Unfairly, 2014 has been a year of celebrity deaths that feel like literal punches to the gut. The news of Joan Rivers dying at age 81 after complications from a generally routine procedure hits especially hard — she was a lively firecracker of a woman that was still sharp and full of energy the last time we all saw her on screen. Most recently, of course, Rivers is known for her snarky red carpet commentary on the successful E! show, Fashion Police. Dishing out quasi-compliments and quick-witted (often well-deserved) insults on celebrity style came easy to Rivers — mostly because she's been a style icon since well before the show aired.
In the later years of her life, Rivers favored outrageously perfect outfits, featuring statement necklaces, metallic blazers, and fur coats in more varieties than I even knew existed. Early on in her career, when women were ladylike in proper dresses and pearls, Joan Rivers was experimenting with mesh dresses, denim jackets, and massive hairdos that were anything but subtle. While fans wait for answers regarding the circumstances in surrounding her death, I vote we take a wonderful look back at Joan River's earliest, amazing outfit moments that secured her place as a style icon, as well as a comedian.
