OTT fashion icons

Following on from my post yesterday, I thought I'd do a post on some of my favourite eccentric fashion icons - people who dare to wear whatever they like with flair and a sense of fun. So of course I had to start with Vivienne Westwood.

and continue with Isabella Blow.

Nice to see a picture of her in her youth I think. I remember seeing Isabella Blow resplendent in a Prada jewelled coat and Philip Treacy hat whilst shopping in the Belgravia Waitrose.

When she wore this hat above, she noticed that there was a terrible smell at the party she attended, but on reaching home she could still smell it. It turned out that the milliner had forgotten to fully scoop out out the remains of the lobster!

Fashion iconoclast Iris Apfel, a distinguished collector and authority on antique textiles as reflected in her elaborate, often ethnic style outfits.

This chinoiserie style outfit, was photographed in a book on her clothes 'Rare bird of fashion'. It's a beautiful book.

Mexican artist Frida Kahlo wearing traditional Mexican dress at a time when it wasn't fashionable, combined with elaborate and large floral headdresses and Tehuana ribbons in her hair.

The next icon I would pick would be Elsa Schiaperelli, pictured below.

So ahead of her time - practically the inventor of shocking pink, such an irreverent witty approach to fashion, and the creator of truly eccentric hats.

This is her stiletto shoe hat!

And finally I had to finish with poetess Edith Sitwell, famous for her often medieval style of dressing and the many large rings that she would wear on her extremely long fingers.