40 and Fabulous: Under the Influence
They’ve embodied aesthetic movements and enlivened many a party. In celebration of W’s 40th anniversary, we look back at the extraordinary muses who’ve inspired four decades of fashion designers. Click here to purchase *W: The First Forty Years*.
1
She designed romantic prints; he, flowing frocks. Together, the married couple—immortalized here in a David Hockney painting—defined seventies bohemian fashion.
2
The singer and actress was Halston’s confidante, nightly sidekick, and Eliza Doolittle of sorts; he provided her with style advice and a smashing wardrobe. (The pair is pictured here with La Liz.)
3
The couturier was rarely seen without a harem of chic collaborators—Schiano (far left) and de la Falaise among them—who collectively defined the YSL look.
4
When Galliano started his label in 1984, this British aristocrat became his right-hand woman, working with the designer until, a dozen years later, he went to Dior and she to Chanel.
5
Long fans of the ethereal actress, Viktor Horsting (right) and Rolf Snoeren cemented their adoration for Swinton with a fall 2003 runway show in which she modeled. Since then, Swinton has bewitched other designers as well—notably, Haider Ackermann.
6
In reviving the elegance of the French footwear label Roger Vivier, brand creative director Frisoni couldn’t have found a more perfect ambassador than this former Chanel model.
7
Jacobs has described Coppola as the type of girl he fantasizes about—and has continually called upon the director to be model, collaborator, and front-row fixture at his shows.
8
The Balenciaga designer has cited the singer-actress’s nontraditional beauty and low-key style as inspirations for his collections— not to mention his first two fragrances, for which she’s the face.
9
Though it was M.I.A’s 2008 hit “Paper Planes” that first got Versace’s attention, the designer has since fallen for the whole multi-culti-rebel package. “She is a total artist,” said Versace in our July 2011 issue.
