Fashion

Style icons from the year you were born

Are you an Audrey or a Marilyn, or perhaps a Diana? Find out which style icon was making waves in the year you were born.

From Grace Kelly to Madonna, take a look back at the style icons of the second half of the twentieth century and discover who the sartorial star was the year you were born.

This gallery first appeared on Grazia UK.

1950 – Audrey Hepburn

1950 – Audrey Hepburn

One of the most cherished style icons of the twentieth century, Audrey Hepburn’s film career kicked off in the fifties.

1951 – Elizabeth Taylor

1951 – Elizabeth Taylor

With her hourglass figure and signature scarlet lip, Elizabeth Taylor was the ultimate fifties icon.

1952 – Jean Patchett

1952 – Jean Patchett

One of the first high fashion models, Jean Patchett was on the cover of numerous magazines throughout the forties and the fifties.

1953 – Marilyn Monroe

1953 – Marilyn Monroe

No look back at style would be complete without a mention of Marilyn Monroe. 1953 was a breakthrough year for Marilyn with roles in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Niagara.

1954 – Grace Kelly

1954 – Grace Kelly

1954 was a busy year for Grace Kelly – she appeared in five films resulting in Life magazine calling it ‘The Year of Grace’.

1955 – Sophia Loren

1955 – Sophia Loren

The Italian actress and member of Hollywood royalty got her breakthrough in The Gold of Naples in 1955.

1956 – Brigitte Bardot

1956 – Brigitte Bardot

A natural brunette, Bardot’s career turned around when she became a blonde bombshell in 1956.

1957 – Jean Seberg

1957 – Jean Seberg

In 1957 the elegant French actress made her film debut in the title role of Saint Joan.

1958 – Sandra Dee

1958 – Sandra Dee

With her perfectly coiffed blonde curls and immaculate style choices, American actress Sandra Dee continues to influence fashion fans today.

1959 – Doris Day

1959 – Doris Day

The actress and style icon bagged an Academy Award nomination for her role in the 1959 film, The Pillow Talk.

1960 – Jackie Kennedy

1960 – Jackie Kennedy

A fashion icon and lover of pink way before millennials, Jackie Kennedy’s exquisite style never dates.

1961 – Catherine Deneuve

1961 – Catherine Deneuve

Still referenced by fashion designers today, Deneuve was the original French ‘It’ girl.

1962 – Francoise Hardy

1962 – Francoise Hardy

The eternally chic French pop star was a street style star long before social media.

1963 – Dusty Springfield

1963 – Dusty Springfield

One of the most iconic sounds of the sixties, Springfield was also adored for her big lashes, bigger hair and her love of a column dress.

1964 – Jean Shrimpton

1964 – Jean Shrimpton

An icon of swinging London, Shrimpton was famed for her mod meets glam look.

1965 – Edie Sedgwick

1965 – Edie Sedgwick

Andy Warhol’s long-term muse and one of America’s first ‘it’ girls, Edie’s leggings, mini dresses and dark kohl liner defined sixties style.

1966 – Mary Quant

1966 – Mary Quant

One of the designers who took credit for inventing the mini skirt, Quant was also a style icon in her own right.

1967 – Twiggy

1967 – Twiggy

1967 was the year Twiggy broke America appearing on the cover of US Vogue three times in twelve months.

1968 – Mia Farrow

1968 – Mia Farrow

In 1968 Farrow gained her first leading film role in Rosemary’s baby.

1969 – Jane Birkin

1969 – Jane Birkin

Never without a heavy fringe, an effortless outfit and straw basket in tow, Jane Birkin provides perennial holiday wardrobe inspiration.

1970 – Joni Mitchell

1970 – Joni Mitchell

1970 was the year that Joni Mitchell released one of her biggest hits, Big Yellow Taxi. Not just loved for her unique sound, her bohemian style cemented her as a seventies style icon.

1971 – Anita Pallenberg

1971 – Anita Pallenberg

The Italian actress and muse of the Rolling Stones never put a sartorial foot wrong. We would love to raid her wardrobe full of sparkling mini dresses, shearling coats and bell bottom jeans.

1972 – Liza Minelli

1972 – Liza Minelli

Gaining worldwide success for her Academy Award-winning role in the 1972 musical film Cabaret, Minelli will always be remembered for her glittering seventies style.

1973 – Dolly Parton

1973 – Dolly Parton

We love the country star for her commitment to voluminous blonde hair and OTT style.

