What happened to all the It Girls?

Whatever happened to the It Girl?

Rewind five, 10 or even nearly 15 (wow) years ago, and they were everything many of us aspired to be.

Alexa Chung. Chloe Sevigny. Sienna Miller.

We copied their style and ripped out pages of their outfits from magazines. We lapped up the gossip, living vicariously through the social lives and relationships.

Many are still names we remember and hear, but they don't have the stratospheric heights they once had.

And while the mid noughties felt like the height of the It Girl, the truth is they've been around for a long time.

The first recorded instance of the phrase was by Rudyard Kipling in his 1904 novel Mrs Bathurst, in which he wrote "It isn't beauty, so to speak, nor good talk necessarily. It's just 'It'."

Socialite and novelist Elinor Glyn took it further in her 1927 film 'It', starring Clara Bow.

"To have 'It', the fortunate posessor must have that strange magnetism which attracts both sexes. 'It' is a purely virile quality, belonging to a strong character... There must be physical attraction but beauty is unnecessary."

In doing so, Clara Bow became the first official It Girl as a major style icon of the time and a box office draw to boot - the characteristics that continued to define an It Girl almost a century later.

At it's most basic, an It Girl is someone everyone wants to be. She's cool but doesn't try hard, and has that special something that can hard to pin down. She always seems to be just ahead of trends, or even set the trends. Most importantly, she captures the 'spirit' of the particular time she inhabits.

Every decade has at least one. In a 2013 article, Alexander Fury, former Fashion Editor of The Independent, counted among the biggest It Girls of history. The likes Marie Antoinette, Clara Bow, Edie Sedgewick, Twiggy, Jerry Hall, as well as various English socialites including Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, a tabloid favourite of the late '90s who had close ties to the royal family.

Another royal It Girl? Diana, Princess of Wales.

See, that's the thing. While many of the bigger It Girls come from the fashion world, they weren't all so, erm, chic.

"Throughout history there have always been socialites, celebrities and personalities who have drawn the eyes of the media and the public. While the It Girl themselves can differ immensely - from Princess Di to Kim Kardashian - they all share a natural star quality," says Genevieve Day, Founder of Day Management, a bespoke agency representing leading social influencers and digital personalities both in Australia and overseas.

Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, Mischa Barton and Paris Hilton were some of the biggest and iconic It Girls of the mid noughties, when the phrase could be easily interchanged with 'Party girl'.

The '90s marked an important change in the status of the title - no longer did you need to do or be anything (model or actress) to be one. You could be famous for well, being famous. They helped pave the way for one particular well-known celebrity family who rhyme with Mardashians who have turned being famous-for-famous-sake into a multi-million (if not billion) dollar business.

Where are all those It Girls now?

After years of collaborations, Alexa Chung has capitalised on her style icon status and turned designer herself, launching her own eponymous label earlier this year. Chloe Sevigny also went into fashion and is now directing and acting, as did Sienna Miller.

Lindsay Lohan, after some brushes with the law, has allegedly found religion, Nicole Richie has a successful fashion business, television career and two children and Paris, is still well, Paris, Dj-ing around the world.

In short, most of them have grown up.

So what does 'It' look like in 2017?

There's no shortage of candidates for the new generation of It Girl. Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, Cara Delevigne... their names command instant recognition and hefty cheques to be associated with them as a result. Jenner alone commands a reported $300,000 for a single Instagram post.

They've done instantly what took previous It Girls years - making  their status into a bankable brand.

As Savoir Flair pointed out in 2015, the new It Girl "have their own makeup lines, their own books, their own apps, and a handy squad of fellow tastemakers that help them ratchet up the likes on Instagram any time they post a picture together. In 2015, 'It' equals influence."

Almost three years later, it's enduring. Some argue that such a climate has birthed a new kind of It Girl - the influencer. It's not just a title, it's a job - and a lucrative one at that.

"If anything, the It Girl status has become more achievable in 2017. Thanks to social media, almost anyone can grow their audience, exposure and influence to that 'it girl' level," says Day.

"Rather than being exclusive and unattainable, these girls are approachable and we get updates of their everyday lives at our fingertips thanks to Instagram Stories and SnapChat. While still maintaining a level of street cred and star power, the  It Girl has definitely evolved into more of an 'It Girl for everyone'."

They don't need anyone else to give them the title - with the power to be seen literally at their fingertips, they can take it for themselves. In some cases, they can be as big or even bigger than the traditional It Girls.

"They have so much power and influence through their social channels and an instant connection to their audience. They are trend setters and the new icons," Day explains.

Listen: The fashion Instagram account we're obsessed with. Post continues after audio.

Still, that 'Je ne sais quoi' quality that inspired Kipling, still needs to be there.

"To really nail that It Girl status however these influencers need to step from behind the phone or computer to in front of the camera. They need to be photogenic, telegenic and have that special something that transforms them from just another influencer to a social media authority and media personality," she says."

The It Girl survives to live another decade. There will likely always be It Girl, but what that means and is is changing and the evolution is happening faster and faster.

The new gen are brand smart, turning their title into business quicker than ever. They don't rely solely on the paparazzi or the tabloids - although they certainly help - instead controlling their exposure through social media. And they're more than 'It' girls - they're entrepreneurs and business women.

But there's one thing to remember about the cool status of the It Girl. It's not a permanent title. As the times and zeitgeist change, so too do the people we admire and aspire to be. And there's always newer and savvier girls with 'It' waiting in the wings.

For more from Brittany Stewart, you can follow her on Facebook and Instagram.