“You can’t be elegant without being graceful,a nd you can’t be graceful if you’re not at ease.” – Jacqueline de Ribes

I recently visited The Metropolitan Museum of Art for an exhibition on fashion icon Jacqueline de Ribes. De Ribes gained international fame when she was nominated to the International Best Dressed List at the age of 27. Born to an aristocratic family and married by the age of 19, de Ribes channeled her indomitable spirit into her style. She frequently worked with designers on her couture ensembles, which was traditionally unheard of in haute couture. She was a muse to Dior, among others. And she always approached her style with a sense of vision and purpose. “I am not a lady who lunches,” she once explained. “My suits have to move. My clothes have to be comfortable. I have to be able to work.”

What I loved about the exhibit was that we got to see what it means to be a fashion icon. When you follow fashion, it tends to define you. But when you see fashion as a form of communication, you shape it to the vision you have for yourself. Women like Jacqueline de Ribes use fashion to communicate who they are, as opposed to letting it define them. Jacqueline has a natural grace – it is expressed in her high cheek bones, almond eyes, swan-like neck and lithe figure. Her clothing serves as a punctuation to her natural elegance. From her couture gowns to her own designer label, Jacqueline remains true to herself.

The curious thing about the de Ribes collection is that you can never quite guess when the design was created. The exhibit ranges from 1962 to the present, but the ensembles could have been created at any moment in time. Jacqueline de Ribes is the true definition of timeless elegance. If you want to experience that kind of fashion, take a stroll through the Met’s exhibit.