Style Icon: C.Z. Guest

C.Z. Guest, born Lucy Cochrane, is the ultimate preppy icon. She is known for her classic, simple style with clean lines that are always elegant. Marrying a polo player and member of the Guest family is oh so preppy and put C.Z. Guest in the spotlight in American Society as well as fashionable international circles. She quickly became well known as a socialite and enjoyed this recognition, posing for pictures and giving interviews to society newspapers and magazines. Her style landed her on many best dressed lists. C.Z. Guest said that, “Style is about surviving, about having been through a lot and making it look easy.”



Of course, having BFFs that include Diana Vreeland and Babe Paley helps C.Z. Guest rank pretty high on the preppy list, too. Her life seems so exciting, almost like a riveting fiction novel, except that it is real. While jetsetting around the world with friends, she lived her life to the fullest. She was married in Cuba with Ernest Hemingway as the best man and counted princes and princesses among her closest friends.



Even though she was a high profile member of society, she possessed a casual elegance that made everyone around her feel comfortable. Whether in the garden or in the ballroom, she exuded a carefree style that only a true fashion icon can have.    Her style is timeless.  If you look at pictures of C.Z. Guest from any stage of her life, as a new socialite bride or as a cancer survivor, her style translates to a look that is considered stylish in any decade.  She could turn a simple shift dress into the perfect look just by tying a scarf around her neck. 



She was painted by Diego Rivera, Salvador Dali, and Andy Warhol.  Slim Aarons also loved to photograph this classic American icon.  Isn't this the most perfect image? 



What do you think "makes" a style icon? What characteristics should a style icon possess?

xoxo



all pictures via pinterest