Few people can command global recognition under a name – Iman, born Iman Abdulmajid, is one of them. From Yves Saint Laurent to Gianni Versace, almost everyone was on the muse of the world's most famous designer, Iman attracted the Paris and Milan runways in the mid-1970s with a clear presence and balance.
With Iman's fixtures on the red carpet and on major awards ceremony, this iconic self-awareness quickly surpassed the show and wore the glittering work of many of the top record labels she walked on the runway. From 1992 to her death in 2016, her marriage to the late David Bowie remains one of the most iconic and stylish nations in celebrity history. Almost fifty years after making its runway debut, Iman remains an incredible presence, leaving his mark on the world of entrepreneurial and activism.
From the 1980s to now, here, I have relived the strange fashion sense of Iman.
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In 1981, a brand new Iman and Calvin Klein attended the Met Gala that year.
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Even though the modeling scene in 1982 was relatively new, Iman's signature style has come down to science.
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Plus, Bowie and Iman are fashion royalty. Together? The couple never delivered in terms of fashion.
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Of course, before today's fashion girls were busy shaking this pure Arai tights, Iman certainly wore it at the 1991 premiere.
Iman has always known how to make a statement, so her style evolution is really just going from the best years to the better. Exhibition A: This simple black suit was overloaded in 1991 through a lot of hair and pearls.
Exhibition B: A comprehensive inspection of the appearance in 1995.
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No one had a party like Eman.
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Jean Paul Gaultier equipped the runway star for this glittering orange dress from the 1995 VH1 Fahsion & Music Awards.
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Iman and Bowie even dress up for the airport terminal.
Eman has never been a person who deviates from color. In order to open Chanel's New York flagship store in 1996, the model must have caused a big entrance in this neon ensemble.
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Iman is a fashion royalty, so why didn’t she dress up at the 1997 Metropolis Festival?
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Iman, Versace, Bowie knows the dress code around black tie.
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Attend the party like in 1999.
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Iman arrived at the 2000 Met Gala in peak style, and Naomi Campbell’s date.
What sparkles from head to toe is how Iman wears a small black dress.
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The model has never been shy about mixing patterns.
No one wore denim like Eman – especially when Louis Vuitton New York store opened in 2004.
In recent years, Iman has traded with bold furs and accessories in exchange for a more refined outline. But, as this shiny white dress (at the 2005 CFDA Awards) proved, she had no plans to blend anytime soon.
And prove that she still has her signature IT factor on the 2013 AMFAR Inspiration Gala in New York.
The model chose a fashion forward Juan Carlos Obando looking for the 2014 CFDA Awards.
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In 2021, Iman won and returned to Met Gala to compete for the first time in 18 years, with a jaw-dropping Harris Reed appearance with a halo.
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The model brings her (and Sparkle) preference to Broadway in 2025.
This article was originally published on September 12, 2015