The "It Girls"

[Not Plain Jane]

Bump again!

Well, Alexa Chung has a new book called "It" and of course fashion weeks bring out all sorts of "style mavens"; perhaps it's time to resurrect this topic?

There's an article from a few weeks ago in Elle that might be a good jumping off point.

"Is the 'IT' Girl Over?"

Poor Edie Sedgwick. She never had a clothing line, a TV show, or a how-to book. But with women like Alexa Chung, Leandra Medine, and Miroslava Duma becoming mini industries, is it time reassess "It"-mania?

FULL ARTICLE HERE:

http://www.elle.com/fashion/celebrity-style/over-it-girls

 

[lelaid]

As far as I'm concerned people use the term "It Girl" way too loosely. For me it's someone who comes along and is so unique, different, and interesting that people can't help but pay attention. They just do their own thing and people take notice.

 

[loladonna]

The problem with being an "It" girl is that there is a shelf life. Has anyone seen Cory Kennedy lately? As "It girls near thirty they will find themselves replaced by newer younger girls. Fashion is fickle and likes it's stars young. People like Sofia Coppola, Kirsten Dunst, Gwyneth Paltrow were all fashion darlings at one point. They still get attention for their acting but no one in high fashion is citing them as the defacto arbiters of style anymore.

While people like Alexa can parlay her connections into jobs and a lingering presence in the industry there is only a brief window of "It" status and I think hers has passed. She should have come out with her book a couple of years ago. Now people like Cara Delevigne, Rita Ora and Rihanna are getting all the attention.

From a branding perspective you are much better off not being branded an "It"girl by the fashion industry because if you are "in" you will most certainly be "out" at some point and the perception of your brand will be that it is passe'. Celebrities like Daisy Fuentes, Kathy Ireland and even Lauren Conrad have brand stability that comes from having established a strong identity not reliant on fickle trends. They are not hopping around from collab to collab but rather building on a consistent aesthetic that reflects what they like regardless of whether it's hip or hot. IMO that is a more desirable --and profitable-- business model than courting the favor of the fashion industry and having to wear and promote certain brands as a condition of staying in favor (see Olivia Palermo).

I will reiterate that the media has a lot to do with the annointment of It girls. They decide on who to focus their attention. Someone like Rita Ora --whom most Americans have know idea what she actually does-- benefits from constant exposure online. She has this perceived celebrity status while no one (outside the UK apparently) can name one of her songs.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

You know what's funny? And I am not being cheeky here - I have not heard of any of these people:

Daisy Fuentes, Kathy Ireland and even Lauren Conrad

And not sure I agree 100% with this:

People like Sofia Coppola, Kirsten Dunst, Gwyneth Paltrow were all fashion darlings at one point. They still get attention for their acting but no one in high fashion is citing them as the defacto arbiters of style anymore.

I agree that they are by no means "defacto arbiters of style"; however I think that all of them have a very loyal and strong group of followers who admire their style still - their threads are some of the busiest in "star style".

And yet, I wouldn't think of them as "It" girls in the first place. Maybe Sofia to a degree, since she really came into her directing career later. But Gwyneth and Kirsten were known primarily for their acting.

I've always thought of an "It" girl as one whose career path is kind of nebulous but yet one who becomes famous more through presence - through being a key presence in a happening "scene".

 

[loladonna]

You know what's funny? And I am not being cheeky here - I have not heard of any of these people:

That's kinda the point. You've never heard of them possibly because they've never been fashion "It" girls hyped up by the industry yet all of them have multi-million dollar lifestyle brands of which fashion is a major component. They don't have to worry about their brands suffering due to falling out of favor with the industry because they were never really in favor to begin with.

 

[Les_Sucettes]

Bump again!

Well, Alexa Chung has a new book called "It" and of course fashion weeks bring out all sorts of "style mavens"; perhaps it's time to resurrect this topic?

There's an article from a few weeks ago in Elle that might be a good jumping off point.

"Is the 'IT' Girl Over?"

I think it is.
And Alexa's book is so embarrassing that i think is enough to kill the It girl straight away. I was reading extracts at the weekend on the newspaper and i couldn't believe it. Some reviewers were saying that Pippa's book next to hers is literary genius, and truth the told some stuff she wrote i had to reread because i honestly thought i just missunderstood. Pearls like, Lolita being her style icon" for the summer months" and that pigtails “ can look ridiculous if you’re under 16 or over 25 but I’m willing to keep paying tribute to this limby literary icon … at least for the time being".
I'm sure 12 year old Lolita disagrees.

 

[ParisFashionMuse]

its funny to think that these "it girls" are the most overrated ones.

 

[ViviPuntoCom]

Beauty + Intelligence + Social + Exposure = IT*

*I just like writing IT in caps.

