Select Page
Six Fashion Icons of NYC

Six Fashion Icons of NYC

New York City is known for many things: lively streets, exceptional food, a forward-looking culture, and all things fashion. Throughout the centuries, the combination of elegance, edginess, and creativity has made New York a hotbed for fashion–both on the streets and the runway. No two New Yorkers have quite the same style, and true fashionistas have unique interpretations of what is “in”.

From Sarah Jessica Parker to Audrey Hepburn, it’s undeniable that fashionable women have made a home for themselves in New York. Everyone has his or her favorite, but here are six unforgettable fashion icons who have awed, inspired, and set the runway that is New York ablaze.

Audrey Hepburn

In Breakfast at Tiffany’s Audrey Hepburn’s character redefined the modern New York woman on the go. Pastry in hand with oversized sunglasses, chunky pearls, and a chic black dress, this fashion moment has no doubt been replayed by stylish women everywhere. Off screen, she was said to reach for the understated, yet classic garments–like ballet flats, cigarette pants, and simple black tops. But regardless of what fashion persona she donned, Hepburn inspired the rise of black as the go-to color for New Yorkers.

Sarah Jessica Parker

For years she played Carrie Bradshaw on Sex In The City. Her character’s look was a swirl of fur coats, tousled hair, silky slips, rock tee-shirts, designer handbags, and Manolo Blahniks. For Carrie, anything could be high-fashion if you styled it the right way. Sarah Jessica Parker, like Bradshaw, spent the majority of her adult life roaming the streets of Manhattan. She is always on-trend and has a similarly adventurous style as her TV character in real life. To showcase her eye for shoes, she launched her own shoe line in 2014, which quickly became a favorite of celebs.

Grace Jones

No list could be complete without the powerhouse of style who is Grace Jones. In the ‘70s and ‘80s, she was frequently sighted at Studio 54, Andy Warhol’s Factory, and the hippest nightclubs. Her striking androgynous style was a photographers dream, and left magazine editors clamoring for more. While Grace Jones can pull off just about anything, the boxy blazer and crew cut was definitely her signature look.

Patti Smith

Patty Smith burst onto the NYC music scene in 1975 with her album Horses. Her attitude is punk-rock, but her captivating style is casual and effortlessly thrown together. She favors men’s button-down shirts and baggy blazers paired with her signature dark tousled waves and piercing gaze. It’s been more than 40 years since her launch to stardom, but she’s still inspirational to women who aim to be unabashedly themselves.

Edie Sedgwick

Edie Sedgwick is easily recognizable by her dramatic eyeliner, dark eyebrows, and bleach blonde pixie cut which still inspires with many YouTube tutorials. She was a major face of New York party scene in the ’60s and rubbed shoulders with stars and musicians from Andy Warhol to Bob Dylan. Her mod, chic look is one that will inspire high fashion for years to come.

Diana Vreeland

Diana Vreeland was one of the most influential figures the fashion industry has ever seen. She was an editor for Harper’s Bazaar followed by Vogue, and is credited with discovering Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall and ‘It” girl Edie Sedgwick.

She provided style advice to the New York fashion elite, and is credited for making the Met Gala into the star-studded event it is today. Through Vogue and Harper’s magazines, her avant-garde approach captivated women all over the country.

These are just a few New York City fashion icons from a very long list, all with one thing in common: fearlessness. As long as women get dressed in the morning, the New York look will continue to innovate our closets, and inspire us to look a little bit cooler, and be a little bit bolder.

6 Iconic NYC Transplants

6 Iconic NYC Transplants

Not every famous New Yorker grew up in the five boroughs. One of the things that make this city special is its ability to attract the best, brightest, and most interesting people not only from across the country but around the world. This city has a powerful draw on people who are looking to make an impact in a variety of fields, from music to fashion to fine art. These are just six of the many transplants who left their hometowns to become a part of it all in the Big Apple.

Bob Dylan

He’s got walking tours dedicated to his New York history, and more than one Greenwich Village venue has become iconic thanks to hosting him in his early days, but Bob Dylan originally hailed from a spot over 1,000 miles away from those vaunted corners. The man most closely associated with the city’s mid-century folk scene was born Robert Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota, and came to the city in 1961. His music belongs to the world now, but it developed into the voice of a generation here in NYC.

Diane von Furstenburg

NYC’s status as a fashion capital wouldn’t be possible without the global assortment of talents that flock here to make their names known, one of the biggest of which is this former Princess. Born in Belgium, Diane von Furstenberg attended fashion school in Geneva and Madrid before making the big move across the Atlantic. Once she arrived in New York she quickly made a name for herself with her iconic wrap dress, and since then her name has been worn by the likes of Michelle Obama and the Princess of Cambridge.

Andy Warhol

Art is one of New York’s greatest attractions, with countless galleries and museums filled with works of global importance that touch every corner of the mind. Andy Warhol’s ruminations on fame and image defined the pop art movement and made him an international figure and the ultimate New York tastemaker. Warhol was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, earning his degree in design from Carnegie Mellon University before he moved to NYC to start a career as an illustrator. Today, his native town is home to the Andy Warhol Museum, but the streets where he became a legend are right here in New York City.

Sean Combs

The rap impresario who “ran the city” in 2003 and jump-started the careers of beloved artists like the Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige is one of the foremost musical icons of the city, with his Bad Boy Records headquartered right up the block from Times Square. Although technically born in Harlem, Sean “Diddy” Combs” grew up just outside the city in Mount Vernon. He quickly made his way into NYC with an internship at Uptown Records in his early 20s though, and the rest is hip-hop (and New York) history.

Mike Bloomberg

It’s hard to get any more accomplished in NYC than being elected mayor, but even before that Michael Bloomberg had made a name for himself as a financial entrepreneur, with his Bloomberg financial terminals in every financial office across the country. The billionaire businessman’s origins are north of the city in the greater Boston area, where he grew up before coming to the city to work on Wall Street. Bloomberg famously stood by his guns as a loyal Red Sox fan during his tenure as mayor, taking the ire of Yankee fans in stride.

Frank Sinatra

He might be best known for the famous ode “New York, New York,” but as any true fan of old blue eyes can tell you, he was born and raised across the river in Hoboken, New Jersey. Young Frank spent his days honing his beloved singing voice in clubs across the Garden State before selling out packed houses like NYC’s Carnegie Hall and the Paramount Theater. He’s still a New York icon today, with a performing arts high school in Astoria, Queens bearing his name.