R.I.P Elizabeth Taylor

Following the death of Elizabeth Taylor last week, many have been left reeling over the loss of one of Hollywood’s true icons. She will be remembered for many things- her contribution to the silver screen, her astounding beauty and for her unfaltering love for romance were just a few of her greatest attributes. But for those in the fashion industry Elizabeth will always be commended for her flawless dress sense, earning her a style icon status that is simply legendary.

Catwalk Talk pays tribute to Elizabeth who died on 23^rd March 2011, aged 79, by looking back at some of her most iconic fashion moments...

Elizabeth Taylor fast became a household name in the 1940’s. Her sexy curves and dazzling smile transformed her into a silver screen siren and captured the hearts of audiences internationally. Photographed here in 1948 sporting a classic bathing suit, it’s easy to see why she had girls the world over trying to steal her sensational style.

Looking glamourous in Christian Dior, Elizabeth was the master of female tailoring.  Nipped in waists and full-length skirts helped to extenuate her feminine curves and the look became one of the most popular clothing trends of the time. Elizabeth made no secret of her love of expensive jewellery, famously saying “big girls need big diamonds!” The star had an exquisite collection of jewellery, and was very rarely seen without her diamonds and pearls.

Here she is in the 1950’s, the classic image of a typical fifties woman. At the time the female ‘Coke bottle’ figure was the desired look for women, which meant a full bust, slim waist and shapely hips. It was stars like Elizabeth Taylor who pioneered the look, filling her wardrobe with figure hugging dresses and slinky waist belts as her movie roles became more and more sexy.

In her early days in Hollywood, Elizabeth Taylor was considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world. And judging from this film still from her performance in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) it’s not hard to see why! With the whole film taking in place in the bedroom, whilst Elizabeth paraded around in her silky lingerie, she quickly became one of men’s most popular pin-ups.

Effortlessly sexy, this scene is taken from her Oscar winning role in Butterfield 8 in 1960. Wearing nothing but a slip, Elizabeth was never fearful about bearing some skin for her movie roles and spoke openly about how comfortable she was with her figure. And why shouldn’t she have been? Even in a simple piece of clothing like this, she still manages to look stunning! She transformed what would be a bedtime look for most into her own versatile fashion statement.

Always daring, Elizabeth chose to go bright instead of the stereotypical white bridal gown for her (first) wedding day with Richard Taylor. Instead she went bohemian, with a canary yellow gown and spirals of daisies wound in her hair; a look perfectly fitting for the sixties! Once again Elizabeth proved her worth as a true trendsetter.

Kick-starting seventies fashion, here Elizabeth is in retro prints, eye-popping green and flowing flares! Although this look screams outrageous, it was one that is completely iconic of that decade. She was never afraid to try out a new look, and more often than not her fashion bravery would lead to success.

The looks of the eighties, big hair, big shoulders and lots of cleavage! This photo shows that Elizabeth was more than comfortable with this trend. Her dress is daringly low cut and her hair is sprayed to a tower of perfection-once again her ability to test the boundaries with her style has landed her the role as a style icon for many years to come. Elizabeth Taylor; us fashion loving ladies salute you!