Joan Rivers: A retrospective through 6 decades of fashion

Joan Rivers was nothing if not fashionable—or more specifically, Joan Rivers proved that fashion is whatever you make it; that power through clothing is a very real thing.

Clothes, for Joan, were her battle garbs. Over the course of her 50-year career, Rivers, who passed away yesterday at the age of 81, became synonymous with fashion not only because of her red carpet coverage, but because she used it to help construct her personas: on late night in the ‘60s, she was a no-nonsense truth-teller who had audiences laughing through tears (likely because her biting social commentary forced many to confront our dysfunctional social norms), while her ‘80s comeback saw her embrace glamour in the face of personal tragedy. Then, as Rivers became more ingrained in the fashion industry itself (through E! and her collections for QVC), she adhered to the bold aesthetic that we now equate her with—one that suited her brassy persona while deflecting, too. (Which makes sense, considering Rivers’ brand of comedy was on the offense.)

Considering her career was born out of protest (her parents weren’t happy with her choice to work in comedy and frankly, how many parents really do jump for joy when their kids choose the arts over a 9-5?), Joan had to assert herself both professionally and aesthetically, especially when it came to late night.

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