5 Style Icons to Get Inspiration From

Picking out an outfit can honestly be the most challenging part of the day sometimes. I have spent at least 30 minutes trying to put together a fantastic outfit that I will love and that others will love too. Whenever I struggle to pick outfits, I always look to celebrities and style icons for inspiration. While there are so many people I look to for inspiration, my top 5 inspirations are Audrey Hepburn, Emma Chamberlain, Princess Diana, A$AP Rocky, and Wisdom Kaye. 

Photo: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via CNN

Audrey Hepburn is one big name in the fashion industry, she was iconic and loved by so many. She was not afraid to wear something outside the box and different than anyone else. This helped her become a trendsetter for everyone else because she gave everyone new ideas and freed them from the “fashion rules”. 

A few of the trends that she initiated were the classic white button-down and the little black dress, made popular by Audrey Hepburn herself. While Chanel was the original designer of the little black dress in the 1920s, Hepburn’s movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s where she wore a custom dress designed by Hubert de Givenchy himself set the trend and made it the classic that it is today. 

Photo: Aritzia via Elle

Emma Chamberlain, one of te most influential contemporary figures has garbed herself a name in fashion. Chamberlain started her Youtube channel back in 2017 teaching DIYs, however, she quickly turned to vlogs as her channel began to grow. As her channel was evolving, she began to dive into the fashion world and received her first partnership with Louis Vuitton in 2019.

She is one to look to because she is unafraid to wear something that could be considered ugly. She has developed a personal style through this by wearing a statement “ugly” piece and styling the rest of the outfit around it. More recently, Chamberlain’s style has grown to be one that can be considered timeless and classic with closet staples being used a lot with a little flare thrown in them. 

Photo: Tim Graham Photo Library via People

Similar to Audrey Hepburn, Princess Diana is considered to be a classic style icon and an inspiration to many. Not only is she a fashion icon, but she is one to look to when it comes to humanitarianism, her philanthropic work will never be forgotten.

There will never be a dress more famous than her revenge dress, an off-the-shoulder, mini, thigh dress which broke so many of the royal rules. Why revenge? Diana wore this killer outfit the same day Prince Charles’ tell-all documentary aired confessing to his adulterous actions when married to her. No words needed, just that dress.

While she was an inspiration for formal wear, wearing beautiful and classic pieces to events, she also kept it casual in day-to-day life. Biker shorts have blown up in the past few years, but Princess Diana was the original trendsetter for this. She would style a pair of black biker shorts with a crewneck when she was going to the gym or running casual errands. 

Photo: Getty Images via Vogue

Named one of the best-dressed men of his time, A$AP Rocky will always be one to look to when needing inspiration. Rakim Mayers, or A$AP Rocky, styles many original outfits and has broken through the barriers of men’s fashion. From the streets to the Met Gala, Mayers is always bringing one of the best looks at the event. 

Mayers is responsible for the previous trend of colorful bandanas from when he walked out to Paris Fashion Week in a matching top and bottom from Loewe’s Spring 2019 collection. This is known as one of Rocky’s best looks and could also be seen as one of his most trendsetting and effective looks.

Photo: Myles Loftin via Models.com

Finally, Wisdom Kaye is my last suggestion for fashion inspiration. Kaye blew up on Tik Tok in 2020 when the “Vogue Challenge” was going around. He has gained a huge following on the app since then, has been featured in Vogue multiple times, and was on Forbes 30 under 30 list for 2023 under the arts and style category. Vogue has also named him the “Best Dressed Guy on Tik Tok” (Allaire 2020). 

Kaye has made it clear to his fans that there is a difference between his looks and his day-to-day personal style. He creates many looks based on time periods stretching back to the year 1500, and also different movies and TV show characters such as Marvel, Star Wars, and even the Minions movie. However, his daily style is more toned down with shorts, flare jeans, t-shirts, leather jackets, and tank tops.