Inspirational Icon Monday: Patti Boyd

British model Patti Boyd was not only a muse to 1960's fashion photographers and the woman Twiggy attempted to emulate, but she was also the inspiration for some of George Harrison and Eric Clapton's biggest hits. She was crushed on by The Rolling Stone's Mick Jagger and The Beatle's John Lennon, but it was Lennon's band mate George that she chose to marry in 1966 only to later feel alienated from Harrison's deep devotion to eastern religion. She in turn fell into the arms of Jagger's band mate Ronnie Wood and divorced Harrison in '74. By the end of the seventies, Boyd thought she had found everlasting love with Clapton, but instead was tortured by his numerous affairs and a child he secretly fathered during their marriage. The love she had with both Harrison and Clapton didn't last, but it obviously had some beautiful moments. Harrison wrote I need You, Something, Isn't it a Pity? and For You Blue about Patti; Clapton wrote Layla, Wonderful Tonight and Bell Bottom Blues about the long locked blond beauty.

While I was in high school, Alex in Drama Club would always sit outside the theatre strumming the chords on his guitar and singing Clapton's Wonderful Tonight. We never dated, but I did crush on him simply because of his daily rendition of this song. Every girl wants to have someone see her in the light that Eric Clapton once saw Patti Boyd. When their marriage ended in divorce, however, every time Boyd heard that song, she had to endure the painful reminder that things were once really good and now were over. Going through a break-up myself, it's comforting to know that even the most fashionable, beautiful, and song-worthy of women suffer from heartbreak once or twice. It's all apart of the road. The road to where? That remains to be seen.

Boyd with first husband Harrison.

Boyd with second husband Clapton.

My version of Patti Boyd. She always brought a sweetness to whatever she was wearing (notice the bows on my heels) and often sported the A-line mini dress originally designed by Pierre Cardin in 1965.