Style Icon: Elizabeth Taylor
The term "Style Icon" has been bandied about a lot in recent years, and applied to many people who perhaps don't deserve the title yet, but at Little Wings Factory we believe that Elizabeth Taylor is one lady who can truly claim to have had an iconic look that is remembered (and copied) by many. In her 79 years on this planet, she went through several marriages, several billion dollars’ worth of diamonds, and gallons of eyeliner - but her style remained constant. In this post, we will look a little bit at who the woman was, and what her influence on fashion today has been.
Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born in London in 1932. With her family, she relocated to Los Angeles just before the start of World War Two where she was spotted by a film studio scout and appeared in her first film - "There's One Born Every Minute" at the age of nine. She continued to act for most of her life, appearing in 76 films in all, with some of her most famous films being: National Velvet, Cleopatra, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (which she won an Academy Award for).
Elizabeth Taylor was fearless when it came to style - there were no Audrey Hepburn style dresses in her wardrobe! Unlike Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth favoured showing off her curves and often wore dresses with plunging necklines to show off just the right amount of cleavage without being vulgar! She loved out of the box styles and the more bling, the better and was often seen in outfits adorned in sequins, beads, feathers, flowers and bows. She certainly stood out on the red carpet and was often featured in newspapers and magazines.
Image sourced from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Taylor)
Another part of her style was colour - she was all about bright and bold hues. Whether glamming it up for the red carpet or lounging around at home in a Kaftan - the brighter the colour was, the better. Elizabeth was also a huge fan of gorgeous and expensive jewels - the bigger, the better. Lucky enough to own many one of a kind rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings, she took every available opportunity to pile them on to exude opulence and glamour wherever she was.
In the 1950s, she was voted "The Most Beautiful Woman In The World" and holds the record for the most Life magazine covers - 11 in all. Hollywood could not get enough of her glamorous style statements - although there were definitely two camps - one who wore the simple Audrey Hepburn style dresses and one who loved the campness of Elizabeth Taylor's style. As she grew older, her style choices became even more outrageous, and towards the end of her life she attended many events in a wheelchair swathed in silk caftans and draped in velvet and fur wraps. In 1997, at the age of 65, she was awarded the "Lifetime of Glamour Award" from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Image sourced from Wikipedia:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elizabeth_Taylor_(210599873).jpg)
Elizabeth Taylor was not just a silver screen siren and style icon but captured the heart of millions with her covetable curves and picture perfect smile. Her beauty redefined the classic Hollywood aesthetic, and her style preferences still influence fashion to this day.
To explore our range of vintage style clothing, including Audrey Hepburn style dresses, please check out our website at: www.littlewingsfactory.co.uk