STYLE ICON SATURDAY/ eighteen

ANDRE 3000
André Lauren Benjamin

There are so many stylish men in Hip Hop right now. The big three that immediately come to mind for me are Kanye West, Pharrell Williams and of course, André 3000. I could write a full length post on each of those men, and I more than likely will, but today we're going to focus solely on André 3000 and his dapper style.

What I admire most about André's style is the way he can add personal and eccentric touches on sophisticated looks. Although he often wears a suit, he pairs his suits with pieces like loud prints, hats, bow ties and suspenders. This is a man who isn't afraid of colour, prints or thinking outside the box. The most memorable outfit of his, for me anyway, is the green and plaid ensemble he was absolutely rocking in the video for Hey Ya. Of course he's had a million and one other memorable outfits, as well as hit songs, but if you were to mention André 3000 around me that would be the first image that comes to mind.

In 2008 André created his own fashion line called Benjamin Bixby. Although the line was short lived, I believe it made a big impact on the fashion world and certainly caused a change in his personal style. In my opinion it was that brand as well as his personal style choices at the time that made him stand out as a fashion icon.

His style is an inspiration to me because he shows that you can add a personal twist on any look, even the most sophisticated. He isn't afraid to show his true colours and he doesn't seem to have a comfort zone. He always wears everything with such grace and confidence and those are definitely some style goals that I wish to achieve in my lifetime. 
Look at Scottish guys wearing kilts - you could look at them and laugh, but the way they carry themselves, how can you? You can wear some of the weirdest things and be cool. If you believe in it, that's what makes it cool. - André Benjamin 

sources: stupiddope, fashionbeans

source: guestofaguest

* All photos are refrenced back to their original sources.

STYLE ICON/ thirteen

BRODY DALLE

I know it's not Saturday, but it has been FOREVER since I've done a Style Icon Saturday post. In all honesty, I've been running out of people. But tonight while listening to music I thought to myself, "OH MY GOD. BRODY DALLE. OH MY GOD HOW COULD I FORGET BRODY DALLE!?!!"

I feel like a horrible person, so to rectify the situation I'm putting this post up as soon as humanly possible. Seems logical, right? In reality I should have started this entire segment with her. She has influenced my personal style way more than anyone else I have posted about in the past. The Distillers were one of my favourite bands growing up, and one of the only rock bands I listened to that was fronted by a woman (other than No Doubt). I would always see pictures and videos of her and think to myself "this is who I want to be". I have never, in my entire life, been the type of person to actually want to be someone else, but with Brody it was different. 

And it wasn't always just about fashion, either. Although I loved her lipstick, her ever-changing hair and her use of patterns (leopard, plaid, ect), she just had this wonderful carefree attitude that I wanted to emulate. In my eyes she did whatever she wanted and she didn't care what anyone had to say about it. I wanted to be that person. I had to be that person. She was just so cool and I was always fascinated by her. Her attitude is what initially inspired me to stop caring what others thought of me. So although I never really looked like a carbon copy of Brody, I tried to mimic her way of thinking. (Or how I imagined her to think) In all honesty, it has worked wonders for me over the years. It is because of her that I am such a confident person and it is because of her that I'm not afraid to be myself. I don't know how my self esteem would be if I didn't have her to look up to when I was younger. She was one of the first women in music that I noticed to stand out, and I truly admired that about her. I still admire that about her.

Although she has matured a lot since she was in The Distillers, and I've grown up a lot since then too, I believe that we still hold those values true. I owe this woman so much, and I'm truly lucky to have grown up with a role model like her. 

The Young Crazed Peeling by The Distillers

source: willthefire

sources: lipglosgrrrl, listal, fotolog, fanpop

STYLE ICON SATURDAY/ eleven

EMILY HAINES
If you don't know who she is (if you don't apparently live under a rock, she is everywhere and everything), do yourself a giant favour and listen to Metric, Emily Haines and The Soft Skeleton and her works with Broken Social Scene. She is an amazing Canadian talent and she'll change your life. Check her out and thank me later. 

source: smh

When I think about Ms. Haines' I picture allgoldeverything, sequins, leather, short dresses and booties. She is nothing short of a rock star. (her stage presence is out of this world, too)

I have loved Metric for years and years, and I have watched her personal style evolve along the way. When I first got into them she was mostly rocking jeans, t-shirt and the occasional baby doll dress. She looked amazing then, but she became more of a badass with time. I'm honestly contemplating making a What Would Emily Haines Do bracelet because every time I try to get ready for a party, event or a bar, she's the first person that comes to my mind. 

sources: coolspotters, crushable

I first saw Metric live right before their fourth album, Fantasies, was released. I remember exactly what she was wearing and that image is forever burned into my brain. She is the reason for my addiction to all things gold and glittery. She is the reason for my love of short boots. She is the reason that I am forever on the hunt for the perfect leather jacket / vest. She introduced me to the world of shorts. 

