There are only a handful of women whose individual styles I admire. While some have set the standards for what is elegant and chic today, others exemplify beauty in simplicity. Here are some stylish women I try to emulate (note that the operative word here is  ‘try’ 😉 ).

Jackie Kennedy

Jackie was always sophisticated,  whether she was performing First Lady duties  or being mother to her children.  Here, she is pictured  wearing a simple turtle neck sweater, with her hair windswept and her makeup light. Her only accessory is a Cartier tank watch,  an heirloom piece that speaks of quiet elegance.  To me, this is perfection!

Jane Birkin

It’s hard to believe that the woman the world’s most expensive bag was named after used to tote around a wicker basket!  Isn’t it just adorable? I love Jane’s very laid back style with her uniform buttoned down shirt and wide-legged pants. She still dresses up this way these days (but a little more appropriately for her age.:).

Diana Spencer

When Princess Diana made her first appearance in the early 80s, I remember how everyone wanted to get a haircut just like hers. She always wore clothes that complimented her body, something every woman should do no matter her size. (I’m willing to bet she had no hand in designing that puffy bridal gown she wore on her wedding!)

Jenny Shimizu

Jenny Shimizu was working as a mechanic when a Calvin Klein agent first spotted her and asked her to become one of the brand’s models. She was later known for her relationships with Angelina Jolie and Ione Skye and her secret affair with Madonna. But what I like about Jenny is that she never compromised her personal style even when she became a super model.  And did I mention just how beautiful she is?

Isabel Preysler

The Filipino-Spanish socialite, ex-wife of Julio Iglesias and mother of Enrique.  Her style is always impeccable.  At 62, she can give younger women a run for their money.  I remember tacking a photo of her on my pin board some years ago. She had just arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, wearing a tailored jacket over a white shirt. She had on a pair of huge sunglasses and platinum gold loop earrings,  with her hair tied back in a pig tail.  She was smiling at the camera, radiant and chic as ever.  I remember staring at that photo and thinking to myself, I want to be just like her when I grow up.

Tilda Swinton

Not many people like Tilda’s style, especially Hollywood’s self-proclaimed fashion police. But do you think Tilda cares?  I think not.  She dresses according to her own taste and fearlessly wears avant-garde designers. Her androgynous style is so dang COOL. And so few can pull it off.

The Duchess of Cambridge

Kate Middleton has big shoes to fill but I think she’s holding her own, and very elegantly, too!  Her choice of wearing high street labels over,  or combined with,  expensive designer clothes has made her a style icon of  her generation.

Audrey Hepburn

What Stylish Women List would be complete without dear Audrey?   But what  I love is not her iconic Breakfast in Tifanny’s style but these ones that seem to say ‘comfy doesn’t have to be boring’.  She had always favored simplicity, preferring casual and comfortable clothes so unlike her onscreen characters. She loved the way her friend, designer Hubert de Givenchy, dressed her because “he kept the spare style that I love. What is more beautiful than a simple sheath made an extraordinary way in a special fabric, and just two earrings?”

How about you?  Who are the stylish women on your list?

Fashion fades, only style remains the same.

-Coco Chanel