It Girls of Tomorrow- 4 Style Muses

Skip navigation!

It may seem like all you need in order to be an It Girl are extra-long legs, a turntable, and somewhat elusive employment. But trust us—among the denizens of gentlewomen fitting those first three criteria, not all can have that particular brand of je ne sais quoi. Big cities are full of PYTs, but to make the R29 cut, you've got to have a wallop-packing personality, inspiring talents, and mad, mad, mad style. So, behold: Four new ladies, hand-picked by yours truly, who more than fit the bill for It Girl Of Tomorrow. Get ready to have a girl crush.

AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT

1. Molly Young. Bluesy ingenue with an edge.
This adorable scribe definitely has style chops to match her writing skills. A grad of Brown, our 23-year-old fashion lass blogs for Spike Jonze's blog We Love You So, and was also profiled on Urban Outfitters and in Paper magazine just this month.
magicmolly.tumblr.com
.

It Girl 101: "I live in Chinatown and write for a whole bunch of places: n+1, Vice, The Economist's arts supplement, The Believer, the Poetry Foundation, Maxim, and a handful of others! I blog at my personal site and also for Spike Jonze at We Love You So. I'm also working on a young adult novel in which sartorial nuances play a crucial part—but I have to keep mum about that for now! What else? I'm 23-years-old. My favorite things are the smell of new shoes, seasonal drugstore candy displays, and discovering money in my pocket that I'd forgotten about."

Secret weapon? "First, a Veda leather jacket with a dramatic, face-framing collar. Second, Givenchy eyeliner. Everyone looks good in a leather jacket and eyeliner! Plus, I have round and slightly babyish features, so I benefit from some toughening-up. Veda pieces have judicious girly touches that offset the stern quality of the material, so the pieces end up being feminine in an interesting way. And finally, I keep a spray-bottle of water mixed with salt under my bathroom sink. As a kid growing up in California I went surfing after school, and the sea always did mystical things with my hair, which I liked—so now I always put a little saltwater on it when I get out of the shower."

AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT

What are your five style signatures?
1. "Square bangles and cuffs from Anna Sheffield's Bing Bang line."
2. "Marais classic Oxfords."
3. "Vivienne Westwood's Anglomania Monday dress in any print—the most flattering cut of dress I've ever seen; it makes a woman look like a mermaid from the waist down and a conquistador from the waist up."
4. "Basic silk tops from The Reformation."
5. Black lacquered chopsticks from Chinatown kitchen supply stores for my hair!"

Decade of choice? "The 1910-1920 decade. I like sooty-looking, utilitarian garments. Clothes that you can do things in and that convey independence, capability, and self-respect. My building is a former tenement built in 1901, and I love plundering the archives for photographs of young men and women of that era. They have a good look. As long as you don't veer into steampunk territory, it's a useful period to reference."

Your bag of the moment: "Not terribly exciting, but I tote around an old black Lanvin Kentucky bag stuffed with notepads, whatever books I need for work, and a nasty pile of To-Do lists. It is difficult to find a bag with the capacity to fit all these things! If Alexander Wang designs a backpack big enough to haul around a small pile of bricks, I might convert. Or a wheelie suitcase."

What's your theme song? "It's more of a bluesy lick."

Photos by Bryan Derballa.

2. Denni Elias. Mod-Mexican goddess gone cool.

This stunning brunette first caught our eye at Paris Fashion week, and since becoming a stylist and modeling in her spare time for American Apparel, we're pretty sure she's got a spot on the fashion scene for some time to come. http://thechicmuse.blogspot.com.

AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT

It Girl 101: "I was born in Mexico City, and for now I'm living in Paris. For a while, I tried to be in touch with the fashion world through magazines and the Internet, and I also credit my mom and sister always dress up and always wear heels. After I started traveling to the U.S., I started working with American Apparel as a model. Now I'm a stylist, and through lots of collaborations, I'm really further defining my work and my style."

Secret weapon? "Although I would like to say the shoes are the thing I love the most, the secret weapon, my label if I could say, would be my red lips. I just feel me when I use it and it`s really that pinch that gives a little more magic to the way I dress."

