My style icons: Anna Dello Russo

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As much as I completely agree with the fact that fashion is to express who YOU are and to a way to tell someone - who you may have never even spoken to before - a little bit about yourself, I won't deny that there are a number of women who affect the way that I dress.  I don't necessarily look at one of these women and think 'Oh, if she has that shirt then I must buy a similar one!', but more because of the confidence they have which they portray in the way they dress, which is exactly the one thing which links my fashion icons (all five of them, to be exact): confidence.  I don't have the usual icons: Kate Moss, Audrey Hepburn (don't be hatin' on me, I've never seen 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' OKAY?!) etc. etc.

For those of you who don't know her, I introduce to you THE Anna Dello Russo, editor of Vogue Japan and is often featured in street style blogs such as Jak & Jil and Caroline's Mode and apparently owns over FOUR THOUSAND pairs of shoes.  In fact I remember reading in a fashion magazine a year or so ago that she bought the house next to her's simply for a place to store her clothes.  Erm, hello, isn't this something us women DREAM of?  Man, I dream of a walk-in closet, never mind a full frickin' house.

The first time I heard of her was in a magazine years ago when there was a picture of her wearing a black lace dress with bright red underwear underneath.  I didn't really know what to make of it, did I like it?  Did I not?  Does she KNOW her underwear is on show for everyone to see?!  Pft, what did I know?  This woman is actually a fashion genius. Famous for sporting head-to-toe looks straight off the catwalk, she is undoubtedly over the top, which is exactly why I love her style.  Why on earth would she choose to go out in jeans and a t-shirt when she can look as amazing as this?  She has taught me that life is too short to look like everyone else, it is GOOD to get noticed, so what if people talk about you?  They're paying attention to what you're wearing whatever they say.  As much as I'd like to, though, I do not have the same amount of money as this lady has.  Nowhere NEAR as much, so my daily outfits are hardly on par with hers, which means whenever I leave the house in jeans I feel nowhere near as enthusiastic about the way I look than when I do when I have a statement item on.  My wardrobe has a long way to go, but I am now much more careful and thoughtful when shopping.
Her pile-it-on approach to getting dressed makes her one of the most recognisable people at fashion weeks each year, and is probably why H&M approached her to collaborate with them to create a range of accessories which will hit stores on October 4th this year.  I've never been a sucker for previous H&M collections, but this is one which excites me.  In her words: "With these pieces everybody can have fun, turning an ordinary day into a fantastic fashion day" which is exactly what we should be doing.  I can't wait.
What do you think of her style, maybe you disagree?  Who are your fashion icons?