Gloria Steinem’s most famous – and oft-repeated – quotes naturally concerned equality, women’s rights, resistance and revolution. But the legendary feminist, who passed away on 2 September at the age of 92, also taught us a thing or two about style. Despite being criticised in the ’70s by those who felt her glamorous persona was at odds with her feminist ideology, Steinem never shied away from fashion. “Fashion in the past meant conforming and losing oneself,” she said once. “Fashion in the present means being unique and finding oneself.”

True to her word, when it came to clothes, the activist never followed the crowd. And as for being unique, few style signatures are as instantly recognisable as Steinem’s aviator glasses, which she wore with the arms deliberately positioned over the top of her teased, textured and highlighted hair.

As tributes to the trailblazer pour in, from figures such as the war correspondent turned news anchor Christiane Amanpour and writer and professor Roxane Gay, revisit some style notes from a groundbreaking feminist.

Make your own rules…

Drumming up support for state senate candidate Catherine O’Neill at a rally in California in 1972

Whether she was showing out for a female political candidate; at the office of , the feminist magazine she co-founded with Dorothy Pitman Hughes in 1971; or marching for women’s rights, ’70s Steinem was most often to be found in a polo-neck and flares, accessorised with a low-slung belt, waist-grazing pendant, and any number of slogan badges. In 2015, Steinem confirmed in an interview with Lena Dunham that this remains her “power outfit”. Asked what she wears when she needs to feel like a “rad bitch”, Steinem replied: “Boots, pants, a sweater or a T-shirt. A concha belt. Something that’s Native American or Indian, or something that has a resonance from the past before patriarchy came along.”

The writer did stray from her hippy intellectual uniform of denim and tinted lenses, frequently choosing flippy ’70s miniskirts and dresses for TV interviews, or to attend meetings with activist groups (doubtless provoking the ire of her conservative critics in the process). A fixture on the Manhattan social scene as well as the leader of the women’s movement, at parties Steinem embraced unabashed glamour in rich jewel tones and asymmetric necklines.

Embrace colour

Whether she was stepping out at the Plaza, attending a Jane Fonda movie premiere, or tucking into a slice of her own birthday cake at her 50th bash at the Waldorf Astoria, Steinem’s after-dark wardrobe was distinguished by rich colours and subtly sexy necklines – she was partial to a halter-neck, and added drama to one-shoulder dresses with statement necklaces or hair accessories.

Attending a benefit at the Plaza hotel in 1989

Ron Galella, Ltd.

Stay true to your silhouettes

The flares, the fitted top, the low-slung belt… Steinem’s outfit for the 2017 CFDA Awards was vintage Gloria. It was basically that “rad bitch” uniform again – with added celebratory sparkle.

Texture adds interest

This photo of an off-duty Steinem in an ultra-cosy chunky knit for a brisk beach walk in 1984 makes us want to plunge headfirst into autumn fashion. The writer also appreciated the tactile appeal of a suede dress, and special mention goes to her teddy coat and cossack hat combo in Toronto in 1986.

Clothes can make a statement

Steinem was always a fan of a statement accessory, be it a thoughtfully chosen belt or an exotic flower pinned in her hair to attend a party on the arm of the actor Alan Alda – and she rarely hit the town in her heyday without first putting on a pair of drop earrings. But beyond her eye for head-turning jewellery, the journalist knew the attention that came along with her wildly glamorous image was a useful means of getting her message across. See the Voters for Choice badges she pinned to her polo-necks, or her Feminism is for Everybody slogan tee. In 2020, Steinem gifted the Duchess of Sussex a bracelet emblazoned with one of her favourite phrases: “Imagine we are linked, not ranked.”