Style Icons - Daring Women Who Inspire

1. Debbie Harry- Couture Punk

So you think you can Blondie? The mother of all punk inspired clothing, Harry styled and inspired people all over the globe. She dared to invent and challenge the clothing style of the 70's punk heyday. While others were wearing free flowing hippy style clothing (think Stevie Knicks), Harry was venturing out at St Marks Place, buying skull t-shirts, large pink sunglasses, berets and motorcycle jackets. Once deemed a Punk Playmate, Harry's influence on the masses is seen today. Where? Just walk out in the street or turn on your TV. Icon Rule: Shop vintage and be an individual.

2. Audrey Hepburn - My Fair Lady

Hubert de Givenchy said she was "a gift from on high". Givenchy designed all of the costumes in her films. She made the little black dress the "IT" item. Her style thrived with beehive hairdos, pearls and white gloves. Yes, thank you Audrey for the timeless influence. In the dictionary she is under the word Chic. Thanks to her, capris, polo necks and the ballet shoe have become immortal. Who could forget her in Roman Holiday or How to steal a Million, who else could get away with head to toe white? Whatever she wore it was sure to be the next fashion must have. She wore one style her entire life and never fell prey to the changing fashion world. She wore items with such simplicity that they never aged. Icon Rule: Keep it simple.

3. Edie Sedgwick - The Girl In The Black Tights

Like all beautiful creatures Warhol captured, Edie Sedgwick ballooned into a fashion Icon. She wore black tights with everything so much so that she was called the Girl in black tights. In 2005 John Galliano announced that Edie Sedgwick inspired both his haute couture and ready-to-wear collections for Christian Dior. Teamed with simple dresses and bold accessories, Sedgwick wore minimal make-up, focusing on dark eyes and platinum cropped locks as her signature look. Kate Moss and Sienna Miller have followed Edie's sense of style and in doing so have made themselves two of the most sought after fashion icons of today. Icon Rule: Develop your own style and run with it.

4. Princess Diana - The Candle In The Wind

Diana once said she wanted to be thought of as a workhorse and not a clotheshorse. She was elegant, careful in her fashion choices and was photo ready at all times. Diana was at one point the most photographed woman in the world. With designers fawning all over her to make her garments, women driving their hairdressers crazy demanding her haircut and the paparazzi in a spin, it is not hard to see why she developed herself as an icon. Her tailored suits, form hugging cocktail dresses, matching hats, camisoles in lacey silk and fabulous jewels, made women drool in envy. In June 1997 Princess Diana auctioned 79 of her most famous dresses and raised over $325 million for Aids and Cancer charities. Icon Rule: Dress elegantly, choosing quality items and luxury fabrics.

Article by Rebecca Machalek

Graduating with a Major in History/literature from the University of Melbourne. Rebecca Machalek studied classical dance at the Victorian College of The Arts and The Australian Ballet School. She is a published writer and now lives in New York City.