Style Icons: Debbie Harry and Edie Sedgwick
I have a ridiculous amount of style muses, some of the weirdest things and people influence what I wear, seriously anything and everything. Here are just two classic icons for now.
Debbie Harry.
Debbie Harry, I try not to get creepily fanatical about it but Debbie Harry is my ultimate style icon. Back in the day this stylish rocker and iconic singer with her edgy punk-rock sexuality, two-toned blonde hair and vampy pout turned more than a few heads with her daring outfits. Debbie is, as most of you know the lead singer of the 70s/80s new wave punk rock band Blondie. This style pin-up inspired a whole range of leading indie, pop and punk stars. You know you look good when Madonna and Gwen Steffani copycat your style.
How to get the look:
Hunt for eclectic prints, leopard prints are a great choice, slinky mini dresses, electric colours and cool tees, for a mixture of punk and glamour. A typical daywear Debbie outfit would be: knee high boots, a bright blue or acid orange mini jersey dress, a trench coat and a leopard print beret. Always complete the look with an in-your-face bright pink or red lipstick. Try smudged eye makeup too, maybe even go for a blue; just mix and match the tones. Although now hitting pension-age status this style icon shows no signs of slowing down and is still as glamorous and cool as ever.
Edie Sedgwick
Whenever I see pictures of Edie (and I think I have seen nearly hundreds at this point) I always get the impression that her style was almost accidental. I suppose that is what true ‘style’ really is though, being fab by default. Renowned for her onyx eyeliner and peroxide blonde locks; Edie’s high style profile can partly be attributed to the massive exposure she gained from her association with ‘The Factory’, the place to be seen in the 60’s. Friendships with Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan didn’t hurt either. Edie was definitely the icon of a generation. Her street style look was wearable, chic and has been imitated and reinvented ever since that killer pixie cut appeared in American Vogue. A maven of unintentional cool.
How to get the look:
The first thing anyone notices about Edie from any of her iconic pictures is her eye make-up. So arm yourself with a good liquid eye-liner, I would recommend Rimmel, I’ve tried nearly every liquid liner from No 7 to Mac and I still think Rimmel is the best, for beginners choose the precision tip. False eyelashes are a must and lashings of mascara, try Loreal, which is favoured by the likes of Cheryl Cole and Gwen Steffani. Achieving Edie’s liner look is no easy task but handily enough ‘youtube’ have a whole range of ‘how to’ make-up tutorials which can help you to get started. A typical daywear Edie outfit would be black block tights, a rose coloured leotard and a fur coat, accessorized with massive statement earrings and cute ballet pumps. So, have fun getting the look and smolder in style.
Aisling Kennedy
Your Comments
- Posted by emer on 22 April 2010 at 13:0...
- Hi Aisling, I love concentrating on the eyes so thanks for the tips. I find that liquid eyeliner doesn't work for me, i prefer pencil (love the Rimmel black pencil) but I've nver tried Rimmel liquid eye liner so i'll take your advice and give it a go. I too love the Edie look but not so sure about Debbie Harry - think she's a bit too way out for me - not brave enough to war punk glamour just yet, though i love Blondie and she has aged so well!!
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