Image courtesy of Davolo Steiner

Whether you’re a financial analyst by day and rock star by night, define yourself on your own terms. Strip naked, peel off the layers of conventions and discover what lies beneath. It’s akin to being paraded in the buff, or at least it feels that way. Do you scramble to cover up, lest the world sees your flaws, or are you comfortable in your own skin? Not all of us know where we’re heading, we have a vague idea of direction (next stop: Selfridges) but if the compass goes haywire, boy are we in trouble. If you don’t know who you are, who does?

Fashion affords us the luxury of experimentation, the ability to deconstruct, reinvent, and most importantly, rediscover. In short, it allows us to live a little. It may not be the most cost effective process if you have the Imelda Marcos syndrome, but bar a few overdrafts, it’s relatively harmless and a guaranteed ROI.

We admire those with a distinct personality, flair, a certain je ne sais quoi. We celebrate those who dare to explore new frontiers, applaud those who challenge convention. Coco Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent were not free from controversy, but redefined luxury, power dressing, and the liberated woman. The secrets to their success? Remaining true to their visions, beliefs, and themselves.

Chanel’s style was borne of necessity; she couldn’t afford to dress in the mode du jour, so she invented her own style. An eclectic mix of high fashion and functionality, classic LBDs with strings of faux pearls, skirt suits edged with a masculine femininity, Chanel transformed cutting-edge into classic. A cultural and style icon, Chanel nurtured a brand that talked the talk and walked the walk- in two-toned sling-backs.

Similarly, YSL’s le smoking tuxedo and Mondrian shift represented the designer who stated, “It pains me physically to see a woman victimised, rendered pathetic, by fashion.” YSL brushed over the natural curves of a woman to create emancipated silhouettes, casting new roles in fashion’s Theatre of Cruelty. Rejecting prevailing paradigms, Chanel and YSL turned the mirror inward and used it to project a new vision. In short, they broke the rules and rewrote them, on their own terms.

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