The New York Times Says Beyoncé is NOT A Fashion Icon

Someone call The Beygency! Vanessa Friedman, Fashion Director for The New York Times put in print that Beyoncé is NOT a fashion icon — but she explains why.

We all know Bey’s influence in music and entertainment, but despite having a new exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame…is Beyoncé’s fashion alone really ‘exhibit’ worthy?

Friedman writes:

“Beyoncé hasn’t moved, or influenced, the direction of fashion writ large in the way that, say, Rihanna, the winner of this year’s CFDA Fashion Icon award, has.” Then adding that “she doesn’t wear things and spark a million trends, like Madonna once did with her jeweled crosses and lace minis, not to mention her bullet bra corsets.”

Can you name a signature piece in Beyoncé’s fashion history that has influenced style trends? The Times also points out Beyoncé’s defunct fashion line, House of Deréon.

“Her megafame could not even sustain her own fashion brand, House of Deréon, which appears to have been suspended (the Facebook page links to a website, houseofdereon.com, which the Internet says “cannot be found,” though some jeans and shoes are still sold on third-party sites), unlike, say, that of Jessica Simpson, which has revenues of about $1 billion, according to Forbes. Li & Fung, which owns House of Deréon, did not respond to requests to clarify the situation.”

Vanessa Friedman makes several good points. Do you agree with her point of view?

You can read the rest of Vanessa’s article here.