Style Icon – Tilda Swinton

She is the unreal ethereal presence in the film industry or as Amy Schumer calls her Tilda- fucking -Swinton. A badass who dances on her choreography to her own beats. Tilda Swinton has a particular sense of style that makes her stand apart from any herd let alone the acting community. It is suffice to say in the crowds, it is this individuality of this dynamite of a woman that can be simply put as … original.

While Katherine Hepburn may have pioneered the androgynous look, Tilda Swinton takes it a whole new level. Her pale flawless skin and a pompadour hair, really reflect her illustrious Scottish lineage. With a penchant for clean lines, androgynous outlook and living in the bubble of arts that then becomes second nature to her, Swinton is someone who we all can even just hope to even pretend to be like her. With a penchant for clean lines, sophisticated silhouettes and even the most interesting ones, what she strives for is what is most natural for her and groundbreaking for the rest of the world. She does not abide by any rules and her ‘eclectic’ slotted aesthetic appears throughout her lifestyle and her movie choices. It is not extraordinary for herself when she is breaking these rules because it comes so easily to her. Her partnership with Haider Ackerman is the stuff the legends are made of (like Blanchett and Armani) followed by her association with Alber Elbaz and now she is a spokesperson for Pringle of Scotland. A woman like Tilda has her sense of style so defined, that the styling becomes all about little nuances here and there: the different hair, the bag, an unexpected pleat… within her futuristic romance with fashion, it’s all in the details. She can wear even the most basic thing and make it look something to marvel at. Tilda gives us a fierce and commanding take on feminine beauty that is a welcome interlude from more typical starlets.

CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 16: Actress Tilda Swinton attends opening ceremony and “Moonrise Kingdom” premiere during the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 16, 2012 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

66th Cannes Film Festival – ‘Only Lovers Left Alive’ – Photocall Featuring: Tilda Swinton Where: Cannes, France When: 25 May 2013 Credit: News Pictures/WENN.com **Only available for publications in the UK and USA**

CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 25: Actress Tilda Swinton attends the Premiere of ‘Only Lovers Left Alive’ during the 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals on May 25, 2013 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Venturelli/WireImage)

Her penchant for quirky, atypical pieces make her all the more charming and inspirational. With each ensemble, she seems to be telling admiring onlookers, “Dress for yourself and no one else. You’re a work of art.” Giving designers to expand boundaries and limitations, it was not surprising when Viktor and Rolf designed a whole collection inspired by her lexicon. Each outfit being an ode to her futuristic and tailored sense of style with an array of Tilda clones. Her work and involvement within the creative business shows extension of her aesthetic and who she chooses to collaborate with. From photographers like Tim Walker to being displayed literally as an art piece for English installation artist and sculptor Cornelia Parker to create a performance piece entitled The Maybe. This year she did a performance piece Cloakroom with historial Olivier Salliard  wherein reflecting emotional bonds we form with fashion and our clothes. Her choices may seem outrageous but is natural to her mind and being and it shows. She is unafraid, fierce and unabashedly unapologetic about her choices…rather excited to take on unexpected things to create something so powerful that one is left wondering that it is where your cerebral limits end, hers just begin.

Her aesthetics also reflect in the choices of characters she chooses to portray on screen. With each one different from another, as Amy Schumer puts it ‘She can scare the shit outta you, break your heart n give you a boner all at the same time.’ Her affinity for unusual subject matter within independent art house movies exploring beyond the obvious, is what keeps us excited of what may be next for her. And the next thing she does, blows you off with her Magazine editor act as fierce as Miranda Priestly in Trainwreck. She goes way beyond for her craft embodying her characters with a certain language that you cannot see anyone but her within that role. She is totally uninhibited if she is convinced and giving depths to her characters (even as the cold white witch) beyond the obvious. With such a dramatic flair one can just marvel at her unusual filmography that she chooses to experiment with. I still don’t get it why Only lovers left alive wasn’t nominated for oscars (she never cared for awards anyway though). With just above fifty yrs old (YES!!!! Who would believe that) possessing the natural sass that we could just dream to possess, this trailblazer is, and hopefully, will continue to go strong surprising us at every turn.

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