Style Icon: Rihanna

Rihanna’s provocative style has gotten her a lot of notice. Aside from her records and tumultuous love affairs, Rihanna is slowly becoming a modern style icon in her own right. What makes her so modern? She basically doesn’t care for your standard fashion rules or your typical style do’s and don’t’s. She wears what she wants and owns it. Sometimes she makes some fashion missteps (just like the rest of us), but most of the time she steps out dressed head to toe in pure Rihanna.

Her style savvy is truly inherent and undeniably original. A style renegade and inspiration, and Rihanna constantly reminds us that fashion should be fun. Here are my top picks for Rihanna’s 10 best looks:

Timbaland boots, a pale pink faux fur coat, and a Louis Vuitton box bag; this definitely sounds like something only Rihanna could pull off. The best accessory to this look? Her trademark confidence and sass. You can take a style cue from this look, and don’t be afraid to mix the high with the low or street style with designer labels. 

Rihanna can do a red carpet up in the chicest way if she wants to. Though primarily known for her edgy style, she struts down in this gorgeous red gown with strategic sheer paneling and lets the world know that she can do Old Hollywood glamour. With her soft waves and matching orangey red lip, she has the wow factor in spades. I personally love Rihanna’s sexy take on the classic little black dress. She doesn’t reinvent the wheel radically but she adds her personal flourishes to her textured mini black dress. Lace-up stilettos and a mini bucket bag increase the playful vibe of this evening look.

You can’t expect Rihanna to don the maxi dress in a boho print. Her take on the trendy maxi is to do it up with a graphic twist. Color blocking this shocking pink side slit dress with white heels and a black and white striped clutch amps up the visual power of this ensemble. 

Wide leg trousers with wide vertical stripes can be a tricky piece for some, but Rihanna styles with aplomb. Echoing the two-tone theme in her cap to pumps and balancing the volume of her pants with a simple gray tank and highly structured gray croc skin tote. 

A yellow satin dress that is this revealing would usually be a fashion no-no, but Rihanna manages to not cross the boundary of taste in this cleavage and leg baring stunner. This evening gown almost looks tropical when set against her bronze skin. The key to the elegance of this look is the clever tailored details like the lapel and rolled cuffs. 

Trusty nobody but Rihanna with a velvet burgundy catsuit. Matching her lip color du jour with the color of her one piece and layering oversized and long gold necklace are vital elements in updating this 70s trend into 2014. This outfit is the number one proof that trailblazing fashion and the occasional risk taking can and does pay off. 

The primary colors in this sporty Celine sweater dress is polished and preppy meets minimalist and athletic. Rihanna shows off her signature love for sneakers as she matches her Jordans with her navy sweater dress. A low zip neckline and silver metal choker makes this look bolder and more fashion forward. 

A sleek and flirty red patent leather pencil skirt makes a strong color and texture statement. This is how Rihanna does ladylike dressing, with slick textures placed side by side with rough hewn denim as shown in her overcoat. The black velvet pumps and gray tee ground this look, and prevent it from looking too overworked. 

Denim cutoffs with frayed edges get a sartorial makeover with a pinstriped blazer worn as a top. The nude ankle strap sandals keep this look simple and understated enough for a daytime jaunt.

Which looks are your favorite? I simply can’t get enough of Rihanna’s edgy style!

Photos from WhoWhatWear and Vogue UK

Style Icon: Taylor Swift

British Vogue’s November Issue cover star, country music icon, street style star, and pop culture phenomenon Taylor Swift is a force to be reckoned with. At such a young age she broke out onto the scene in a big way, with infectious rhythms and insightful, deeply felt lyrics. Her famous relationships (and breakups too) have been immortalized into country/pop-rock songs that has the rest of the world singing along. She has recently been making the news and making major headlines with her feminine and vintage inspired street style looks. Each look she steps out in is pure perfection, and she has us swooning over her to die for style. She always looks polished and always look paparazzi ready, which goes to show that you can stay true to yourself and not always follow the trends.

Start your own trend just like T-Swizzle has, and  learn from her sartorial savvy, as you browse through my top 10 picks of Taylor Swift’s best street style looks.

A departure from her typically sweet street style, Tay Tay shows that she can turn up the glam and exude a bit of naughtiness with this sexy black jumpsuit. She still maintains her signature girly vibe by toting her top handle vintage frame bag. Opting out of accessorizing and just letting the black pieces be the focus of this look is such a classy style move.  

In the summer, we saw Taylor Swift in one matching printed two-piece set after another. She practically lived in those crop tops and full skirts. She stays loyal to her affinity for matching sets and makes it more fitting for the fall in this knit sweatshirt and pencil skirt duo.

Taylor Swift turns up the glamour in a sparkling and shimmering Gucci gown during this year’s Grammy Awards. With just some elegant ear danglers as her accessory, she completely owns the red carpet in this beautiful silver column gown. 

I wish that we could all look this good on the reg, just like Taylor Swift does. She manages to look modern while donning vintage pieces. She looks absolutely flawless in this covetable outfit composed of a yellow houndstooth cropped sweater, mint green skater skirt, coral heels, and a lovely taupe frame bag. 

Want to know how to make even a pair of denim cutoffs look elegant? Do it like Taylor and add some polished extras into the mix. You can never go wrong with nude pumps, black frame top handle bag, and a white sabrina neckline top. Improve this casual look even further with a red lip and loose, tousled hair waves. 

If there was ever an argument about investing in tailored shorts for the summer, this look will be one of the strongest cases for it. A pair of brightly colored tailored shorts up the ante and gives a ladylike vibe to Taylor’s fondness and preference for menswear inspired footwear like these low-heeled oxfords. 

Taylor Swift might not be a school girl, but she certainly nails back-to-school style in this outfit. A red and blue patterned sweater dress  with her two signature staples, heeled oxfords and structured leather totes all make for an A plus look.

This is further evidence that you need not hold yourself strictly to the matching purse and shoes style rule. Sometimes, breaking fashion rules can be fun since the unexpected always leads to more excitingly chic looks. Simply take a gander at this printed sheath dress look and how the hot pink peep-toe pumps and hunter green bag play off each other stunningly. 

An orange and pink color block sweater can make your daily spring to fall uniform so exciting. Pieces such as this sweater are great for quickly and easily perking up your basics, like camel colored skinnies and black tasseled loafers. 

Taylor makes us like her even more as she embraces high street brands like Aldo. She totes a maroon structured purse from Aldo and matches that deep burgundy red shade with a deep-V sweater worn over a grey mini dress. The bowler hat and matching burgundy colored booties are just the right accessories to finish off this winsome look.

Which look is your favorite? All of Taylor Swift’s looks are so amazing, I simply can’t choose!

Images from Teen Vogue and InStyle