I owe Emily Haines a lot of thanks. I have seen her perform in four different cities, more times than I can even remember, and a lot of my favourite memories revolve around those trips and shows. Metric / Broken Social Scene / her solo works have always meant the world to me and her fashion will always excite me. 

sources: noteable, ew, zimbio

* None of these pictures belong to me and they have all been referenced back to the appropriate sources.

If this is the first you've ever heard of her, please check out some of her works. This is a list of my personal favourites/

Metric: Soft Rock Star, Twilight Galaxy, Combat Baby, Hardwire, Empty, Hustle Rose, Collect Call

Broken Social Scene (songs that she's on): Anthems For A Seventeen-Year-Old Girl, Almost Crimes, Sentimental X's

Emily Haines and The Soft Skeleton: Rowboat, Our Hell, Reading In Bed, Crowd Surf Off a Cliff, Doctor Blind

STYLE ICON SATURDAY/ ten

SOLANGE KNOWLES

JUST. LOOK. AT. HER.
The way I see it is when you're so closely related to someone like Queen Beyonce, you have two options. You can either fade into the background and accept your fate OR you can be so fabulous that you can stand alone as an individual and make a name for yourself. She took the higher road and when I see her, I don't see her as a sibling standing in the shadows of her older sister. I just see her, in all of her glory, and I am loving every second of it. You'd be a liar if you told me that you didn't watch the "Losing You" video on repeat for weeks. That video, and song, took over my entire life for about a month.

What I love the most about her is that she has the ability to wear the most daring and artistic pieces, she layers statement piece upon statement piece, and she has the confidence to wear colours I can only dream of. These are all reasons why she is one of my fashion icons and one of my biggest style crushes right now.

source: refinery29

sources: shine.yahoo, baronessteaclub, hellobeautiful, off-glass, celebrityscoop24

sources: instyle, myfashiontricks, latimesblog, afropunks

* None of these pictures belong to me and they have all been referenced back to the appropriate sources.

STYLE ICON SATURDAY/ seven

M.I.A.

Maya Arulpragasam

My Style Icon Saturday posts are a reflection of who inspires me style-wise and the people who I choose all have something in common: they aren't afraid to break any moulds with their style and go against the grain with their fashions. I truly admire individual people, trendsetters if you will, who will do wear whatever they want and aren't afraid of what the critics will say. I think a great example of an artist who does this constantly is M.I.A.

I don't know what to say about her other than the fact that she constantly remains as individual as humanly possible, and that's something only a handful of people can say about themselves. She is absolutely fearless in everything she does, be it her music, her message or her fashion statements. M.I.A. is just a constant reminder to me that not only do unique people still exist, but they can and should be celebrated. This woman inspires me in so many ways.

source: nymag

source: eonline, refinery29, time, eonline, zimbio 

* None of these pictures belong to me and they have all been referenced back to the appropriate sources.

STYLE ICON SATURDAY/ six

ROBERT SMITH

Need I say more?
This man fulfills every hair, lipstick and gothic fantasy I have ever had.
He is everything I want to be style-wise and more.

This is pretty embarrassing but sometimes when I get ready for an outing (be it work, shopping, a bar) I ask myself "what would Robert Smith do?". And then I just throw on whatever colour of lipstick that is suitable, tease my hair into a mess and then I'm good to go. He is forever one of my biggest inspirations, and I'm 100% serious. The majority of people think I'm joking around when I tell them about my undying love for this man, The Cure or his style. I think what really sells me on his aesthetics is his hair. It's no secret that I love big, teased, hairsprayed, messy locks and his hair is just perfection in my eyes.  Many of you are probably reading this and questioning my reasoning behind all of this, and that's fine.

We'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.

source: musicradar

source: lastfm, soapombri, lastfm, musique

* None of these pictures belong to me and they have all been referenced back to the appropriate sources.

STYLE ICON SATURDAY/ five

GWEN STEFANI

I. Love. Gwen. Stefani.

I admired her style even before I could really appreciate what style meant. She was my first ever fashion icon and I believe that out of any celebrity, she has had the most influence on my personal style and relationship with fashion.  What I truly admire about her is that she will always be a rocker. Nothing will ever change that. She can be dressed to the nines for an award show, or a fashion show, but she will always have a little bit of a punk flare. Her personality will shine through her outfits, no matter what.

