Fashion Heroes: Love is in Fashion
What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than to talk about some of our favourite couples who not only defined #relationshipgoals for us but also how being in a relationship (or marriage) increases your fashion quotient?
David Bowie + Iman Adbulmajid
“You would think that a rock star being married to a supermodel would be one of the greatest things in the world. It is.”
The love affair between legendary rockstar David Bowie and his supermodel wife, Iman Abdulmajid, began in 1990 when they met one another at a dinner party. The attraction, according to Bowie, was "immediate and all-encompassing". They got married in 1992 and it lasted till the end of Bowie's life, 24 years later.
“David doesn’t fight. He is English, so he just stays quiet. I’m the screamer,” she said. “Then he always makes me laugh. It’s like cabaret. I keep him entertained too. I still fancy him — totally! — after all these years.”
From looking glamorous in couture to edgy in grunge-chic, David Bowie and Iman always looked good together and were perfectly matched. Their many red carpet moments have been documented by many style bloggers and we've compiled some of our favourite looks below.
And while Iman is known to have walked some of the best runway shows for top designers and becoming the muse for many prominent designers, including Halston, Gianni Versacem, Calvin Klein and Issey Miyake, David Bowie, with his Glam Rock persona has inspired many designers to build collections around his image.
With his Ziggy Stardust alter ego, Bowie was the poster boy for glam-rock. For instance, the Jean Paul Gaultier spring/summer 2013 show paid tribute to Bowie's Ziggy Stardust. Gaultier sent out models in iconic Bowie looks and wore Ziggy Stardust wigs.
Former Balmain designer, Christophe Decarnin, created a collection in 2011 that was inspired by Bowie's Aladdin Sane persona. This was also the first time that
the designer presented crystal-encrusted jumpsuit.
Wallis Simpson + Edward, Duke of Windsor
“My husband gave up everything for me. I’m not a beautiful woman. I’m nothing to look at, so the only thing I can do is dress better than anyone else. ”
If there was ever a fairy tale romance in the modern times, it will be that of Wallis Simpson and her prince charming Edward (who was, for a very brief moment, the King of England). I mean, he gave up his crown and abdicate his thrown for the woman that he loves. They were later conferred the titles of Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
Wallis Simpson was dressed in Mainbocher for her marriage to Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, in 1937. The crepe dress of soft grey-blue was later known as “Wallis blue”. Her co-ordinating blue straw hat, by Caroline Reboux, had a halo effect with pale blue tulle and her matching gloves were created from the same blue silk crepe as her dress. More than 25 years after the wedding it was still regarded as "one of the most photographed, most copied dresses of modern times".
And while Vogue once described Edward as “one of those people who really have glamour", Wallis Simpson was known to be both a style and fashion icon even till today. For his 2011-2012 fall/winter collection, Rouland Mouret designed a gold, embossed silk maxi dress which was inspired by the Duchess.
“Her clothes were as challenging as her approach to royal etiquette. When Coco Chanel’s boyish Breton tops and trimmed box jackets were de riguer, Simpson was trumping the nipped-in waists and corsetry of American couture designer Main Rousseau Bocher.”
Wallis Simpson, as London's The Guardian once reported, always used fashion as a weapon. What she wore took on an even greater significance after her marriage to Edward. And while she may not have been the most beautiful woman in the world, she would make up for it by being the best dressed. She believed she owed him this to make up for all he had given up. Thus, the quote we highlighted above.
She is said to have worn a Paco Rabannespacesuit to one party and at the funeral of the Duke in 1972 - an event when she would have known all the eyes of the world would be on her as she walked next to the Queen Mother - she had Hubert Givenchy stay up all night to perfect the length of her chiffon veil.
Simpson also used her fame to her favourite designers. She was often seen on the front row of Coco Chanel's greatest rival, Elsa Schiaparelli, and was a regular customer of Christian Dior - another radical artist who's voluptuous "New Look" caused a sensation when it launched in 1947.
And while she may have been alienated and ostracised by the British royal family, her legacy to fashion continues to amaze and enthral. Since her death, Simpson has become a symbol of female empowerment as well as a style icon.