I think that this is that define a "it girl".
My favourite is Cara Delevingne, she is a model with a different attitude from the rest. That is enough for catch the attention.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

I agree: the true "IT" girl has to have something that makes her stand apart from the rest.

I'd say both Chloe Sevigny and Alexa Chung are not typical beauties, for example, and they each have a unique fashion sense.

Edie Sedwick, too, was a renegade when it came to personal style, plus she was beautiful and was said to have had a personality that lit up a room.

They have to stand out.

 

[fritze]

I think it is.
And Alexa's book is so embarrassing that i think is enough to kill the It girl straight away. I was reading extracts at the weekend on the newspaper and i couldn't believe it. Some reviewers were saying that Pippa's book next to hers is literary genius, and truth the told some stuff she wrote i had to reread because i honestly thought i just missunderstood. Pearls like, Lolita being her style icon" for the summer months" and that pigtails “ can look ridiculous if you’re under 16 or over 25 but I’m willing to keep paying tribute to this limby literary icon … at least for the time being".
I'm sure 12 year old Lolita disagrees.

Hope this is not too off topic, but I was quite baffled when I read this too (especially the Lolita quote). Alexa always struck me as being intelligent , but I guess she doesn't care about coming across as such?

 

[barbaraaa]

I think it is.
And Alexa's book is so embarrassing that i think is enough to kill the It girl straight away. I was reading extracts at the weekend on the newspaper and i couldn't believe it. Some reviewers were saying that Pippa's book next to hers is literary genius, and truth the told some stuff she wrote i had to reread because i honestly thought i just missunderstood. Pearls like, Lolita being her style icon" for the summer months" and that pigtails “ can look ridiculous if you’re under 16 or over 25 but I’m willing to keep paying tribute to this limby literary icon … at least for the time being".
I'm sure 12 year old Lolita disagrees.

I guess she never read the book

 

[eizhowa]

^You'd think she was able to read the wikipedia entry at least...

 

[caughtulikeacold]

I think what makes an "it" girl "it" is that she has to have that certain Je Ne Said Quoi quality about her. She's like a breath of fresh air, she has that charm, a certain X factor you can't really place about her. I also think there is a certain air of mystery about her too.

 

[fashionista-ta]

You know what's funny? And I am not being cheeky here - I have not heard of any of these people:





And not sure I agree 100% with this:



I agree that they are by no means "defacto arbiters of style"; however I think that all of them have a very loyal and strong group of followers who admire their style still - their threads are some of the busiest in "star style".

And yet, I wouldn't think of them as "It" girls in the first place. Maybe Sofia to a degree, since she really came into her directing career later. But Gwyneth and Kirsten were known primarily for their acting.

I've always thought of an "It" girl as one whose career path is kind of nebulous but yet one who becomes famous more through presence - through being a key presence in a happening "scene".

Too funny ... I am literally under a rock with multiple media blackouts, and I know who Daisy and Lauren are

I thought calling her book 'It' was pretty ballsy of Alexa Chung. The sequel should be 'Chutzpah.' I haven't looked at hers, but I did pick up Tina Fey's book ... and quickly put it back down. Disappointing, as she is much more my idea of 'it' ...

PS I think an entire chapter of Chutzpah should be devoted to the concept of 'Je Ne Said Quoi' referenced above. That I would make a point of reading

 

[Les_Sucettes]

I think what makes an "it" girl "it" is that she has to have that certain Je Ne Said Quoi quality about her.

That might have been true of the old days, but today i think you make yourself into an "IT" girl. Alexa is a case in point, everyone seems to forget that she started in Popworld and her role was actually making fun of all those musicians self inflated egos. Only when she changed physically to a point that always attracts a rabid fanbase and she became (in extreme) everything she used to mock, she became Alexa the IT girl. True be said, her book is the proof how micro managed her IT girl status is. There is a formula. And a lot of people are doing really well simply following it.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Anyone seen harper, an advertising supplement to Harper's Bazaar 'starring' 'guest editor' Alexa Chung? I found it laughable ... in just a few pages she manages to beg for freebies twice.

 

[Amillion]

Living in New York, I've been to events where "It-Girls" were in attendance. I didn't notice anything special about them, and they felt like pretty much everyone else in the crowd. I think what makes It-Girls, It, is all about knowing the right people, media and photographers. Fashion of course is number one, hang out with the right PR people (KCD, etc), get photographed by the top socialite photographers (BFA, Getty Images, New York Times, etc), a feature in Nylon or Kitten Galore, show up to the best shows during FW and you should be well on your way to "IT" status.

 

[arlekindearrabal]

Anyone seen harper, an advertising supplement to Harper's Bazaar 'starring' 'guest editor' Alexa Chung? I found it laughable ... in just a few pages she manages to beg for freebies twice.

Damn. LOL.