Here's just a short list of what I think make up Latina/os Greatest Fashion Icons! Many others can be included, and will be in other lists, but these individuals have contributed to the world of fashion design and trendsetting!
1. Carolina Herrera (Venenzuela) - Designer women's clothing - Carolina embodies the sophisticated Latina, put together and elegant, ready for anything!
2. Oscar De La Renta (Domincan Republic) - Designer women's clothing - For decades Oscar has dressed A-List celebrities with elegance and class.
3. Jennifer Lopez (US/Puerto Rico) - Designer, Singer, Actress - Jennifer can move between high fashioned elegance and hip-hop flare, her designs are for teens and young women, eclectic and vibrant.
4. Narciso Rodriguez (US/Cuba) - Designer women's clothing - Classic designs, celebrity favorite, first American to win the Council of Fashion Designers of America Womenswear Designer of the Year Award two years in a row.
5. Lazaro Hernandez (US/Cuba) - Co-designer/founder for Proenza Schouler, women's clothing - young, eclectic, hip, and fresh and a newer label that has already made a name for itself across the world.
6. Frida Kahlo (Mexico) - Artist, feminist, and truly a unique icon in Mexican and Chican@ culture. Her style was considered 'ethnic' and 'traditional' but has inspired many to stay true to their culture, roots, and heritage.
7. Iris Chacon (Puerto Rico) - Entertainer, lavish, and comfortable with herself - This television star became one of the most popular pop stars in Latin America.
8. Kat Von D (US) - While Kat was not born to Latin American parents, she grew up in Mexico, speaks Spanish, and considers herself a Latina; and that's just fine, because her style speaks for itself: Rebellious, sexy, and demure.
9. Dolores Del Rio (Mexico) - Hollywood starlet of the 1930-40s and the first woman to wear a two-piece bathing suit in a major motion picture.
10. Cesar Romero (Mexico) - The original Latin Lover, major motion picture star of the 1930-40s.
11. Rita Hayworth (Spain/Ireland/England) - The quintessential glamor queen of the 1940s, the poster girl for soldiers and young boys at the time.
12. Gisele Bundchen (Brazil) - Forbes' highest paid model in the world in 2008, and the sixteenth highest paid woman in the entertainment field, everything from perfume, bags, lingerie, Gisele is a major fashion icon.
