Friends, once again I come to you for help.
After yesterday's post about female style icons I realized that nearly everybody -- Cathy included -- has a style icon except me. I am among the icon-challenged.
I've thought about possibilities but I'm hitting a wall.
Naturally, one starts with those one is said most closely to resemble.
Zac, obviously. But he has very different coloring than I do and he's hardly a fashion leader.
Paul. He was short, but I don't know...I'm not feeling it.
Dan. He's certainly attractive in a boy band sort of way, but that shirt...no, he's off the list.
Then there are the classic debonair types:
Elegant and well tailored all, but I'm not a suit and tie sort of guy. I've never worn a pocket square in my life and I'm not about to start now. Uh uh.
What's to become of me, readers? It's like being out to sea without an anchor or a sail or a rudder or something; I haven't spent much time on boats to be honest.
So this is what I ask of you. You know me pretty well by now. Give me two names. One a living person, one dead. Living, so I can trust this person dresses like people really do today; dead, so I can potentially track down some of their old clothes.
As for valuable prizes, I have some fantastic vintage patterns I've accumulated over the last year. I'll let you pick one; we'll work something out. But goodness, I would hope you'll do this out of friendship and not for the reward.
Won't you find me a style icon? Please.
Yeah, John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever :) (You could rock the disco look) or dead, not sure since you don't want the dapper suits/pocket square.
ReplyDeletesome one old and someone dead ... where's a poor girl to start?
ReplyDeletedead ... i'm going to say Mr Darcy from P&P. who doesn't love an 18th century man in skin tight duds, a cut away jacket and knee high boots. and looming large in my mind is either colin firth (1995 version) or david rintoul (1980). be still my beating heart ... damn, he's supposed to be your style icon and not mine!
alive ... mmm, johnny depp? looks equally good dressed up or down, and definitely has his own mind and sense of style.
happy choosing.
I sit here musing on a possible icon for you and I just can't seem to come up with one. That adorable photo of you at the top of the page reminds me of Gilligan, but cuter. Maybe it was your reference to boats that put him in my head...and then I ask myself," Is Gilligan alive or dead?" " Who is Gilligan?"
ReplyDeleteYour Harem Pants adventure brings "Boy George" to mind...but eh...NO!!!
I think of you as that clean cut boy next door kind of guy (makes a mother proud). I know. how about Troy Donahue!!! Especially Troy Donahue in "Susan Slade". He wore nice straight leg pants with a close fit (this would show off your wonderful ass) and collared polo shirts. I know you're not quite as broad in the shoulders but you could pull it off. Is he dead?
I don't keep up with the stars of today to give you a living person relevant to today's style. I'm a sad sack that likes living in the past.
Good luck finding your perfect icon..I'm sure one of your readers will find the perfect one for you.
For the life of me I can't think of a living man whose style impresses me at all.
ReplyDeleteBut for the "dead" column, I'd like to nominate Gene Kelly - debonair, handsome, old hollywood, short even, BUT rarely wore a suit. His personal style was really very casual for his time. All sorts of non-suited, yet stylish options. Check out google images for photos -- don't know if you want to go so far as the sailor suit though.
Gene Kelly - both the master of a dapper casual look, and a dancer who carries himself with the same grace that you do, and Brad Pitt. In spite of occasional facial hair mistakes, he's someone contemporary who knows that everyday style isn't sloppy, and he has a sunny seventies/ Robert Redford vibe that I feel could inspire you.
ReplyDeleteDid the Baby Gap inspire that hat?
ReplyDeleteNathan Fillion. As the Firefly guy or the debonair cop/writer guy, he's got class or suspenders or both.
http://tvangel.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/nathanfillion1.jpg
My brain is dead for the dead this morning.
http://www.pynkcelebrity.com/archives/38645
Your post from yesterday got me thinking too --I have no style icon either. And I didn't know half the (living) people that others were mentioning. When I think of style I always think of old movies.
ReplyDeleteSo far I like the ones the others have mentioned for you. If I can't even find an icon for me I certainly can't find one for someone else.
