this month’s question: Who is your greatest fashion influence
Whether your passion for pretty pearl necklaces came from Wilma Flintstone or Coco Chanel, there’s a good chance that someone inspired your personal style. This month’s letters reveal that a fabulous muse is the best accessory.
“Marlene Dietrich. She wore a top hat and a tux and made it look like women’s wear. Fantastic.” Robin Maillett, Niantic, Connecticut | “Katharine Hepburn personified that wonderful tailored look of the 1940s.” Sandi LoConti, Mahwah, New Jersey | “The crazy color compositions of Andy Warhol inspire me most.” Sarah tiffany, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Growing up watching movies like Funny Face, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Sabrina, I found my role model in Audrey Hepburn. Her clean, classic style reminded me to keep it simple. What could be more perfect than the little black dress?
ASHLEY ATKISSON
Vista, California
My mom and my grandma taught me that fashion is 50 percent what you wear and 50 percent how you wear it. You can make a potato sack look good if you combine it with confidence, a smile, and a really cute pair of shoes.
STEPHANIE GALLAGHER
Salem, Massachusetts
I try to follow Coco Chanel’s motto: “Before you walk out the door, valentines day jewelry one thing off.”
LESLEY MINTON
Willoughby, Ohio
Carrie Bradshaw, baby!
CHARLENE AVALOS
Littleton, Massachusetts
My toddler. The fearlessness with which she combines colors and patterns, never worrying about what’s in or what others might think, inspires me to do my own thing as well. We only live once. Why not shake things up a little?
RACHEL LORBER
Brooklyn, New York
I look up to Lauren Hutton for being true to herself. When she started modeling, she was told to get the gap between her two front teeth fixed, but she refused. That gap, along with her beauty and grace, made her the fashion icon she is today.
DEDE GERBER
El Segundo, California
Parisian women. I lived in France for two years, and they had a major impact on how I dress. Their simple valentines jewelry of style and use of accessories, like beautiful scarves, still influence me today.
NADINE LOMAKIN
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Katharine Ross as Elaine Robinson in The Graduate. Her skirts, boots, sweaters, and hairstyles were very basic but incredibly chic and timeless.
CHRISTINA CARR
Syracuse, New York
My unborn baby. Never in my life have I wanted to show off any rotund features, but the joy and excitement of carrying my first child makes me proud to have a giant watermelon belly. I care less about wearing designer pieces and more about embracing what this new roundness represents.
JENNIFER TOYOHARA
New York, New York
Edie Sedgwick, with her cropped hair and dramatic eye makeup, could turn the simplest dress into a fabulous, head-turning ensemble. And that, to me, is the definition of a true fashionista.
NATALIE REID
Simpsonville, South Carolina
My love for fashion was definitely influenced by my dad’s style. He wore gorgeous suits and was never afraid of color–think a gray flannel pin-striped suit with a lavender French-cuffed shirt and a deep purple paisley tie. He had the ability to be conservative, classic, and trendy all in one outfit, without ever being over-the-top.
LORELEI A. VARGAS
Yonkers, New York
Franco, an elderly gentleman from a small hilltop town in southern Italy. Every day, he wore the same frank gehry tailored, classic wool-tweed sport coat. He always looked attractive and appropriately dressed.
CATHERINE TIEMEYER
Venice, Florida
My grandmother Joyce. She loved mixing chunky cocktail rings with bohemian head scarves and flouncy dresses. She was beautiful because she didn’t care what others considered “fashionable.” She wore what made her feel good.
JESSIE COUBERLY
Santa Cruz, California
[BOX]
“Diane Keaton in Annie Hall. She proved that a woman could be feminine without frills, plunging necklines, or punishing shoes.”
JENNY VIGGIANO
Deltona, Florida
[BOX]
“Pippi Longstocking–pigtails, brightly colored tights, and big, paloma picasso shoes.”
WENDY PINIZZOTTO
North Attleboro, Massachusetts