This woman taught me the importance of a couple of things. For starters, she taught me the importance of individuality. When I was first introduced to No Doubt, it was the early 2000's and the majority of the woman in any sort of popular music were preppy girls like Britney or Christina. Although I liked their music, I had nothing in common with these pop stars and I found it impossible to relate to them. Then came Gwen. She was fierce, fearless and edgy. When I first saw her she had pink hair and braces. I was completely memorized. After seeing the No Doubt video for Simple Kind Of Life, I knew I wanted a crazy colour of hair. Luckily, my mother was pretty lenient with that sort of thing and eventually let me dye my hair colours like fire engine red and purple. Ten years or so ago, she was crazy. Her style has become more defined through the years and she's become a lot more polished, but it's still her. That's a hurdle not a lot of people can pass through gracefully.

source: glamour source: mtv source: lifestylepins

Gwen has also taught me the importance of a bold pattern and a bold lip. These two things may sound silly, but they can grab attention in the classiest of ways. I can truthfully say that it is because of her that I am as obsessed with leopard print as I am. It is because of her that I went through a phase in high school of wearing only hounds tooth flood pants. It is because of her that I have been on the hunt for the perfect pair of red plaid skinny pants for what seems like forever now. I owe a lot of who I am, style wise anyway, to this woman. I'm really not sure who I would be without her. This post is basically just me gushing about Gwen Stefani, and you know what? I really don't care. Everyone has the one person they look up to style-wise and she's 100% it for me. When I think about her style and how it's influenced mine, my mind immediately goes to the No Doubt video for Sunday Morning. Her leopard print shirt, black top and red lip combo is definitely something I could see myself wearing.

source: celebritystreetstyle source: stylebistro source: mtv souce: planetshoes

Both of her fashion lines have stolen my heart as well. I'm not usually one for celebrity lines but I absolutely love both L.A.M.B. and Harajuku Lovers. I own pieces from both brands and I can honestly say that I rock them with confidence. It's kind of embarrassing but I may have a little bit of a bias when it comes to them, if I see that an item is from one of those two brands, I'm more likely to buy it. I think the problem with a lot of celebrity brands is that it doesn't really represent what they would wear, it's just somebody else's work and style ideas with their face and name plastered all over the advertisement. I believe that both of Gwen's lines, especially L.A.M.B., are an exception to that general rule and are a great representation of her own personal style.

 L.A.M.B. Shoes: Odd Boots, Diva Wedges, Oneida Houndstooth Wedges

None of these photos belong to me, all photos are referenced back to the original source.

* Please note that I will be out of town, therefore away from my computer, from December 1st until December 8th. There won't be any posts between those two dates and this includes next weeks Style Icon Saturday as well as outfit posts. Sorry for any inconvenience, I will resume posting as soon as I'm back home.

STYLE ICON SATURDAY/ four

Here's a random fact about me:
I love menswear.

To me, there is nothing in this world like a well dressed man. After I'm done looking the women's section of a website, I immediately go to the men's. I could spend hours on sites like ssense.com or Topman. I don't know what it is exactly about men's fashions that I love, but I'm always drawn to it. I love anything from suits, to rocker, to borderline homeless looks in menswear. I've never been comfortable wearing completely feminine looks so I find myself incorporating more masculine looks into my outfits, simply to bring it down to earth a couple of notches. Right now I love Dr. Martens, brogues and boyfriend fit blazers. I knew I had to do a post on man whose fashion really stood out to me, and although it seems like an odd choice, I knew in my heart who I had to write about.

Russell Brand

source: don't stop moving

I believe that Russell Brand is a great example of a collaboration of different styles. This man is never completely polished and he is known to wear anything from suits and top hats to tight leather pants and teased hair. He always looks like a greasy rocker but he does it in the most versatile way possible. I fell in love with him after seeing Get Him To The Greek. Honestly, I've seen that movie at least twenty-five times... I'm not even exaggerating. I even own the soundtrack. In the movie he wears such amazing ensembles including, but not limited to, various Alexander McQueen scarfs, an emerald green velvet suit and a blazer with just a bare chest underneath. And who could forget him buying and wearing Abe Lincoln's suit and top hat in Arthur?

source: india server source: zimbio source: daily mail source: posh24 

Russell Brand is one of my style icons because he isn't afraid to be himself. I'm sure he gets a lot of negative feed back on his personal style but it doesn't hold him back. He will never stop wearing tight pants, his hair will never be short and his chest will almost always be showing.  As you can probably tell by now, I really admire those who are fearless in their fashions and I think that Russell Brand is a great male example of that.

“It's difficult to believe in yourself because the idea of self is an artificial construction. You are, in fact, part of the glorious oneness of the universe. Everything beautiful in the world is within you. No one really feels self-confident deep down because it's an artificial idea. Really, people aren't that worried about what you're doing or what you're saying, so you can drift around the world relatively anonymously: you must not feel persecuted and examined. Liberate yourself from that idea that people are watching you.” - Russell Brand

source: upscalehype source: fashionindie source: coolspotters

None of these photos belong to me, all photos have been referenced back to the original sources.

