63-year-old Lyn Slater lives in New York and teaches students at Fordham University. She can pinpoint exactly the moment that her life changed forever. A few years ago, Lyn was waiting for a friend not far from the Lincoln Center, where the various shows of Fashion Week were taking place. Some photographers standing nearby mistook the stylish woman for a famous personality in the fashion industry.

We at FunnyModo really enjoyed learning about Lyn’s story and her impeccable taste.

“The photographers surrounded me and began taking pictures,“ recalls Lyn. ”Two Japanese journalists began asking questions. Tourists started gathering and taking videos and photos on their phones, thinking they had come across a major figure in the fashion industry. I was confused, but it was at that moment that my friend arrived, and we started laughing at the situation. She said to me, ’Wow, you’ve unexpectedly become a style icon.’ “

“I had always adored fashion and unusual clothes. But I’m a teacher, and my profession has its own rules: I have to dress sensibly for my lessons. This amusing incident encouraged me, and I decided to start writing a fashion blog where I could express myself. I called the blog Accidental Icon,” she told Grey Magazine.

Lyn with her granddaughter Juliet during a Refinery29 project.

It turned out that fashion is Lyn’s calling, and it was from this moment that her new highly successful career began. She didn’t give up her teaching job. But her blog became genuinely popular as many appreciated her minimalist, intelligent, and brave style. Many fashion magazines began to write about Lyn and still do today. She gets invited to fashion shows and does some modeling. Major brands, such as Uniqlo, Refinery29, and Mango, have worked with her on projects, and the modeling agency Elite Model has signed a contract with Lyn.

“Fashion and my style help me struggle against that invisibility that comes with age,“ says Lyn. She makes no attempt to look younger (she refuses to dye her hair), but her blog is read mainly by 25- to 35-year-olds.

”Girls often come up to me on the street and ask what I’m wearing. Young people often write the following to me: I was so scared of getting old, but thanks to you I’m no longer worried. I realized we can keep a hold of our rebellious spirit and look good at any age. Thank you!“

Lyn’s favorite designers are Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo. “This is my basic wardrobe. I build my style around these things,” she explains. When she’s asked to describe her style, Lyn uses four words: minimalism, avant-garde, nonchalance, and monochrome.

“When I started writing my blog, the biggest surprise was that it allowed me to meet so many talented and interesting people: designers, photographers, stylists, bloggers, artists. The opportunities for joint creative work and cooperation are simply endless,” she says.

Once, Lyn was asked, “What do you think when you hear that phrase dress according to your age?“

”Are you really asking me that? There are actually a whole number of ways that we use language to control people’s behavior, and this phrase is a way of putting older women in their place. I’m certain that if you feel comfortable in your own clothes, it’s completely irrelevant how old you are. You’ll look natural and wonderful.”

This year, Lyn became one of the stars of an advertising campaign by Mango called “A Story Of Uniqueness.”