The Most Iconic Fashion Designer and Muse Relationship in History

The relationship between an artist and muse is as complicated as it is varied, and exists throughout different eras and different mediums. When it exactly became a part of fashion discourse is hard to pinpoint, but we can look towards some famous examples, such as that of Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn as something emblematic to the relationship between muse and designer. 

Ahead, we list some of the most famous designer-muse relationships in fashion history. 

Yet another emblematic case of designer and muse is that of Salvador Dalì and Elsa Schiaparelli The "Schiap" , of noble origins and a rebellious spirit, met the surrealist artist in Paris. The harmony between the two was immediate and gave birth to a riot of excess creativity. The first, in 1937, the iconic white dress with lobster embroidered on the groin, which was back then, a real challenge to the concept of purity and to social conventions.   Then came the coffered dress, of the famous Mae West lips on a belt, but also of the telephone-shaped bag and the feather and fur headdresses.

The friendship between Betty Catroux and Yves Saint Laurent was born between scandals and similar affinities. Her “female alter ego”, as Yves liked to call her, was the first it-girl to fully embody the Zeitgeist of the 1970s. Long legs, thin face, long platinum blond hair and androgynous allure: Catroux, even before gender fluidity entered the common lexicon, personified the aesthetic code of Saint Laurent.

Forerunner of the bodycon dress, Azzedine Alaïa sculpted the body of women with garments in a way that was never vulgar. His creations came to life on the body of Grace Jones, a Jamaican actress with such unconventional aesthetic, that she was considered to be one of the breaking points of the stereotypical beauty canons of the fashion system. Together with Jones, is certainly Naomi Campbell the "daughter" designated by the famous couturier,  because Naomi affectionately called him "Pope".

The first meeting between the two was unsuccessful: the singer snubbed the couturier's sketches and totally ignored the collaboration proposal. The following year, however, in 1989, Madonna retraced her steps and decided to entrust Gaultier to define her image as a pop star. For the Blonde Ambition Tour in 1990, the designer designed the iconic corsets with cone-shaped breasts, paying homage to her rock and controversial sensuality.

Fashion editor, talent scout and style icon: Isabella Blow was one of the most influential figures in the fashion business, discoverer of talents by the caliber of Philip Treacy and Alexander McQueen, of whom she was the inspiring muse. It was the year 1992 when the “mad hatter”, during the closing ceremony of Central Saint Martins in London, was struck by the collection of a young rookie Alexander that was a cross between darkess and fairytale, characteristics that seemed to describe herself. Confident of the designer's talent, she bought all the pieces at a cost of £ 5,000, exhausting all her savings. It was the beginning of a close friendship, which also shared the same tragic fate: Blow committed suicide in 2008 and McQueen in 2010.

The story of designer and muse does not end there. There are many present examples today, such as Dolce & Gabbana and Monica Bellucci, and also the ones marked by a decades-long intimate friendship, such as model Mariacarla Boscono and Riccardo Tisci.  Another example is French designer Jacquemus and Bella Hadid, who recently posed on FaceTime for his last summer's ad campaign. Finally, the one between Donatella Versace and Irina Shayk, a muse with a sculptural physique and very sensual gaze, representative of the quintessence of the Versace style.