Before there ever was a Lady Gaga and the like, there was Ms. Daphne Guinness.
My idol, Daphne Guinness, is the epitome of idealistic individuality. She has the wonderful fortune of being named heiress to the Guinness family fortune. In her past, her marriage to Stavros Niarchos, son of the Greek shipping billionaire, ended with a £20 million settlement. Not to mention she owns the grandest collection of haute couture we have yet to see (in 2010 she purchased the entire wardrobe collection of the late Isabella Blow in order "to preserve it").
Why have I chosen her for my first fashion spotlight, you ask? Well, it's obvious, isn't it? She is decadent, dignified and fearless - a powerful woman, no doubt. An icon, nay, muse! for fashionistas and designers alike, she gives you a feeling of strength, of the ability to go beyond your wildest dreams, not thinking outside the box or inside, but getting rid of the box all together. I see her and I say to myself
I want to be bold like her, I want to be fearless.
Guinness recently put part of her collection on exhibit at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. The exhibit begins with an introduction featuring a selection of Guinness' extravagant shoes, followed by the main gallery which has been divided into six sections representing aspects of her style - "Dandyism", "Armor", "Chic", "Evening Chic", "Exoticism", and "Sparkle".
The show is currently running through January 7, 2012.
Click
here for more information about the
exhibit and
the Museum at FIT.
