Photos: Elizabeth Taylor’s style

Elizabeth Taylor’s on the film set of “Cleopatra” in Rome in 1962. Vittorio Nino Novarese and Renie made Taylor’s gilded costumes for the historical epic. Taylor did her own makeup. In June, Profiles in History will auction the elaborate headdress Taylor wore in the film. (STR / EPA)

March 14, 2014 1:53 PM PT

By Times fashion critic Booth Moore
As a fashion icon, Elizabeth Taylor could turn simple into sexy, elegance into excess

Liza Minnelli and Elizabeth Taylor in 1985. During the height of 1980s excess, the grand dame displayed a love affair with sparkle, both in her jewelry and her clothes. She was fond of wearing clothes by Valentino, Versace and Halston. (Lennox Mclendon / Associated Press)

Elizabeth Taylor attends the charity event ‘Art against AIDS’ during Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland. Unlike some of today’s stars, Taylor never left the house without being perfectly coiffed. (STR / EPA)

Elizabeth Taylor at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. Even as her health declined, she still played the part of a movie star -- furs, big earrings and all. (Stefano Paltera / Associated Press)

Elizabeth Taylor, accompanied by her physician, Dr. Rexford Kennamer, walks through Waldheim Cemetery in near Chicago where she attended a ceremony dedicating the grave marker of her late husband Mike Todd. Prim and proper in the 1950s, with a ladylike box bag and gloves. (Ed Maloney / Associated Press)

Elizabeth Taylor with two of her children next to an antiques store in Gstaad, Switzerland. Even in casual moments, she was unmistakably a star. Taylor once said that women who do not wear silk scarves are futureless. (STR / EPA)

An undated photo shows Elizabeth Taylor and husband Eddie Fisher during a trip to Paris. (AFP / Getty Images)

She knew how to make an exit. (Victor Boynton / Associated Press)

An appropriately extravagant hairstyle for a 1969 reception at Versailles. (AFP / Getty Images)

Taylor shops in Las Vegas. (Pre-News Bureau / Associated Press)