From Empresses to Disco Queens: Meet These Unsung Persian Style Stars! Inline
Photo: Everett Collection/ Mondadori Portfolio1/11Princess Soraya Esfandiari-Bakhtiari
The stunning Persian-German second wife of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi made an extravagant entrance onto the international stage in 1951 in a custom Christian Dior couture wedding gown that boasted 37 yards of pearl-studded silver lamé, 6,000 diamond pieces, and 20,000 marabou feathers. The 44-pound creation marked a chic but short reign for the young princess, who regularly met with world diplomats in Dior and Chanel. After her divorce from the Shah in 1958, the green-eyed beauty moved to Paris and pursued a career as an actress, enjoying a jet-setter life.
Photo: Getty Images2/11Empress Farah Pahlavi
A demure beauty, the third wife of the Shah hardly shied away from glamour and diamonds during her tenure as shahbanu, or empress. A client of Yves Saint Laurent—who designed her fairy-tale wedding dress—she also wore Guerlain and Dior, and her exquisite taste extended to Iranian arts and culture. Empress Farah Pahlavi worked relentlessly in both fields, opening up museums and amassing an impressive modern art collection for her country.
Photo: Courtesy of www.Googoosh.Tv3/11Googoosh, singer
Iran’s answer to Donna Summer, this disco goddess enjoyed incredible fame in the 1970s as a pioneer of Persian pop, thanks to her dance floor–ready songs and searing ballads. But it was also her fashion-forward, Western-influenced onstage looks that made her a trendsetter amongst her fans. Whether in one-shouldered gowns, sinuous bell-bottoms, or waist-baring crop tops, the singer put on a show in unprecedented style.
Photographed by Norman Jean Roy, Vogue, January 20124/11Caroline Issa, fashion editor
Practically catnip to street style photographers, the fashion editor, who is of Persian, Lebanese, and Chinese-Canadian descent, consistently dazzles with her megawatt smile and deft handling of bold colors and prints.
Photo: Getty Images5/11Shirin Neshat, visual artist and film director
The outspoken artist, whose photographs and films explore the sociological and psychological worlds of women from her native country, stays true to her Persian roots with her signature slash of kohl rimming her eyes and embrace of heavily embroidered wares.
