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in memory
September 4, 2014

Remembering Joan Rivers’s Iconic Style

By the Cut

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Photo: Krause, Johansen/Getty Images

Joan Rivers passed away today at the age of  81, her daughter Melissa said in a statement, after undergoing complications with surgery on her vocal cords. Known for her biting sense of humor and ability to poke fun at celebrities in addition to herself, Rivers hosted a range of talk shows before her current gig on E!’s Fashion Police. While she became a booming voice of authority on the red carpet, her own style was just as memorable. In the ‘60s, she wore big, teased hair — and posed in a bathtub wearing a fishnet dress. By the ‘80s, it was bold-shouldered power suits and high-waisted jeans. The ‘90s included one particularly sleek gown worn with an eye patch. And then there is the Joan we all knew and loved in the ‘00s, clad in giant, cozy fur. In her memory, we look back at the grand dame of comedy in all of her greatness.

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Circa 1965 Where: Posing for a portrait in New York City. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
March 1, 1966 Where: In New York City. Photo: Truman Moore/Getty Images
December 13, 1975 Where: On The Carol Burnett Show in Los Angeles, California. Photo: CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images
March 21, 1980 Where: With Folies Bergère. Photo: Ron Galella/Getty Images
January 29, 1983 Where: On Gopher's Daisy/Our Son, the Lawyer/Salvaged Romance. Photo: ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images
January 29, 1983 Where: On Gopher's Daisy/Our Son, the Lawyer/Salvaged Romance. Photo: ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images
April 9, 1983 Where: During a stand-up performance in New York City. Photo: NBC/Getty Images
September 1, 1983  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
April 17, 1984 Where: At The Bounty Westwood screening. Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Getty Images
September 5, 1984 Where: At Elaine's Restaurant in New York City. Photo: Ron Galella/Getty Images
November 11, 1985 Where: At the American Museum of the Moving Image Salutes Sidney Lumet in New York City. Photo: Ron Galella/Getty Images
March 6, 1986 Where: On The Tonight Show. Photo: NBC/Getty Images
June 10, 1986 Where: With Edgar Rosenberg and daughter Melissa Rivers at Spago. Photo: Ron Galella/Getty Images
October 8, 1986 Where: At Spago in West Hollywood. Photo: Ron Galella/Getty Images
November 6, 1986 Where: At Spago in West Hollywood. Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
April 1, 1987  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
September 30, 1987 Where: At performance of Steel Magnolias. Photo: Ron Galella/Getty Images
November 1, 1987 Where: In New York City. Photo: Ron Galella/Getty Images
November 1, 1988  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
September 1, 1989  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
November 29, 1989 Where: At the Winter Night Gala Benefiting Lighthouse for the Blind in New York City. Photo: Ron Galella/Getty Images
March 18, 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
August 28, 1997 Where: At the Wedding of friend Steve Hoefflin in Beverly Hills. Photo: Andrew Shawaf/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Circa 1990  Photo: Ron Galella/Getty Images
October 31, 1991 Where: At the Alzheimer's Association Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth Gala Benefit in New York City. Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Getty... October 31, 1991 Where: At the Alzheimer's Association Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth Gala Benefit in New York City. Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Getty Images
November 4, 1991 Where: At Gourmet Gala to Benefit the March of Dimes in New York City. Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Getty Images
December 9, 1991 Where: At the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Photo: Ron Galella/Getty Images
Circa 1992 Where: In London. Photo: Krause, Johansen/Getty Images
December 1, 1992  Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
April 26, 1993 Where: At the Alfred P. Sloan Jr. Memorial Awards in New York City. Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Getty Images
November 11, 1993 Where: At Rita Hayworth Gala Honors Edgar Bronfman Jr. at Tavern on the Green in New York City. Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Getty... November 11, 1993 Where: At Rita Hayworth Gala Honors Edgar Bronfman Jr. at Tavern on the Green in New York City. Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Getty Images
