Fashion Icons, Past and Present

About a month ago, TLC aired a program called The Greatest Fashion Icons in Film. Apparently, they got a team of experts to rank the most fashionable icons in cinema, and they also listed contemporary actors that resemble these iconic stars. I found some of these comparisons quite accurate. Or, at least, they felt right for some reason or another. For example, they compared Madonna to Marlene Dietrich. Good call!



To give another example, Leonardo DiCaprio was anointed the new James Dean by these folks. Ok, that makes sense.


Here’s Cary Grant and George Clooney. I can see it.


Of course, I didn’t agree with some of their comparisons. I cannot believe they likened Gwyneth Paltrow to Grace Kelly. I can see a few similarities, but these women are on different levels. Grace, of course, is a Hollywood legend, and Gwyneth is, um, a successful American actor. Yeah, she’s an Academy Award winning actor, but that doesn’t make her Grace Kelly.


I also don’t think Catherine Zeta-Jones is the new Elizabeth Taylor. Don’t get me wrong; Catherine is a beautiful woman, but she’s no Elizabeth Taylor.


I was ambivalent about most of their other comparisons. They declared Scarlett Johanssen the new Marilyn Monroe. Well, ScarJo does have some things in common with Norma Jeane (curves and breasts!), but she’s also quite different in a lot of ways.






Here are a few more pictures of other stars—Brigitte Bardot-Halle Barry and Greta Garbo-Hilary Swank.




For a more complete list visit the Cinefille Blog.