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Lez Chic: 7 Lesbian Style Icons of 2014

Lez face it: sometimes lesbians could use a helping hand in the fashion department. For some reason the ethic of indifference in regard to one’s style has come to be perceived as a sense of style. “Queer,” in a particular “subversive” discourse, is idealized as a kind of shirking of self-care. Style, in this capacity, is solely reactionary-and, arguably, not wholly authentic to one’s self.

There’s no need for a Coco Chanel type of bravado-“I don’t do fashion. I am fashion.”-or an aesthetically melodramatic Wildean self-fashioning-“One should either be a work of art or wear a work of art.” Simply put, personal style is a manifestation of one’s self in and through culture.

In 2014 and the recent past, are a handful of lesbian and queer women who have stepped forward as style icons, primarily through the conscious crafting of one’s self.

“What is style? It is an effortless confidence in being yourself, it is a way of putting yourself together according to your mood and what you want to project. Personal style appears to come naturally for some, but for others it can take a while to find it!”- Diane van Furstenberg
Here are a list of our 7 style icons of 2014. And, it’s not just the clothes that make the lesbian. From Cara Delevigne‘s seductively assertive eyebrows to Robin Roberts‘ vibrant smile, each woman’s unique women’s fashion sense speaks to various aspects of their individual being.

Fashion’s current “It Girl” has been getting major exposure recently because of her courtside kissing antics with girlfriend Michelle Rodriguez. That said, whether in a haute couture dress or in jeans and a jacket, Delevigne is captivating. Glamour noted her as a “Tomboy Style Fashion Icon,” while PolicyMic, in a piece entitled “9 Reasons Cara Delevigne Is The Most Fascinating Model in Fashion,” explains that her style “combines tomboy cool, London edge, and high fashion chic.”

Speaking to AfterEllen two years ago, Livingston-who may or may not still be “So Raven”-described her fashion style as uninhibited: “I shop all around honestly. Any where from Top Man, Zara, Out of the Closet to boutiques and even Target sometimes…. I shop in the women’s section a bit more now for my vests or leather jackets and I shop in the men’s section for my skinnies, tanks, tops and accessories. Even my shoes are both men and women’s sizes….”

  Top Chef winner Kristen Kish, who recently came out on Instagram, appeared cool in the “quick fire” kitchen. Her style, when out of her chef’s uniform, portrayed this sense of calm: sophisticated and tailored, but not overdone. Hair coiffed and tattoos ablaze, Kish told the Improper Bostonian that she’d lose her cool, and her clothes, if required: “I’m not really good at seduction, but I guess if you’re going to do it, you should cook naked.”

Deemed one of the “Most Stylish New Yorkers of 2013,” Robins Roberts has been positively glowing ever since her recovery from MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome), as well as her coming out at the start of the year. From gowns to structured blazers, austere tones of black and white to bright pinks and oranges, Roberts does not shy away from any style or color palette. Her stylist, Diandre Tristan, says he guides her to clothes that are “sophisticated,” yet “modern and sexy.” Self-declared “stud” lesbian, Griner has graduated from “the whole baggy, hard-core, ‘I’m-a-boy’ look,” to a “athletic bow-tie look.” Her confidence, which has increased in recent years as she became more comfortable with her sexuality and gender presentation, shines through her style. Others have taken notice, too-she has recently signed a marketing deal with Nike, to model men’s clothing, and specifically their Nike SB skateboarding line.

  “I’m not androgynous,” Casey Legler told The Guardian. “There is no ambiguity with me.” Legler has taken the fashion world by storm, and even has a fan in Anna Wintour, who signed off on Legler’s Vogue feature. Crisp, serious; female masculinity at its aesthetic pinnacle. The first woman to ever be hired exclusively as a Ford male model, she is hoping to continue to break gender barriers, telling the Guardian that she wants to be the first female Bond.

  J. Crew’s Creative Director melted our hearts when she painted her son’s toenails pink, and then she stole our hearts when she became a big muff-muncher. (Courtney Crangi, you get ALL THE TOASTER OVENS!) Known for her hipster-inspired, big-framed eyewear, Lyons is vocal about style being an individual ethic and endeavor”: “Don’t worry about what the trend is,” she told Chatelaine. “Play to your strengths. I’m relatively tall [six foot] so I always wear heels and I have awful legs but no one would ever know because I never show them. Work with what you’ve got. Also try to create something that is signature, that’s a little bit yours: That could be a locket you always wear, or something from your grandmother, or you could always have hot-pink nail polish. Let your personal style come through.”

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