Paging the 'It' Girls

They are young, sexy, and driven, Though their last names have made them famous since birth, they are out to make their own mark as actresses, models, TV hosts. They are the girls of the moment, and as LYNN HIRSCHBERG finds, they are having a very good time

LYNN HIRSCHBERG

The ultimate It-girl fantasy is to never not be the It girl."

THE TITLE SCARES THEM. They're not certain it's such u good thing. "What is an It' girl exactly/!" exclaims Li\ Tvler. echoing the concerns of all the girls photographed on these pages. "Am I one?" she continues, questioning the \ery notion. "And if I am. do I really want to he . . . ft/"

Absolutely. It-girlness is a state that transcends looks, intuition, and pedigree (although a healthy dollop ..of all three certainly helps). To be an It girl is to have that certain somethin—an intrinsic ability to capture the spotlight. "I guess it's being at the1* right place at the right f^time." »dxplan^ Zoe Cassavetes. ^frThe ultimate lt-girl fantasy is to 4^ie\er not be th^ k gjrl."

%KvK'se five have aliVnastered the perfect timing^they know hov^l command center stage in a nonchalant. 90s sort of wav. Thev . are mqiwnoclmjive than then lt-girl ^ .forebear*^-historical figuresYuch as the fictioryd Holly Golightlv. who danced on tabletops till dawn and dreamed oflanding a rich man, or real-life 80s Von Dianne Brill, who bragged of faking three hours to dress for a night of club-hopping. In tlte 60s. there was the beautiful but : isic Edie V igwictf. Warhol's tavorit^t girl, and in the 70s, Studio 54 habn^Rsuch as Marisa Berenson and Bfinjft Jaggo/ became known for beinyJwejr It.

TltgsVda^V it takds more than a hig^-pr>J>fe cktb presence to be an It girl. $y modeling career or a TV show definitely helps. But there is no one consistent thread —to be an It girl, during any decade, is to be watched, studied, copied, envied, and. finally, admired for an innate sense of style and panache. "Mostly. it's a lotVf fun," says Cassavetes. "My mother|who is. by the way. Gen. Rowltmds. It girl of the millenimmtj told me. 'There w ill always be somebody more talented, somebody more beautiful. $md somebody smarter," so 1 thirtk. Well, then I'd better have fun no\w"

obean It girl is to be watched, studied, copied, envied, and, finally, admired.