Behind nearly every item in the feminine wardrobe there is a first of its kind that has spawned countless others. While the definitive example—often created by a single—has achieved icon status, its various reinterpretations, season after season, have become fashion staples.

Take Coco Chanel's short, simple black dress first published in American Vogue in 1926, for instance. Vogue predicted that the LBD would become 'a sort of uniform for all women of taste' and, indeed, it proved to be one of Chanel's greatest contributions to fashion.

Icons of Women's Fashion examines, item by item, the most influential and legendary garments and accessories – their provenance and history, the stories of their design, the celebrities who made them famous, and the various ways they have shaped how women dress today.