Tonight Johnny Depp becomes the first man to ever be honored with the Council of Fashion Designers of America Fashion Icon Award.

He’s a deserving nominee I think.

After all, he’s always displayed a love for vintage pieces. He isn’t afraid of a little imperfection. And he fully expresses his personality with his clothes.

It’s pretty clear that Johnny dresses Johnny for Johnny and not to impress the Fashion Icon voters of the world!

And maybe that’s why we love his style so much.

Don’t we all secretly want to be someone who’s so sure of who we are that we can throw on clothes and look GREAT without giving a toodle about what other’s might think?

If you ask me, THAT is one of the main requirements of being a fashion icon.

A while back I was interviewed by Glamoursurf and was asked to name my own fashion icons.

Nope. Uh-uh. No way. You can’t make me.

Why?

Because I don’t want you or anyone else looking to MY fashion icons for YOUR own sense of style.

YOU need to find your own fashion icons and not pay attention to mine or anyone else’s.

Maybe yours is that old lady at church who always sits in the third pew from the back. Or the woman who shares your elevator most days who works somewhere on the tenth floor.

After all, personal fashion icons needn’t be famous. In fact, maybe they shouldn’t be.

So here are a few requirements I look for in my own fashion icons:

1. They dress themselves. They don’t rely on stylists. They’ve honed their own style sense enough to know without a doubt what they like and what looks good on them.

2. They make mistakes and they don’t care. An occasional fashion faux-pas doesn’t keep them from continuing to express themselves with their unique point-of-view.

3. They’re not label snobs. They appreciate and embrace great design at any price point.

4. They choose not to wear fur.

5. They take risks. Dressers who play it safe may look nice all the time but they seldom make you go “Wow!” or inspire you to try something new yourself.

It strikes me as funny that so many people look to Fashion Icons nominated by the press and then scramble out to buy the products they wear or carry.

Do we really believe that if we just wear Johnny’s blue-tinted glasses or carry the same handbag that Sarah Jessica Parker sported over the weekend that some of their coolness will rub off on us?

If only.

Here’s the thing.

The glasses and the bag aren’t necessarily cool. Johnny and Sarah Jessica are cool because they are so connected to their authentic selves.

THAT’S what we’re attacted to. THAT’S what we all want.

That same connection to who WE really are. And the COURAGE to show it to the world.

Question: What requirements do you have for your fashion icons?