Memento Mori

BY CARLIE REESE ILLUSTRATIONS BY AVERY ALLISON

MEMENTO MORI, A LATIN REMINDER that everyone must die. The phrase is a constant reminder that life ends no matter who we are. Hearing that a beloved celebrity that one looks up to has died is an almost earth shattering realization that even they can pass away. Celebrities are always seen as more than and are put on a pedestal and worshiped, so hearing of one’s favorite celebrity death reminds us that they are human too. Many celebrities that have passed away continue to leave their legacy on the world today. Their fashion, music, acting, and art continue to live on way past their deaths. When celebrities pass away, the normal thing for people to do is look back on that celebrity’s life and their influence on culture. For many, their fashion and art has continued to inspire younger generations. Kurt Cobain, David Bowie, Princess Diana, Tupac, Gianni Versace, Marilyn Monroe, and many others’ fashion continue to live on even after death.

Fashion lives on forever. Trends and styles go in and out but almost always come back reimagined. In 2022, a number of trends have resurfaced including Y2K and ’90s fashion, just to name a few. With trend resurgences happening almost every month these days, we also see the resurgence of new and old fashion icons.

Marilyn Monroe is perhaps one of the most famous women in modern history. She was an actress, model, and an overall enthralling human being. Her sudden death shocked the world in the early 1960s when she

was only 36-years-old. The blonde bombshell’s death appeared to be mental health issues, as she had taken a number of prescription pills and was found dead in her home. Monroe is still remembered today as one of the it-girls in fashion in the ’60s. She was revolutionary at the time, a fashion icon. Her unmistakable dresses are still loved and cherished even over 50 years later. Monroe’s style always fit well with her blonde hair and curvy body. One of her most famous looks included a gown by Jean Louis. The gown was embellished with over 2,000 rhinestones, and she wore it while singing “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy in 1962. This dress was given another life when Kim Kardashian arrived at the 2022 Met Gala in the same exact dress that Monroe wore decades earlier. Kim also sported Monroe’s famous blonde hair for the Gala and showed that Marilyn Monroe’s style will live on forever. Though her death was tragic and unexpected, her beauty and fashion continues to have new life as the years go on.

Another famous celebrity death that shocked the world was Princess Diana. Diana was a beloved figure around the world, as she was part of the royal family and married Prince Charles in 1981. She quickly became named “the People’s Princess.” She was loved almost universally not only in the U.K. but across the whole globe. She did a number of humanitarian efforts all over the world and raised awareness for mental health, domestic abuse, HIV/AIDS, and much more. She was caught in a controversy when she was photographed shaking hands with someone with AIDS, as there was a huge stigma around the disease. Since people thought that one could get AIDS just by touching another, Diana proved this wrong with just one photograph and gave people struggling with the disease a newfound love and respect. Princess Diana’s death was mourned world wide when she passed away in 1997.

Though she was loved deeply for her personality and humanitarian efforts, Princess Diana was and still is to this day a revered fashionable woman. Being a princess in the royal family had some perks because Diana was always dressed to a T. Whether she was at a gala event she was going to or just out and about, the “People’s Princess” always looked her best. Diana’s street style look has made the rounds once again: she often wore biker shorts under an oversized crew neck with a pair of sneakers. People are still seen wearing different versions of this outfit today.

Princess Diana will forever remain a pop culture icon. Her fashion and charity work leaves her one of the most remarkable people in the past few decades. She continues to be honored to this day with many celebrities citing her for their fashion inspiration as well as blockbuster films and TV shows have been released about her.

Steering away from the elegant and more regal side of fashion with Princess Diana and Marilyn Monroe, there are many celebrities that have passed away that influence the street style looks that are seen today. This is especially common with the resurgence of ’90s fashion within the past couple years with styles worn by the likes of Kurt Cobain, and his signature grunge look, and the late rapper Tupac’s street style.

Kurt Cobain was one of music’s golden boys, as he and Nirvana defined an era of music. The grunge music era arrived in the early ’90s and was based out of Seattle. Music was not the only thing that was being described as grunge at the time. Fashion had made its way into the grunge genre as well. Cobain was one of the artists that was spearheading this grunge movement, music and fashion wise.

Cobain was a beloved musician in the ’90s. His band, Nirvana, rose to popularity in the early years of the decade and remains adored and admired to this day. The band is considered one of the first groups to launch the grunge scene into the mainstream. Though the band was met with love and success from all over the world, Cobain still dealt with substance issues and mental illness struggles. Cobain tragically passed away in 1994 by taking his own life. This was an almost instantaneous end to the ’90s grunge era and sent many into a time of mourning.

Cobain and the others in the grunge genre also had a certain style that many could be seen wearing in the ’90s and even now in 2022. Grunge could be described as a type of rock music but also a style including usually loose, baggy fitting clothing. A staple of the grunge style that Cobain could always be seen wearing was the flannel and baggy jeans. Cardigans and baggy sweaters were also part of the style. Grunge is an almost undemanding type of fashion. The style does not seem like much goes into it because the clothes are always loose fitting and comfortable.

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The grunge style and Kurt Cobain continue to influence the world today decades later. Kurt was often seen wearing dresses which was met by criticism in the early ’90s as he was a man. In 2021, Kid Cudi paid homage to Cobain during a Saturday Night Live performance by wearing a custom dress inspired by Cobain’s trailblazing style. Nirvana and Kurt Cobain showcase that their music and fashion can live on forever. Grunge style has made its way back into people’s closets and continues to be a cherished genre and fashion.

There are many more celebrities that have passed that continue to leave their legacy on today’s culture. People like Olivia Newton John, Mac Miller, Betty White, Amy Winehouse, and others have left an incomparable crater in society. Seeing these people pass is saddening, but knowing that their art and life continues to live on through fashion and art is comforting. These celebrities are a reminder that our life is fragile as well, so living life to the fullest is key because everyone must die at a point. Memento Mori.