted friends. It is a testament to her impact on fashion that these three men whose style and clothing are so different, all found inspiration in this one woman.       

On a night celebrating the legacy of Alexander McQueen, the opening of the Savage Beauty exhibition last year, Guinness changed into her gown in the front windows of Barney’s. Donning a feathered McQueen gown, she captured the true essence of the designer and the fashion he gifted the world with more so than anyone else on the red carpet. In June, attending a dinner celebrating Tom Ford and GQ UK editor Dylan Jones she chose a more demure look, wearing a floor length white gown and cape combination from his Fall 2012 collection. The look is classic and adheres to Guinness’ go-to palette of black and white but upon her walking away, you notice the scorpion pendant necklace that she wears hanging down her back. It’s just one of the many ways she infuses her personality into everything she wears.

As big and bold as her fashion sense is however her heart, her desire to support up and coming talent as well as her friends, rivals it. In 2010 she purchased the wardrobe belonging to Isabella Blow, the iconic magazine editor and effectively blocked its planned auction at Christie’s. Guinness did not want her old friend’s belongings sold to various buyers around the world. She instead hopes for the archive, which includes McQueen’s entire graduate collection from Central St. Marten’s to be studied and viewed by students.

In the name of her friend Guinness is the founder and an avid supporter of the Isabella Blow Foundation. Created after her death in 2007, the foundation focuses on supporting young designers and artists as well as raising awareness for mental illness, which Blow suffered from immensely. In June of this year she agreed to put items from her enviable wardrobe up for auction. The auction of rare and one of a kind clothes and shoes brought in over $740,000, all of which benefited the foundation. This was not the first time she had offered up a portion of her wardrobe for auction either, doing so in 2008 to benefit women’s issues in Great Britain and across the globe through Womankind Worldwide.

A beautiful, enigmatic human being, it is hard to forget Daphne Guinness once she enters your mind for the first time. Admittedly a shy individual, the fascination we have with her mystifies her. All she strives to be is herself, and herself is a woman fond of gravity-defying shoes, daring style and viewing fashion as art. She wants to make the most out of the life she has been given and allot the same opportunities to others if she can. Perhaps that is why we are fascinated with her.

Style Icon: Iman

She is a Somalian bombshell who has graced the fashion world since the late seventies and is one half of one of the most iconic celebrity couples in the world. Serving as a muse to some of the most well known designers including Halston and Yves Saint Laurent, it is hard to find a style icon to match Iman’s stature. She began her career as a model after being discovered while studying at the University of Nairobi, and she has successfully transformed her good fortune from modeling into a business.

A statuesque beauty standing at five foot ten, Iman is usually one of the first people who draws the eyes of fashion watchers at any event she attends. Her relationships with designers, her great sense of style and her enviable figure guarantee us that she will show up in something fabulous. At the launch of the IMAN Home collection in 2010, she was the picture of casual chic in a simple black jumpsuit. Her satin purple heels just barely peeking out beneath the hem of the jumpsuit made the outfit pop and offered just a bit of color to the otherwise monochromatic look. Since she was launching her home collection which consisted of fabulous prints and rich colors she did not want to take away from what she worked so hard to develop. She wanted her new collection to be the centerpiece but still have a style moment for herself.

In 2011 while attending the DKMS Gala honoring musician Rihanna and Michael Clinton of Hearst Publications, she wowed on the red carpet in a floor length hot pink Jason Wu gown. The dress is made of a beautiful chiffon material and boasts a classic silhouette but the bold color stood out when paired with a matching clutch and turquoise earrings.  Also on trend was her new chin length bob and trademark smoky eyes-nude lip combination. It is clear that Iman knows how to dress appropriately and fashionably for any occasion.

Iman’s most beautiful characteristic is her ability to see beauty in all forms and finding a way to showcase that beauty. Using her own modeling experiences, she developed IMAN COSMETICS, which is just one branch of her ever-growing brand. Iman has made no secret of how difficult it had been for makeup artists to match a foundation to her deep skin tone when she modeled. Her makeup line, now a premiere brand for women of several ethnicities has become home to several go-to products for women all over the world.

Aside from her modeling career and her lifestyle brand Iman is well known for her philanthropic work. Drawing on her childhood as a refugee in East Africa she serves as an ambassador for Save the Children, focusing on relief efforts in that region. She also works with Raise Hope for Congo through the Enough Project to bring awareness to the violence against women and young girls in the Congo. Iman understands the importance of bringing to the forefront the atrocities that they face in that region and is working with several organizations to put them to an end.

She started as a girl attending school in East Africa and Iman became a world-class model. She built herself a life, a career and a business while raising her children and caring for her twenty-year marriage. Her huge heart and astounding style make her a woman we can all learn from. She did not dream of becoming a model or a businesswoman but those were the blessings life gave to her, and she has used them to make a better world for the next generation of women.

Style Icon: Victoria Beckham

She invaded our lives as one-fifth of one of the biggest all-girl groups to ever exist, the Spice Girls. She was the Posh one, always in sky-high heels and daring dresses. While at the height of her success, she married the most well-known soccer star in the world and gave us a whole knew vision of a soccer mom. Victoria Beckham was always the tame one during her time with the Spice Girls. She let her classic style stand out in the wild sea of hair, platforms and accessories worn by her band mates. Today, Beckham is not only known for her past musical success but also as a force to be reckoned with in the fashion world.

Hardly ever a fashion miss on the red carpet, Beckham’s every day style is what garners the most attention. She has a long list of designers she loves, but is frequently seen wearing her own clothes. Since giving birth to her youngest and only daughter, Beckham’s look has softened. Her style remains classic with edgy details, but soft dresses, flowing hair and breezy tops have also found their way into her wardrobe. One of the most talked about items she has worn is a whimsical cat-print dress from her Victoria, Victoria Beckham collection. Paired with high-heeled platforms and a structured black bag Beckham showed that fun prints could be worn in a grown-up, sophisticated way. She also loved the print so much that she had a smaller version made for her daughter.

At a Fendi dinner in Milan a few years ago she wore a gorgeous low-neck red dress from her high-end clothing line, and the dress had an exquisite fit. While both of her clothing lines have been great successes it come as no surprise to learn that the very shy Beckham had not mentioned to many people in her circle of friends that she was starting her own collection. In a recent interview she discussed her good friend and fellow designer Marc Jacobs’ reaction to learning she was moving onto fashion and how surprised he was that she hadn’t told him. Another look that shows off her sophisticated, stylish but simple sense of style was the dress she wore to the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. At the time pregnant with her daughter, Beckham had been one of the people aside from the bride that the public was eager to see. When she appeared she did not disappoint with a billowing navy-colored dress, black platforms and a beautiful matching fascinator.

Along with her husband Beckham heads up The Victoria and David Beckham Charitable Trust. The main goal of the trust is to provide support to different charities fighting for sick and disabled children. Beckham also supports numerous other charities including the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Malaria No More. She has donated wardrobe pieces so they could be auctioned off to raise money. As a mother of four it is easy to see why causes that affect the well being of young children are held close to her heart and in 2009 she received an award recognizing her as a mother who fights to make a difference.

While she started off as a popstar, Beckham has evolved into not only a fashion icon but of the most celebrated fashion designers in the world. Her clothes can be seen on everyone and she makes no secret of the pride she feels when she sees fellow superstars in her designs. While she leads a busy life with her work and her children, her desire to be involved with charities that benefit children give us an insight into the kind of woman that she is: talented, intelligent and working hard to have it all.