Iconic

Women and fashion compliment each other and challenge each other since the beginning of time. Whether you wear the clothes or the clothes wear you is a struggle, can you even pull that off is the question.

Fashion adventurers and extremists dare to achieve crazy looks and lots of buzz (not all positive). They step outside the lines of practicality and trendiness to don something a bit more eyebrow-raising (perfectly shaped eyebrows, nonetheless). From looks as quiet as wigs or thematic makeup, all the way to garbage bag dresses (cough cough Ke$ha) and basically a wearable-see through diamond dress (Rihanna). The world of fashion changes and is pushed at every moment, but it's some of these show stopping leading ladies and their garments that cause the greater rifts popular in fashion chronology.

Latest and umm... greatest (?), Rihanna. Showing up at the CFDA Awards in a completely sheer, sparkly dress. Custom designed by Adam Selman, the dress was literally covered in over 200,000 Swarovski crystals. Rihanna was being honored by the CFDA for their annually appointed Fashion Icon award... clearly she didn't want to let the board down. Wearing matching gloves and thong, Rihanna also paired the dress with a fur stole and head kerchief. Iconic? Definitely. It's up in the air, however, if this is applause inducing or cover-your-eyes-quick! worthy...

The green, plunging Versace dress that changed a nation. Just kidding, but J. Lo's famous dress worn to the 42nd Grammy Awards Ceremony in 2000 designed by Donatella Versace was voted the fifth most iconic dress in fashion history. This theme of being revealing and provacative may result in being iconic, but there are many more iconic women who sported much classier gowns...

...for example, the love of my life forever and ever, the ever classy and fabulous, Audrey Hepburn. One of her most iconic dresses was this white, floral Givenchy dress that she wore to the 1954 Academy Awards Ceremony. The belted gown showed off her narrow waist, while she her natural confidence and dazzling smile won over the eyes and hearts of every viewer. Audrey won Best Actress this year for her performance in Roman Holiday. She will always be iconic and for lack of a better word, perfect.

Another Versace winner. In 1994, Hugh Grant's at-the-time girlfriend, Liz Hurley, accompanied him to one of his movie premiere's sporting this black Versace dress held together by six, large, golden safety pins. Not only was this another huge success for the Versace label, but the dress also launched Liz Hurley to global fame and to the large scale media stage. The iconic dress has been re-worn recently by Lady Gaga, moving the gown from "neo-punk" couture to a darker, grungier daytime dress.

Keira Knightley had already proved herself a phenomenal actress, but at the 78th Academy Awards in 2006, she proved herself to be an iconic fashion plate as well. The one shoulder, plum, taffeta gown was custom designed by Vera Wang and was voted as the sixth most iconic dress in fashion history by The Daily Telegraph, and the most iconic Oscars dress by Cosmopolitan magazine.

Christian Dior creates sexy and complicated looks time and time again, this dress for Kate Moss is no exception... however, it has seen better days. Kate Moss showed up with photographer Mario Testino to the Victoria & Albert Museum for an exhibit honoring Christian Dior and his amazing work in 2007. By the end of the night, shoulder tears and rips down the back caused Moss to hike up the dress and tie it around her waist to prevent anymore damages. The iconic dress is now being donated to Cancer Research UK to raise money. Although the dress is in horrible condition and will probably need the help of a surgeon to fix it, its still an amazing dress worthy to be remembered for times to come. 

Then there are the bizarre... Bjork showed up to the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001 wearing not only a tan, bejeweled body suit, but also a swan wrapped around her neck. Designed by Macedonian Marjan Pejoski and brought to life by the Icelandic singer by mimicking a swan laying an egg at the actual ceremony.... And then scarily enough, Valentino reimagined and recreated a variation of the dress for his 2014 spring couture show recently. Iconic?