STYLE ICON SATURDAY/ two

Ladies and gentlemen, 

BETH DITTO
Mary Beth Patterson

If you're not familiar with who she is, let's first look at her accomplishments. She is an extremely talented singer (lead singer of The Gossip and does solo work). She has collaborated with UK plus sized clothing store, Evans, and released her own clothing line through them. She also worked with MAC, releasing a makeup line with them this past summer. She is a spokesperson for LGBT and feminist groups and has walked the runway for Jean Paul Gaultier, opening his Spring 2011 show during Paris Fashion week. All of that is remarkable, and I haven't even touched on her personal style yet.

source: Jezebel

In my mind, this woman isn't afraid of anything. She is willing to take any fashion risk possible and she makes it work. I believe her to be the perfect role model for plus sized women everywhere. She works with what she has and she never lets her weight hold her back. I mean, why would she? She's perfect the way she is. She's a fantastic role model for fat acceptance and she has accomplished so much in her life - I can't wait to see what she does next.

She inspires me daily and I wish to someday have even half the level of confidence and bravery she has. 

sources: diversityinfashion blog, the gloss, the times uk

Her fashions are only apart of her look. Her hair is ever changing and her makeup is always outrageous. I'm not 100% sure who her makeup artist is, or if she does it herself, but it is always flawless. She has the ability to drastically change her look with her makeup and it wasn't a surprise to me when MAC Cosmetics first announced their collaboration. Her makeup is one of the many things I envy about her. Her confidence, of course, being the number one trait of hers I wish I had, though her makeup skills aren't too far behind.

source: wallpapers

I will end this with the photo below. It is a picture of Beth with Kate Moss and Karl Lagerfeld. Both Kate and Karl have been caught "fat shaming" in the past (with Kate Moss' famous quote and Karl Lagerfeld's comment on Adele's weight) so it's refreshing to see the both of them respecting her in the world of fashion.

source: telegraph fashion

I don't want the world, I only want what I deserve. 

(Yr Mangled Heart by Gossip)

None of these photos belong to me, all photos have been referenced back to the original sources.

STYLE ICON SATURDAY/ one

I'm really excited to announce a new segment on my blog. I'm going to be calling it "Style Icon Saturday" and  I'm going to showcase people whose style really inspire me. The people I will post about could be a celebrity, a blogger or someone I know personally. They could be plus size or straight sized and they can be someone who identifies as either male or female (or both, or neither). The criteria for these posts isn't strict, it's just something I'm going to have fun with. It'll deviate from the usual "outfit of the day" posts and throw some light onto different people's fashion that truly captivate and inspire me. I think an important part of understanding someone's style is to see where their ideas come from and to see who played a part in helping evolve that person's style.

I've been toying around with this idea for quite some time. I've thought of everything but I just couldn't decide who to do the first post about... but then it came to me. It was staring me right in the face.

RIHANNA
Robyn "Rihanna" Fenty

source: ELLE Magazine

If you know anything about me, it is probably that I worship this woman. I see her as fearless, bold and extremely real. Her style (and music) has influenced me more than any other pop star. It was her that gave me the courage to rock my undercut, and it was her that showed me you don't have to dress in super feminine clothing to still be considered sexy. The confidence this woman has is outstanding. She is incredibly relatable and what I like most about her style is that it is so unpredictable. She has the ability to dress either super feminine or super femme, to the point of almost being androgynous. She isn't afraid to wear a designer gown one day and oversized camouflage pants and a graphic t the next day. She's the perfect mix of pop star / rock star / hip hop star.

sources: tsuchimary, chrismetime, Teen Vogue

Her hair is probably my favourite thing about her. You never know what she's going to do next. She started out with her long flowy brown hair in her Music of the Sun / A Girl Like Me / Good Girl Gone Bad days, chopped it all off in angst during Rated R, dyed it fire engine red during Loud, did everything imaginable during Talk That Talk and is now rocking a black pixie cut for the release of her latest album, Unapologetic. Her hair truly does tell a story, and I believe it shows how much she has evolved (and continues to evolve) as an artist.

A lot of people think she isn't a great person to look up to, even she has said she isn't an a role model, but she is definitely an inspiring artist. In today's pop culture of cookie cutter Disney pop stars, she really stands out in my eyes. This is a girl, not much older than myself (24 years old), who has made no apologies for the way she lives her life. The title of her seventh studio album, Unapologetic, is appropriately named. She worked hard for everything she has and she's completely rocking it. 

source: Clutch Magazine

'Cause once a good girl goes bad, we gone forever.

Good Girl Gone Bad by Rihanna

None of these photos belong to me, all photos have been referenced back to the original sources.