The Most Stylish British ‘It’ Girls of All Time
Photo: Ullstein Bild/Getty Images
There’s a new theme every day on It’s Vintage. Read more articles on today’s topic: British “It” girls.
Parisians may have mastered uncluttered, nonchalant chic, but across the pond lies an eccentric’s playground. The Brits are practiced in the art of melding posh with punk and Portobello Road finds with high fashion. Just think of the quintessential fashion classics that originated in the U.K.: Doc Martens, trench coats, tartan, go-go boots, miniskirts, the safety pin as ear accoutrement.
The style spectrum is broad, with one overarching theme: individuality. The British girl chooses what she’s comfortable in over what’s “in.” Wallis Simpson, the duchess of Windsor, opted for surreal Elsa Schiaparelli designs at a time when tweed suits were all the rage, even infamously posing in the Lobster Dress, the designer’s collaboration with Salvador Dalí. Kate Moss was known for buying clothes at jumble sales in London before she became a supermodel, a key ingredient in her much-lauded undone look.
Click through the slideshow to see women who embody Britain’s style — the models, the actresses, the “It” girls.
Suki Waterhouse It’s hard to pin down the model turned actress's style with just one word (it vacillates from posh to boho to grunge), but one er...
Suki Waterhouse It’s hard to pin down the model turned actress's style with just one word (it vacillates from posh to boho to grunge), but one era in particular suits her: the heyday of '60s mod. She embodies and updates the style of the mod squaders who came before her (like Marianne Faithfull) with heavy bangs, above-the-knee dresses and skirts with leather jackets and oxfords, and two-piece graphic suits worn with platform sandals. For a Burberry party last year, she softened things up with the brand's pastel gown.
Photo: BFA NYC
Georgia May Jagger As the youngest daughter of Mick Jagger, it’s no surprise that the model has a nonchalant rocker edge to her style. Her signat...
Georgia May Jagger As the youngest daughter of Mick Jagger, it’s no surprise that the model has a nonchalant rocker edge to her style. Her signature look? Usually a red lip, slightly undone hair, and something leather. The cut-to-there Mugler design she wore to the most recent Met Ball was a standout.
Photo: BFA NYC
Keira Knightley Known for gracing the red carpet in prim Victorian-style silhouettes, the actress has mastered elegance with a hint of nonchalant...
Keira Knightley Known for gracing the red carpet in prim Victorian-style silhouettes, the actress has mastered elegance with a hint of nonchalant cool. Photo: BFA NYC
Daisy Lowe Deemed the "style icon of her generation" by the legendary Vivienne Westwood, the model and actress has definitely lived up ...
Daisy Lowe Deemed the "style icon of her generation" by the legendary Vivienne Westwood, the model and actress has definitely lived up to her title. Lowe's style has a throwback, pinup-girl quality, and she favors '50s silhouettes that accentuate her curves.
Photo: BFA NYC
Charlotte Rampling Rampling's timeless, menswear-inspired style (not to mention those Helmut Newton shots) made her an icon of the '70s, and she'...
Charlotte Rampling Rampling's timeless, menswear-inspired style (not to mention those Helmut Newton shots) made her an icon of the '70s, and she's still inspiring photographers like Jürgen Teller today. Photo: Ullstein Bild/Getty Images
Marianne Faithfull The singer-songwriter was just as confident in a fur and leather pants as she was in a brocade velvet minidress and patent-lea...
Marianne Faithfull The singer-songwriter was just as confident in a fur and leather pants as she was in a brocade velvet minidress and patent-leather boots. And in Girl on a Motorcycle, her early foray into acting, she wore biker gear just as well as Marlon Brando.
Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
FKA Twigs Though she's only been on the scene for a few years, the fashion industry has already taken notice of the avant-R&B singer (note Gi...
FKA Twigs Though she's only been on the scene for a few years, the fashion industry has already taken notice of the avant-R&B singer (note Givenchy's use of intricate facial piercings on the runway this past season). Whether she's wearing a rainbow of McQueen feathers or a harness, she exudes a casual provocation.
