You would probably know her if you saw her. Henna hair, cupid’s bow lips, and a quick smear of lipstick on her cheeks makes her not just one of the most noticeable people on the street, but one of the most notable people in the fashion world; I’m talking about Lynn Yaeger.
Her unique blend of fashion journalism and humor writing over a span of more than 30 years has made her a mainstay of the fashion world. Covering everything from Oprah to feminist history in fashion, it’s hard not to love Ms. Yaeger as she drops little bits of snark and unrelenting truths for her readers like an eccentric grandmother gives Werthers to children on the street. “As for getting angry about fakes, the time to worry is when no one knocks off your bag,” she states in an interview. “You should be enormously flattered that people want it, and if you can’t make it affordable (I mean, it’s a nylon sack) what do you expect?”
Ms. Yaeger has staked her career and reputation on her unwavering individuality and iconoclasm. Shortly after being laid off from The Village Voice she said, “I tried very hard to represent fashion in a more expansive way. That whole myth about fashion as an exclusive province for just a few skinny people with money—it was fun for me to sort of punch holes in that.”
Her pluck and quick bounce back from unemployment has helped me as I struggle to make some semblance of a writing career, and obviously she has been a major influence on my writing and my relationship to clothes. The short of it is that there are no rules. Wear what you will and do what make you happy. I suggest you all do a quick search of the VV and Vogue archives, read up, and spread the gospel.
(all images via Getty)