July 17, 1996 Where: At Los Angeles International Airport. Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Getty Images
November 17, 1997  Photo: Dave Allocca/Getty Images
May 18, 2000 Where: At amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS. Photo: Jeff Vespa/Getty Images
June 28, 2000 Where: In New York City. Photo: George De Sota/Getty Images
September 10, 2000 Where: With Melissa Rivers at the Emmy Awards. Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images
January 25, 2001 Where: In New York City. Photo: Arnaldo Magnani/Getty Images
February 19, 2001 Where: Before going onstage in the play Caged at Town Hall in New York City. Photo: Arnaldo Magnani/Getty Images
November 4, 2001 Where: With Melissa Rivers at the Emmy Awards. Photo: SGranitz/Getty Images
April 17, 2002 Where: At American Women in Radio & Television Gracie Allen Awards in New York City. Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images
September 22, 2002 Where: At the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Robert Mora/Getty Images
March 20, 2003 Where: At her Pre-Oscars comedy tryout in New York City. Photo: Bruce Glikas/Getty Images
September 21, 2003 Where: At the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/Getty Images
February 29, 2004 Where: At the Academy Awards. Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/Getty Images
August 27, 2004 Where: At CMT's 40 Greatest Done-Me-Wrong Songs taping. Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images
February 13, 2005 Where: At the TV Guide stage during arrivals to the Grammy Awards. Photo: Getty Images/Getty Images
February 27, 2005 Where: At the Academy Awards. Photo: SGranitz/Getty Images
March 1, 2005 Where: At the opening-night party for the Off Broadway musical Altar Boyz in New York City. Photo: Bruce Glikas/Getty Images
September 18, 2005 Where: At the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
March 2, 2006 Where: At the opening of the JCPenney Experience in New York City. Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
March 5, 2006 Where: At the Academy Awards. Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
September 12, 2006 Where: At New York Fashion Week. Photo: Katy Winn/Getty Images
October 30, 2006 Where: At the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in New York City. Photo: Hal Horowitz/Getty Images
February 11, 2007 Where: At the Grammy Awards. Photo: SGranitz/Getty Images
May 20, 2007 Where: At the British Academy Television Awards in London. Photo: Mark Cuthbert/Getty Images
October 3, 2008 Where: At the wedding of Howard Stern and Beth Ostrosky in New York City. Photo: Bobby Bank/Getty Images
June 7, 2010 Where: On Good Morning America. Photo: Steve Fenn/Getty Images
November 10, 2009 Where: At Lighthouse International presents the LightYears Gala: The Lighthouse Salutes the Arts at the Plaza Hotel in New York... November 10, 2009 Where: At Lighthouse International presents the LightYears Gala: The Lighthouse Salutes the Arts at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
November 25, 2010 Where: At the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Photo: Bruce Glikas/Getty Images
April 30, 2011 Where: At the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C. Photo: Bloomberg/Getty Images
September 9, 2011 Where: At New York Fashion Week. Photo: Sonja T Georgevich/Getty Images
February 1, 2012 Where: At the opening night after-party for NEWSical the Musical: End of the World Edition in New York City. Photo: Ben Gabbe/G... February 1, 2012 Where: At the opening night after-party for NEWSical the Musical: End of the World Edition in New York City. Photo: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images
September 12, 2012 Where: At Us Weekly's 25 Most Stylish New Yorkers Event in New York City. Photo: Anna Webber/Getty Images
October 9, 2012 Where: At ITV Studios in London. Photo: Neil Mockford/Getty Images
February 12, 2013 Where: At New York Fashion Week. Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images
September 4, 2013 Where: At the Benefit Cosmetics' They're REAL-volutionary Awards in New York City. Photo: Anna Webber/Getty Images
October 20, 2013 Where: At the Broadway opening night of A Time to Kill in New York City. Photo: J. Countess/Getty Images
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Tags:

  • look book
  • joan rivers
  • in memory
  • r.i.p.

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