Photo: Kirstin Sinclair/Getty Images
Cara Delevingne Just call her DGAF Delevingne. The bold-eyebrowed, grill-flaunting supermodel is a bit of a shapeshifter, easily transitioning fr...
Cara Delevingne Just call her DGAF Delevingne. The bold-eyebrowed, grill-flaunting supermodel is a bit of a shapeshifter, easily transitioning from streetwear-inspired sweats and sneakers to a more glamorous look. Photo: David M. Benett/Getty Images
Poppy Delevingne And then there's her polar opposite, the put-together Delevingne. The British socialite and model is a poster child for posh, wh...
Poppy Delevingne And then there's her polar opposite, the put-together Delevingne. The British socialite and model is a poster child for posh, whether she’s wearing a pair of ripped jeans or a two-piece suit.
Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images
Alexa Chung An avowed worshipper of Jane Birkin, Chung has parlayed her magic touch with style into a Madewell collaboration, a coffee-table book...
Alexa Chung An avowed worshipper of Jane Birkin, Chung has parlayed her magic touch with style into a Madewell collaboration, a coffee-table book titled (what else?) It, and, most recently, a denim line with AG.
Photo: Antony Jones/UK Press/Getty Images
Pattie Boyd While the English model and photographer was known as the muse to George Harrison and Eric Clapton and the inspiration for several so...
Pattie Boyd While the English model and photographer was known as the muse to George Harrison and Eric Clapton and the inspiration for several songs, her dolly-bird look was just as inspirational.
Photo: 2011 Michael Ward
Julie Christie Like the glamorous character she played in Darling, the actress favored attention-getting motifs, like swirling psychedelic prints...
Julie Christie Like the glamorous character she played in Darling, the actress favored attention-getting motifs, like swirling psychedelic prints and allover sequined minis. Photo: Michael Ward/Getty Images
Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor Simpson's outspokenness carried over to her sense of style. She was an avid supporter of directional desig...
Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor Simpson's outspokenness carried over to her sense of style. She was an avid supporter of directional designs by Paco Rabanne and Elsa Schiaparelli.
Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Jean Shrimpton "The Shrimp," as she was affectionately known, helped bring the modern-day supermodel into being.
Photo: Hulton Archive...
Jean Shrimpton "The Shrimp," as she was affectionately known, helped bring the modern-day supermodel into being.
Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Naomi Campbell The fashion industry’s unapologetic diva isn’t one to hold back sartorially. The supermodel makes the world her runway full of fur...
Naomi Campbell The fashion industry’s unapologetic diva isn’t one to hold back sartorially. The supermodel makes the world her runway full of furs, metallics, leopard, and plenty of body-con Versace and Alaïa, even infamously wearing off-the-runway couture looks to community service. Photo: Ron Galella/Getty Images
Kate Moss London’s resident bad girl is quite the trendsetter — sheer dresses, Wellies worn with microshorts, making bedhead acceptable. Risks an...
Kate Moss London’s resident bad girl is quite the trendsetter — sheer dresses, Wellies worn with microshorts, making bedhead acceptable. Risks and furs are her things; bras, not so much.
Photo: Dave Benett/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Penelope Tree Richard Avedon called her "perfect." What more do you need to know? With her doe eyes and barely-there dresses, she quick...
Penelope Tree Richard Avedon called her "perfect." What more do you need to know? With her doe eyes and barely-there dresses, she quickly became one of the most-talked-about (and in-demand) models in Swinging London.
Photo: Pictorial Parade Archive Photos/Getty Images
Twiggy Childlike and pixie-ish, the model (born Leslie Hornby) ushered in a new standard of beauty with her graphic smock minidresses and over-th...
Twiggy Childlike and pixie-ish, the model (born Leslie Hornby) ushered in a new standard of beauty with her graphic smock minidresses and over-the-knee patent-leather boots.
Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Jane Birkin Before there were off-duty models, there was Jane Birkin. The actress’s wispy bangs, relaxed denim, and worn-in tennis shoes — not to...
Jane Birkin Before there were off-duty models, there was Jane Birkin. The actress’s wispy bangs, relaxed denim, and worn-in tennis shoes — not to mention her namesake Hermès bag — defined her effortless style. Photo: 2004 Getty Images
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