26 of the most memorable quotes that prove fashion is so much more than frivolity
If you work - or, even, take a vested interest - in the world of fashion, you'll likely have come across the general assumption from others that it's a frivolous world of vanity and very little substance.
Of course, there are moments of both (we'd be lying if we said we didn't sometimes buy a new dress purely because it was aesthetically ideal for one specific occasion), but doesn't every industry have its flaws?
Fashion also has so many merits. Estimated to be worth around 1.1 trillion worldwide and providing employment to one in six people globally - including around 555,000 people in the UK currently - the fashion industry provides a financially-viable career for millions of creatives all over the world. And as awareness and education around ethical and sustainable fashion continues to increase, we can hope - rather, demand - that the industry reacts by providing a more conscious and fair working world for everyone involved.
But while most of us with a keen eye on fashion tend to spend our lives looking forward - what are next season's trends? What's the newest fabric innovation? What will the models of the future look like? - sometimes it's wise to reminisce. Not only to see how far we've come, but also to borrow a pearl of wisdom or two from the legendary names that forged their own careers in this space...
Over the years, some of the biggest names in fashion, from Karl Lagerfeld and Naomi Campbell to Audrey Hepburn and Gianni Versace, have treated us with some seriously poignant musings about the world of fashion.
Looking to treat yourself?
Remember when Gianni Versace told us all to forget about "trends", and Coco Chanel highlighted the importance of being "different"?
What about when Alexander McQueen praised the concept of high-low dressing? A groundbreaking suggestion to come from within what was typically an elitist industry.
And remember when Carrie Bradshaw was, well, all of us, declaring that she "likes [her] money where [she] can see it - hanging in the closet."? Okay so sometimes it is merely about the frivolous aesthetic...
Here's our pick of the 26 most memorable quotes to remind you why you fell in love with the world of fashion.
“Buy less, choose well and do it yourself!”
― Vivienne Westwood
Rex Features"Clothes mean nothing until someone lives in them"
- Marc Jacobs
Getty Images“I have always believed that fashion was not only to make women more beautiful, but also to reassure them, give them confidence."
- Yves Saint Laurent
Getty Images"I make a lot of money and I'm worth every cent."
- Naomi Campbell
Getty"Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way you live."
— Gianni Versace
PA Photos"The only real elegance is in the mind; if you’ve got that, the rest really comes from it."
— Diana Vreeland
Rex Features"One is never over-dressed or underdressed with a Little Black Dress."
— Karl Lagerfeld
Rex Features“The most important thing to remember is that you can wear all the greatest clothes and all the greatest shoes, but you’ve got to have a good spirit on the inside. That’s what’s really going to make you look like you’re ready to rock the world.”
—Alicia Keys
PA Photos“Create your own style… let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others.”
― Anna Wintour
PA Photos"“My look is attainable. Women can look like Audrey Hepburn by flipping out their hair, buying the large sunglasses, and the little sleeveless dresses.”"
— Audrey Hepburn
Rex Features"I don't consider my own clothing to be outrageous... The truth is that people just don't have the same references that I do. To me it's very beautiful and it's art, and to them it's outrageous and crazy"
- Lady Gaga
Getty Images"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different."
- Coco Chanel
Rex Features“Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world.”
—Marilyn Monroe
Getty Images"It’s a new era in fashion - there are no rules. It’s all about the individual and personal style, wearing high-end, low-end, classic labels, and up-and-coming designers all together."
— Alexander McQueen
Rex Features“I wear my sort of clothes to save me the trouble of deciding which clothes to wear.”
— Katharine Hepburn
Getty Images“What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language.”
—Miuccia Prada
Rex Features“Vain trifles as they seem, clothes have, they say, more important offices than to merely keep us warm. They change our view of the world and the world's view of us.”
― Virginia Woolf
WENN“Fashion is what you’re offered four times a year by designers. And style is what you choose.”
—Lauren Hutton
Rex Features"1.Find your own style and have the courage to stick to it.
2. Choose your clothes for your way of life.
3. Make your wardrobe as versatile as an actress. It should be able to play many roles.
4. Find your happiest colours - the ones that make you feel good.
5. Care for your clothes, like the good friends they are!"
― Joan Crawford
Rex Features"Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak."
- Rachel Zoe
Getty Images“Style is a simple way of saying complicated things.”
—Jean Cocteau
Rex Features“I like my money right where I can see it…hanging in my closet.”
—Carrie Bradshaw
Firstview/VOGUE.COM“Girls do not dress for boys. They dress for themselves and, of course, each other. If girls dressed for boys they’d just walk around naked at all times.”
― Betsey Johnson
Rex Features"Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn."
- Orson Welles
Rex Features"People tell me that I've saved their marriages. It costs them a fortune in shoes, but it's cheaper than a divorce. So I'm still useful, you see"
- Manolo Blahnik
Rex Features“The fashionable woman wears clothes. The clothes don't wear her.”
― Mary Quant
