Icon: Kimora Lee Simmon

As I grow older, I am influenced more and more by entrepreneurs. Mainly because, even though I'm in the early stages, that is what I am. One entrepreneur that I absolutely love and have so much respect for is Kimora Lee Simmons, so it is only right that she be placed in my Icon category.

Kimora Lee Simmons grew up in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri (she's a mid-western girl too...I'm originally from Ohio ;P ) and was raised by a single mother. Growing up, Kimora was teased by other kids at school because she was so different. Being of Japanese and African American heritage, and nearly six feet tall by age 11, Kimora was most definately an oddity at school, and kids even called her "Chinky Giraffe" (how hurtful!). To boost her confidence, Kimora's mother enrolled her in modeling classes...while her appearance was odd to others, it was beautiful and something to be celebrated in the modeling world.

Her mother was right. By age 13, Kimora had been discovered by a scout for an agency, and was eventually shipped off to grace the runways of Paris, France. Soon after, Kimora was discovered by Karl Lagerfeld, Creative Director for the House of Chanel, and she served as his muse. Before even becoming an official "adult", Kimora had graced the covers and pages of top fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle, and Harper's Bazaar.

Kimora entered the world of fashion design when she produced custom made baby t-shirts that read "Baby Phat" for the female models to wear during 1999 Phat Farm Men's Collection runway show at New York Fashion Week. Soon, everybody wanted that t-shirt, and from there, and entire women's collection was launched, and Baby Phat was born. Kimora served as creative director of Phat Fashions, and was the driving force behind the brands, ad campaigns, marketing, and business strategies. In addition, Kimora also stars in the Style Network's "Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane", and is author of the book "Fabulosity: What It Is and How to Get It." She also is heavily into philanthropy, and donates her time and support to numerous charitable organizations. Kimora Lee Simmons has achieved so much in her short life of only 35 years, and on top of everything that she does, she also is a mother of 3 children, and a wife.

Kimora truly inspires me. She knew what she wanted from a very early age, and worked hard (and continues to do so). It is so common for people to say how badly they want something, yet they are unwilling to sacrifice in order to acquire what they truly want, but Kimora is a perfect example of what vision, goals, and determination can bring about. I love the fact that she is a young business woman who is able to balance her normal life of motherhood and being a wife. I love the fact that she shows her two daughters and son exactly what a strong woman should be, and that any goal is attainable no matter what your circumstances are. What I love most though, is that even though her over the top personality makes her seem like some type of "diva", when you see Kimora in action, she is truly just a real person, and is truly someone to be admired.

Icon: Aaliyah

There are some people who have truly inspired fashion, beauty, and pop culture as a whole. When the word "icon" is spoken, people like Audrey Hepburn, Jennifer Lopez, Farrah Fawcet, or even Rihanna may come to mind. But for me (and many other people), Aaliyah is an icon who should never be forgotten.

Aaliyah was only 22 at the time of her passing, but she had been on the scene since the age of 15. She began her career as a shy, beautiful tomboy wearing sunglasses, bandannas, hats, sneakers, Timberland boots, and baggy clothes.

As Aaliyah got older her style (both fashion and musical) matured with her. The sunglasses came off and the clothing became more "womanly", yet she still had her "tomboy" edge to her. As a Tommy Hilfiger model, Aaliyah beared her belly, wearing tiny tube tops and bandeaus, but also wore her pants baggy and low, showing the rim of her Tommy boxers.

In the last years before her incredibly untimely death, Aaliyah's style truly came into its own. She embrased the woman that she was becoming showed it by wearing dresses, heels, and form-fitting clothes.

No matter what, Aaliyah was always tasteful, and alway classic. Truly a natural beauty, Aaliyah never wore tons of makeup caked on her face, or clothing that was inappropriate. She was always conscious that she had young women who looked up to her, and presented herself in a way that was fashionably respectable. As a person, Aaliyah was very down to earth and her entire style reflected that. I feel that although Aaliyah has her fans that will be forever loyal to her (myself included) and will always remember the influence that she had no only in the music world, but also in style, there are still people who seem to forget the impact that Aaliyah Dana Haughton actually had. She was classic. Aaliyah was on the edge when it came to fashion. She was, in her own words, "sassy yet classy. Never trashy." Truth.

As we approach the 9th year since Aaliyah's tragic death on August 25th, I felt that her spirit should stay relevant. If she were alive today, I can only imagine how music and fashion would be. They say the good die young, but to me, Aaliyah was great. That being said, I believe that Aaliyah was, is, and always will be a true ICON.