What are your five style staples?
1. "My red M.A.C. lipstick."
2. "White tank-tops from American Apparel."
3. "Black skinny Jeans from American Apparel or Topshop."
4. "Black eyeliner from Lancôme."
5. "Sunglasses are never enough."

Decade of choice: "The '60s."

Your bag of the moment: "The Mulberry Alexa bag."

What's your theme song? "Friendly Fires Paris ft. Au Revoir Simon, Aeroplane Remix."

Top row of photo by Mr. Newton.

3. Laurel Pantin. The tom-boy in high-heels.
This new Street Style darling is fast becoming a favorite of Garance Dor&eacute and the Sartorialist. Lucky girl, she's also a beauty blogger for Teen Vogue and was recently featured in Club Monaco's Garance Doré-shot campaign.

AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT

It Girl 101: "I'm from Austin, TX, originally, and I love it. Personally I'm a bit of a tomboy, I love bugs and space and science, but style-wise I can get pretty frilly. I studied art history and writing at NYU, and now I'm the beauty assistant at Teen Vogue, which is so much fun!"

Secret weapon: "Bright lipstick for sure, I love Mandarina by Milani, and Chanel's Super. I always have on crazy nail polish, glitter is my favorite. I have this great vintage French military jacket that I got my freshman year at NYU because I was obsessed with Lindsay Weir in Freaks & Geeks, and I wear it all the time. I thought I lost it once at a party and freaked out and made all my friends do a search with their cell-phones as flash lights on the floor. Oops! I also have these great Chanel booties that I got for Christmas at like 99% off in Austin. I feel very fancy when I wear them. I guess, I really haven't taken off my Alexander Wang leather jacket since I got it. I also have a Paul & Joe Sister wool jacket with metal sequins around the edge that I love! I love sparkly things in moderation, and pastels, and girly, floaty fabrics, but I tend to end up dressing like a tomboy in high heels.

What are your five style staples?

1. "Black cropped-leg pants."
2. "Platform wedges/crazy shoes in general."
3. "Cozy shrunken plain hoodies and slouchy button-downs."
4. "Jackets. I have way too many jackets and coats."
5. "Anything camel colored."

AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT

Decade of choice: "The '70s à la Lauren Hutton."

Bag of the moment: "I got a great caramel-colored vintage Coach little bitty bag on eBay that I love, but I've been using this BOYY bag, the Frank, for years and years. It's just the perfect bag! Mine's about to fall apart, I really, really need a new one, but I still love it."

What's your theme song: "I don't know about theme song, but whenever I hear 'I Want You Back' by the Jackson 5 it makes me so happy."

Top row of photos, from left, by Refinery29; Zac Sebastian for Club Monaco; Street Peeper. Bottom row of photos by Garance Doré for Club Monaco's latest campaign.

4. Hannah Metz. Big hair-meets-big style.

Talk about a time-warp. Finding style this refined and elegant is a rare treat these days, and Hannah Metz is doing it with aplomb. This style-star-in-the-making is a veritable Jacqueline of All Trades; She's launched her own vintage business, illustrated for Lula and Flaunt, and consulted for Urban Outfitters. hannahandlandon.blogspot.com and hannahkristinametz.com.

It Girl 101: "I was born and bred in Vancouver, Canada and am presently residing in Brooklyn, NY. I am four years married, love kitties, history, and pre-Raphaelite art. My current projects include a vintage clothing wholesale business called The Loved One, which I run with my partner Elvia Lahman; I also have an Etsy shop and community art site called the The Company of People."

AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT

Secret weapon: "My hair! It's large and ginger and excellent to hide behind. I rag or braid it every night to ensure maximum volume."

What are your five style staples?
1. "Hats."
2. "Stockings in black, creme, pink."
3. "Silk blouses."
4. "Cotton shorts."
5. "Amazing vintage dresses."

Decade of choice: "I admit I am partial to the Edwardians, but I'm actually most pleased with the present as I'm able to appreciate and pull inspiration from all of the years before!"

Your bag of the moment: "Vintage Dooney & Bourke for every season."

Your theme song: "Meow Mix commercial song."