Fix Up Look Sharp?

Photographed By Ellinor Forje 

Rewind four years, that’s roughly when this photograph was taken. As much as I’d love to credit the brilliance of the photographer and indulge my ego, the image has endured for a simpler reason; the object in focus. More precisely, the way she’s dressed, and the way she’s standing.

It made me wonder what defines great style. What makes an outfit classic, and what pushes it into the realm of the iconic? I think I understand the first two. Iconification, however, is murkier.

If you asked whether I’d copy this outfit today, the answer would be an unhesitating yes. I like the combination, the hat, the coat, the shoes. I like each piece on its own. More importantly, I still like the look three years later. By my definition, that makes it classic.

But iconic?

Why isn’t it? What transforms clothing into shorthand for a person so that the mere mention of a garment immediately summons a name? 

 Fame? Notoriety? Power? Timing?

To untangle this query, I spun the wheel and went back, far back. Biblical times, even. And since women already command most of the attention here, the men can have the soapbox for a moment, with:

• Top hats — Fred Astaire

• Bandanas — Tupac Shakur

• White gloves — Mickey Mouse

• One white glove — Michael Jackson

• Jesus sandals — Christ

• Fedora hats, pinstripe suits, two-tone brogues — Alphonse Capone

Capone’s style, one could argue, merely reflected the Prohibition era in which he lived. Yet something elevated it. His immaculate Chicago tailoring earned him the nickname “Snorky” among his associates,and “Public Enemy Number One” at the FBI. Style, it seems, cuts both ways, which raises the question: would we remember Capone’s clothes at all if he hadn’t been the man inside them? Would the suits still matter if they weren’t worn by a notorious “legitimate businessman”?

Perhaps that’s the difference between classic and iconic. Classic survives time. Iconic survives because it becomes inseparable from a story, and a person bold enough to wear it until it belongs only to them.