1974 – Diane Von Furstenberg

1974 – Diane Von Furstenberg

In 1974 Diane Von Furstenberg famously invented the wrap dress a style that still rules on the runway today.

1975 – Diana Ross

1975 – Diana Ross

With her sparkling on-stage outfits, towering curls and dramatic eye makeup, Diana Ross was one of the Seventies most glamorous style icons.

1976 – Farrah Fawcett

1976 – Farrah Fawcett

One of the most defining images of the decade, Farrah Fawcett’s knit/kick flare/Nikes combo is still relevant today.

1977 – Debbie Harry

1977 – Debbie Harry

With her bleach blonde hair, dark kohl liner and collection of band tees, Blondie was the original rock chick.

1978 – Cher

1978 – Cher

Never one to do things subtly, Cher’s glittering bodysuit from the video for her 1978 track, Disco Inferno, is one of our all-time favourite looks.

1979 – Jerry Hall

1979 – Jerry Hall

Throughout the seventies Jerry Hall’s polished and glamorous style meant she always looked every inch the supermodel.

1980 – Marie Osmond

1980 – Marie Osmond

The singer and member of the showbiz family epitomised the glamorous style of the eighties.

1981 – Lauren Hutton

1981 – Lauren Hutton

Just as successful now as she was in the seventies and eighties, Lauren Hutton’s carefree approach to fashion has always inspired.

1982 – Bianca Jagger

1982 – Bianca Jagger

Whether in a tailored suit or show-stopping gown, Bianca Jagger always knew how to make an entrance.

1983 – Jane Fonda

1983 – Jane Fonda

An actress, activist and fashion icon, in the eighties Jane Fonda was also famed for kick starting the craze for at-home exercise videos.

1984 – Grace Jones

1984 – Grace Jones

The singer and model at centre of the Studio 54 scene continued to inspire throughout the eighties..

1985 – Brooke Shields

1985 – Brooke Shields

Revered for her perfect eyebrows and cool-girl approach to fashion, Brooke Shields is one of the defining faces of the eighties.

1986 – Princess Diana

1986 – Princess Diana

Whether she was wearing a full-length gown for a State dinner or in sportswear on the school run, Princess Diana’s style choices never failed.

1987 – Iman

1987 – Iman

Model, YSL muse and wife of David Bowie, Iman was also known for her exquisite taste in clothes.

1988 – Cindy Crawford

1988 – Cindy Crawford

Part of the original troupe of supermodels, in the eighties and early nineties you could not pass a news stand without seeing Cindy Crawford on a cover.

1989 – Naomi Campbell

1989 – Naomi Campbell

In 1989 Naomi Campbell was the first black model to appear on the cover of American Vogue.

1990 – Madonna

1990 – Madonna

Forever switching up her sartorial allegiances, in 1990 for her Blonde Ambition Tour, Madonna wore the now-famous bra designed by John Paul Gaultier.

1991 – Carla Bruni

1991 – Carla Bruni

Long before she married the French president, Carla Bruni was a model, singer and influential style star.

1992 – Claudia Schiffer

1992 – Claudia Schiffer

Another member of the nineties supermodel elite, in the nineties the German model was a GUESS girl and the face of Chanel.

1993 – Alicia Silverstone

1993 – Alicia Silverstone

While Clueless’ Che Horowitz forever holds a place in our hearts as a nineties style icon, Alicia Silverstone also had a wardrobe we would love to raid.

1994 – Kate Moss

1994 – Kate Moss

Her face defined the nineties era of ‘heroin chic’ and her effortless grungy style makers her an inspiration to this day.

1995 – Courtney Love

1995 – Courtney Love

Punk icon and wife of Kurt Cobain, by the mid-nineties Courtney Love had quit her band Hole and started out on her own.

1996 – Winona Ryder

1996 – Winona Ryder

In the nineties Winona Ryder was not just a box office success but a style icon too.

1997 – Jennifer Aniston

1997 – Jennifer Aniston

While all anyone could talk about when it came to her character Rachel was that haircut, on the red carpet Jennifer Aniston gave us style inspo by the bucketload.

1998 – The Spice Girls

1998 – The Spice Girls

We couldn’t choose just one member of The Spice Girls – to us they’re all style icons!

1999 – Elizabeth Hurley

1999 – Elizabeth Hurley

Ever since she walked the red carpet in that safety pin Versace dress, Liz Hurley established herself as a style icon to watch.

2000 – Sarah Jessica Parker

2000 – Sarah Jessica Parker

Both SJP and her shoe-loving alter ego Carrie Bradshaw were late noughties style icons.

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