Why do you find it necassary to have a style icon? If you're comfortable in what you are wearing, be happy. If you're not happy, change what you're wearing.
ReplyDeleteLiving: I second Brad Pitt. Classic and hip without being a stereotype. I'd also suggest Clinton Kelly too. Yes, yes, he'd make you wear a pocket square on occasion, but he also knows the value of a flowered shirt.
ReplyDeleteDead:Steve McQueen? Could you rock the shawl-collared sweater as well as the motorcycle jacket?
I'm having trouble coming up with someone dead that didn't wear suits exclusively. Did men wear anything else before 1964???? I think not. Any further back and it's more costume than style. Hmm, how about Robin Hood? How do you feel about hunter green tunics and leather breeches? Shakespeare? Nah. Those puffy shorts would make you look too hippy.
Steve McQueen & Ewan McGregor.
ReplyDeleteLooking through IMDB, Steve McQueen could make a 3/4 length shirt and khaki's look pretty cool, he seems more of a jacket and open collar shirt kind of guy. I think he walks a good line of looking polished and casual. And he can work a slim fitting pair of pants much like yourself.
Ewan McGregor because he looks pretty suave and takes a few risks. http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/mcgregor-suffers-at-the-hands-of-country-music-fan_1066391 I think it's pretty cool how he brought a jacket and scarf together like that. He can rock a good casual look like this. http://www.contactmusic.com/photos.nsf/main/ewan_mcgregor_1969599
Cathy
The problem with male style icons is that they're mostly guys with good tailors and handsome faces. Sometimes the lapels are wider than others. Now that's less so than in previous decades, but it's still not easy to find a guy who really has a style of his own.
ReplyDeleteMy live icon for you is Andre Benjamin aka Andre 3000 of the hip hop group Outkast who occasionally makes a mistake, but usually does a great take on something that starts with preppy and ends with zoot suit. The man loves a hat and he loves color. Just like you!
For my dead icon I choose Ernest Hemingway. Classic, casual, looks good shooting a lion. (Although I have to say, Gene Kelly is a brilliant pick, and I'm kicking myself that I didn't think of it first.)
I don't have a style icon and don't really want one. I'd rather be me than try to be someone else. That said, I do enjoy studying body types and fashion personalities and other what to - what not to - wear info. It's fascinating (to me at least) and helps me understand why I like what I like. And when I don't fit the description, that's okay too because I'd rather be unique than "average". Rather than finding an icon, I'd love to find more time. My wish list isn't making it into real time.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about living, but that picture of you in the floppy hat screams Gilligan to me!
ReplyDeleteDead icon: a young Douglas Fairbanks elder. Sure, he's mostly seen in costume or suits, but he rocked them. Alternate choice: Randolph Scott. Steve McQueen is good, but Peter needs a more cheerful icon.
ReplyDeleteLiving icon: Alan Cumming.
Why should someone who already IS a style icon need a style icon??
ReplyDeleteThat said, if you must have one, I think the previously suggested Clinton Kelly was a good choice.
Dead icon: John Lennon.
ReplyDeletehttp://photoallan.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/john-lennon.jpg?w=500
Live icon: Takashi Murakami
http://theartscene1.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/takashi_murakami.jpg
Both risk-takers and rebels, with a good dose of insouciance thrown in. Their styles are casual but also daring. I bet they'd both go dumpster diving with you too.
Alive - Adam Green. He's always casual, with a good mix of grunge and trendy.
ReplyDeleteDead - Heath Ledger. He's classically handsome, a little mysterious. His style is versatile but not stuffy.
You both have different shapes, but Emerson from Pushing Daisies or Ned would be great style icons!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thepiemaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/chi.jpg
http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/071029/emerson01_l.jpg
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/io9/2009/01/pushingd.jpg
I love his style on Pushing Daisies! Great classic pieces with a surprise pop of color or pattern. Ned's style is great too, but more laid-back.
Living: Jason Mraz (you sometimes dress in a way that reminds me of him, plus the lyrics of his songs and his easy going, fun nature remind me of you)
ReplyDeleteDead: Frank Sinatra (good style)
Oooh -- I LIKE that Jason Mraz person (whoever he is). Cute!
