Style Icon: Cecil Beaton

Twiggy, 1967, Cecil Beaton. (Vogue, Courtesy Sotheby's)

Audrey Hepburn, 1964, Cecil Beaton. (Vogue, Courtesy Sotheby's)

Nancy Cunard, 1929, Cecil Beaton. (Cecil Beaton Archive, Sotheby's, London)

Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel, 1937, Cecil Beaton. (Cecil Beaton Archive, Sotheby's, London)

"Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary." - Cecil Beaton

Cecil Beaton had the distinction of capturing five decades of fashion and film photography. Not only did he use photography as his medium - he also led a decidedly stylish life. Shooting for Vogue, earning an Oscar for costuming "My Fair Lady" and "GiGi", designing sets, and sketching are all accomplishments that he undertook during his lifetime.

Note: check out the newly commissioned fabric line based on 1948 drawings by Cecil Beaton