The eternal It Girl: how Chloë Sevigny keeps inspiring fashion Why we can't help but love her
She is the girl everyone else is trying to be. But somehow, she’s two, if not ten, steps ahead. Many It Girls burn bright and fade quickly. But not Chloë Sevigny. The actress, slash model and designer in her free time, has made waves in the cultural zeitgeist since the ‘90s, cementing herself as the ultimate It Girl. ‘‘Sevigny is the classic definition of an it girl in the terms of her being someone who stands out in a crowd,’’ says Safa’a Salman, interior designer and fashion commentator at @italybutoncrack. But unlike contemporaries such as Twiggy, Winona Ryder, Clara Bow, and Edie Sedgwick, whose appeal, Salman notes, stemmed largely from their starlet status, Sevigny changed the game entirely with her authenticity.
Chloë Sevigny: who is she, the beginnings
She first turned heads as a rebellious teenager from Connecticut who skipped school to spend her days in New York City. One day, a fashion editor from Sassy Magazine spotted her in the hectic streets of the Big Apple and asked her to model. Like any girl would, Sevigny said yes. In 1993, she moved to Brooklyn and juggled finishing high school with side gigs as a model for indie labels and magazines. In 1994, the gigs expanded to include appearing on the album cover of Gigolo Aunts' Flipping Out, as well as in a Lemonheads music video, cementing her status as the artsy, edgy muse of New York’s indie scene. Before long, Chloë Sevigny wasn’t just the downtown darling, but also, according to The New Yorker, the coolest girl in the world. ‘‘It wasn’t just because of how she dressed,’’ says journalist and @HFMetGala coordinator Chloe Kennedy, recalling novelist Jay McInerney’s now-iconic profile that framed Sevigny as a cultural goldmine.‘‘It was also her knowledge of the arts that she immersed herself in.’’
From fashion to cinema: the transformation of Chloë Sevigny
But if there’s one thing that defines Chloë Sevigny, it’s range. It wasn't long before she added film to her repertoire. It was 1995, Clueless had just hit theaters, supermodels still ruled the cultural imagination, and the air buzzed with a divide between grunge grit and Calvin Klein minimalism. With no prior acting experience, Sevigny starred in her first role in the cult movie Kids, just those wild eyes conveying emotion. It didn't matter what she was doing. Sevigny was constantly redefining what it meant to be cool. What it meant to be artsy. In fact, that same year, the newly minted actress made her runway debut in the forever edgy Miu Miu’s Spring/Summer 1996 collection and starred in the campaign. The moment cemented her place in the world of luxury fashion. It all came as a bit of a surprise, perhaps, but Sevigny’s carried the torch effortlessly ever since.
The 1990s: the golden age of Chloë style
The mid-to-late ‘90s saw Sevigny take on an ever-evolving range of roles, such as Trees Lounge, Gummo, where she also showcased her fashion design skills, The Last Days of Disco, and Boys Don’t Cry. Naturally, when it came to her press looks, the actress was seen sporting fashion gems like tiger-print tights, a brown Hermès bag, an Alber Elbaz black gown for Yves Saint Laurent, and so on. Whether it was her everyday style or on the red carpet, Sevigny had always mastered the art of staying true to herself. ‘‘She has always dressed, acted, and lived like someone following her instincts, not the zeitgeist,’’ says fashion commentator and digital archivist Gabriela Gheorghe, behind @blondiejpg and @schiaparelli.archive. Miu Miu runway. A pink two-piece with a graphic scarf, and sharp bob. The Last Days of Disco and Boys Don’t Cry. Through it all, Sevigny has lived her life with a rawness and a genuinity that is entirely her own.
Chloë's style: the perfect balance between opposites
Adding to her consistent authenticity, Sevigny is, too, a master of balancing opposites. ‘‘It’s a method of dress that requires both an understanding of fashion and personal identity which makes it hard for any other person to emulate with the authenticity that Chloë’s style carries,’’ Kennedy explains, excitedly noting Sevigny’s effortless blend of masculine and feminine, vintage and new. One of those moments, for instance, came at the 1998 Met Gala, where a whimsical Sevigny was spotted in a sporty brown jacket, a grey skirt, a white bow-accented bag, and heels that married snakeskin with pink detailing. It’s not just the contrasts that captivate, it’s the singularity of the look, unmistakably her.
From the 2000s to today: the timeless icon
By 2000, Sevigny’s style remained effortlessly cool, balancing opposites while staying completely true to herself, transported then too to the screens of American Psycho and Dogville and the Dolce & Gabbana runway. One standout moment for fashion commentator @imthespecialk came in Miami in 2005, when the actress was spotted carrying a Louis Vuitton monogram bag, wearing a coquettish red-and-white lace jumpsuit, and pairing it with straw-and-white-lace wedge platforms that perfectly balanced the city’s sun-soaked, beachy energy with a touch of ballet elegance. ‘‘A good dose of maximalism is always so very chic,’’ the fashion fan guesses. Now, as her presence in TV, film, and music videos has come to include Big Love, Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All, and Charli XCX’s bold, star-studded 360 videoclip, the title of coolest girl in the world still rings true. It doesn't matter where she is or what she's doing. Marrying in a Jean Paul Gaultier gown by Glenn Martens, starring in After The Hunt, sporting Saint Laurent the 2024 LACMA Art+Film Gala, whatever. Nearly three decades later, the star is still the girl that everyone else is trying to be. Yet, she's always two, if not ten, steps ahead.
The essence of a true style icon
It’s all very effortless, though. It’s just who she is. ‘‘A large part of Chloë’s appeal is her mystique and her indifference to being someone of importance,’’ Kennedy explains. ‘‘She infamously turned down photoshoots with Steven Meisel, she didn’t care about being seen. That’s not something that can really be replicated.’’ Gheorghe agrees. ‘‘She has never chased trends or sought validation, yet her unwavering individuality has made her a true style icon for decades,’’ the archivist tells me. Now, countless hopefuls are fighting for that coveted title. But in an era obsessed with fitting in and viral trends, nothing feels more desirable than authenticity. That’s why Sevigny, armed with wit, nonchalance, and an unshakable sense of style, continues to resonate with the world. If, in the '90s, one’s life could be changed by putting yourself out there, today’s omnipresent digital sphere has imposed its own etiquette on art and entertainment. Actors must have a certain number of followers to be cast, influencers are seated before fashion professionals and devotees, and algorithms dictate taste. With such an artificial world guiding humanity, creativity can be scarce. But if Sevigny’s eternal appeal proves anything, it is that individuality still wins. ‘‘The key of any It Girl is finding what works for them and run with it,’’ @imthespecialk concludes. ‘‘Perhaps that’s why fashion icons never really go out of style.’