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas, guys; keep 'em coming.
Errol Flynn or Clark Gable in the still dead category. Also, sadly, John Kennedy, Sr and Jr.
ReplyDeleteStill on the planet: Pierce Brosnan or Tommy Tune (in The Boyfriend--20s sportswear)
But you totally rock your own style, Peter Rabbit, you just haven't realized it yet.
William Powell for the dead. I have to second the Andre Benjamin suggestion for the living. (By the way, it is very nice to meet you.)
ReplyDeleteLiving: David Beckham
ReplyDeleteDead: James Dean
Imaginary: Pee Wee Herman
Leonard Cohen. He rocks the hats, and you like'em too.
ReplyDeleteI think whatever decision you make, it should be more about style than body type. Just because you are taller than an icon that does not mean you cannot still reference their looks. Especially when it comes to icons who have passed, most of those guys were shorter than men of today.
ReplyDeleteAside from the Gilligan suggestion (which is a character rather than a living person, therefore it's costume) I don't think anybody has chosen an icon that pegs your camp. I don't have good suggestions since I've really never studied living and dead men for their style sense.
A sense of humor is hard to convey through clothing because it's riding a fine line between being witty and fun or tacky and attention seeking.
Though not a style icon I guess, you should take a serious look at Italian designer Franco Moschino's work. He combines great quality garments with an unmatched sense of humor.
Thomas Fersen...as comfortable in a suit as a tutu.....and mesmerizingly handsome. You can totally pull off a fish pocket square.
ReplyDeleteAs for the dead... Nudie Cohn of course or any of his creations.
Andre Agassi and Marc Jacobs are the two that spring to mind instantly. Google Andre Agassi and look at some current pictures. I think he has the same casual elegance as you.
ReplyDeleteok ok.
ReplyDeleteAlive... PRINCE!!! So carefree, sexy and just plain cool (if not getting a little creepy these days). But still he's Prince.
Dead... hrmmm...Elvis.... same reasons as above!
Good luck finding an icon Peter :-)
And I'm still thinking yesterday's question over!
ReplyDeleteI think Anderson Cooper is a good looking dude who wears his clothes well. I'm not sure if he is particularly stylish because I don't see him in much except black tees (in LA) or suits. However in online pics he looks very sharp. (Is the term sharp too dated?)
For the dead guy, I think Fred Astaire is a definite style icon. In his earlier pics, he often wore costumey clothes, and he wore them, they did not wear him. In later life he wore open throated shirts, ascots and jackets, didn't he? The whole fifties Hollywood look, which I now recognize as very cool. He also wore a hat well.
Even though you wouldn't want to copy Astaire, you could do worse than have him for an icon.
Ok now back to me. I've got to figure out MY icon!
mr clooney. classy, smooth and completely gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with Aurora F. who said
ReplyDelete"The problem with male style icons is that they're mostly guys with good tailors and handsome faces. Sometimes the lapels are wider than others. Now that's less so than in previous decades, but it's still not easy to find a guy who really has a style of his own."
I love Tom and Lorenzo's posts on men's fashion shows, the clothes are hilarious! But between giggles I ask myself why there is no middle ground between boring and ridiculous in menswear.
Steve McQueen and Will Smith.
ReplyDeleteJimmy Stewart, Peter. Hands down.
ReplyDeleteLiving: Brandon Flowers -- lead singer of The Killers
ReplyDeleteStill Living but classic enough to be inspiring: Michael York
My female style icon: Ava Gardner - especially in Mogambo. Grace who????
Living - Stanley Tucci. That plaid suit in The Devil Wears Prada is so you! n'est ce pas?
ReplyDeleteDead - Buster Keaton. He is playful, though shy and willing to take risks. And you would totally rock a boat hat. :)
You remind me of Adrian Brody. His real life style is a bit whacky, but I think it suits him. And the suit he wore as Szpilman in The Pianist... fabulous.
ReplyDelete