Continuing the fun activity of ranking musical artists on a completely non-musical basis, here are our top three style icons of 2014. While an artist’s clothing style may have nothing to do with their music, it is indeed a major part of their perception and often an extension of their art. These three artists were chosen by WVAU DJs for their originality, aesthetic badassery and grace under pressure.

3. Rihanna

Courtesy of The Fashion Law.

90% of Rihanna‰’s Instagram posts are a thirst trap, 80% of what she posts on Twitter is hilarious and 70% of the time Chris Brown sees her, he thinks, “damn, I fucked up!‰” Whether it‰’s within music, headlines or what‰’s trending on Twitter, Rihanna is likely to be a part of it. While Rihanna may never reach Madonna or Beyonce status, she will go down as one of the most influential icons in pop music history. One area where she may not get enough credit is her overall style.

From the sleek and stunning red dress that she rocked at the Diamond Ball to the infamous glitter dress she wore to the CFDA awards, Rihanna has always been unique and ahead of the curve. Rihanna, RiRi, Rude Girl, whatever you want to call her is the reason we have so many of our favorite artists in the modern era. Rihanna is the reason Rita Ora‰’s debut album cover features her gasping with her mouth open and the reason she rocks her flowing blonde hair so well. Rihanna is the reason Lorde is extremely fearless and confident. Rihanna is the reason Tinashe‰’s “2 On‰” was played at nearly every party last summer. Rihanna is the reason Cassie…Cassie never really had much of a career outside of being Diddy‰’s side piece, but you get the point. Rihanna. Rihanna. Rihanna. Original. Powerful. Unique. There‰’s not much else to say, but style icon.

-Ryan Shepard

2. JAY Z

Courtesy of Marie Claire.

What‰’s left to say about JAY Z? I won‰’t go into the logistics of his come up because you already know. He‰’s the rags to riches poster boy, from selling drugs on the streets of Brooklyn NY, to shaking hands with the president of the United States, there isn‰’t much left for Jay to conquer. Every single one of his 15 albums has gone platinum. Not to mention his most recent record was the first album to ever go platinum “instantly‰” due to Jay‰’s digital distribution through Samsung. Champagne on his breath, yes. He had a favorite brand and bought that. He‰’s got his own perfume line called “gold.‰” He owned a share of a professional basketball team. He‰’s married to society‰’s second coming of Jesus, and in his own words, he‰’s standing on top of the rap game holding his penis.

Like a modern day Picasso Jay-Z has both high and lowbrow culture in the palm of his hand and everybody is eating out of that shit. Go watch the  “Picasso Baby” music video (ed. note: entitled “Picasso Baby: A Performance Art Film”) …THEN WATCH IT AGAIN. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! He‰’s on the cutting-edge of business and his stylistic and cultural prowess can only matched by his musical genius. He has a whole Wikipedia page dedicated to awards that he has won. 3 AMAs, 7 BET awards, 2 BMAs, 19 Grammys, 7 VMAs, not to mention over 100 nominations. Jay-Z is a fucking powerhouse of it all. The man transcends his musical career and in 2014 exists as an idol, an icon, a demigod. Who else has a resume like J? Nobody. Hold those diamonds up and chant with the pulse of the planet: HOV, HOV, HOV.

-Anonymous

1. FKA twigs

Courtesy of Two City.

If I could describe FKA Twigs‰’ style in four words they would be Dark R&B Rag Doll. Twigs wears a lot of drapey black clothing; every picture of her on Instagram looks like an artsy photo shoot. 

While she‰’s at the forefront of 2014‰’s fashion community, it‰’s clear that twigs is much more interested in aesthetics than in fashion for its own sake. She cites photographers like Robert Mapplethorpe and designers like Richard Avedon as her influences; both musically and personally she is very Avant-garde. The videos she directs lend themselves to her personal style, which center around stark contrasts, movement (she was a dancer growing up), and texture. 

The only static look twigs maintains is on her head. Her bangs are artfully plastered in cloudy little swoops to her forehead; her lips a bright red or deep purple; a tiny gold septum under her nose. 

When you listen to FKA twigs or watch one of her videos, you don‰’t experience a discontinuous mess or a neatly packaged product. Her style and her music lap against each other like waves as she crafts her identity. This is how she effortlessly qualified to be our #1 style icon this year.

-Carson Bear