By Clinton Duncan

“IT GIRL” is slang for a beautiful, stylish young woman who possesses sex appeal without flaunting her sexuality. Note that the most important aspect of this persona is that she doesn’t “flaunt” her sexuality. Moving along…

The phrase is believed to have originated in British upper-class society around the turn of the 20th century. Rudyard Kipling first utilised the term in his quote “It isn’t beauty so to speak, nor good talk necessarily. It’s just ‘It.’” The expression reached global attention in 1927, with the popularity of the Paramount Studios film “IT”, starring Clara Bow. Elinor Glyn, the notorious English novelist who wrote the book “It” as well as the screenplay, lectured: “With ‘It’ you win all men if you are a woman and all women if you are a man.” It’s a certain complex ‘X’, a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ if you may.

I believe we put too much effort into expressing “it” nowadays. Too much skin, electric lipstick, peacock plumes as eyelashes. This is not to say that any of these things are fundamentally negative, however, even with the simplest square frock and no makeup and messy hair, one who is really a true fashion diplomat should still execute that vibration of chic put-togetherness.
Having the “It factor” is more of an inherent lifestyle, a personality that extends beyond wearing and mimicking whatever social media recommends. As expressed in the age-old adage of famous (or infamous if you know your fashion herstory) Yves Saint Laurent, “Fashions fade, style is eternal”. Fashion is about what is trending, that society said is “supposed to be” while style is genetic- cosmic even- an extension of our innermost beings to the eyes of other humans. “Style comes from knowing who you are and who you want to be in the world; it does not come from wanting to be somebody else or wanting to be thinner, shorter, taller, prettier,” says Nina Garcia, author of “The little black book of Style”.
“Itsies” as we will refer to them from now on, have a special taste in music, they read widely and reference their imagination instead of Instagram. They experience the essence of moments instead of trying to take selfies in those moments.
Fashion is just one way of expressing your ‘it’ and the buck shouldn’t stop there. Think bigger and wider. If you have an artistic voice with a unique aesthetic, use it, don’t just sit around wasting time. Write, paint, research, execute, GET PAID!
I’m rather sorry to say that you can’t be considered an ‘itsy’ if you’re not making money, quite frankly if your art is not bringing in coins, you have a hobby, not a job. So, my dear models, actors, writers, makeup artists… GET UP, FIND IT, USE IT!
One particular facet of an ‘itsy’ is that she knows her fashion references and she knows them like an old Pentecostal grandmother knows Psalms 91. So, for those of you in the juvenile stages of your fashion journey, I have decided to bless you with 20 Quotes from fashion legends all across the globe…. You’re welcome:

“Fashion is part of the daily air and it changes all the time, with all the events. You can even see the approaching of a revolution in clothes. You can see and feel everything in clothes.” —Diana Vreeland

“Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way to live.” —Gianni Versace

“Elegance is elimination.” —Cristóbal Balenciaga

“Shoes transform your body language and attitude. They lift you physically and emotionally.” —Christian Louboutin

“What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language.” —Miuccia Prada

“I don’t design clothes. I design dreams.” —Ralph Lauren

“Fashion is about dressing according to what’s fashionable. Style is more about being yourself.” —Oscar de la Renta

“The best things in life are free. The second best are very expensive.” —Coco Chanel

“I think there is beauty in everything. What ‘normal’ people perceive as ugly, I can usually see something of beauty in it.”—Alexander McQueen

“Style is something each of us already has, all we need to do is find it.” —Diane von Furstenberg

“Fashion is the armour to survive the reality of everyday life.” —Bill Cunningham

“When in doubt, wear red.” —Bill Blass

“I don’t design clothes. I design dreams.” —Ralph Lauren

“Fashions fade, style is eternal.” —Yves Saint Laurent

“Anyone can get dressed up and glamorous, but it is how people dress in their days off that are the most intriguing.” —Alexander Wang

“The dress must follow the body of a woman, not the body following the shape of the dress.” —Hubert de Givenchy

“In difficult times, fashion is always outrageous.” —Elsa Schiaparelli

“Clothes mean nothing until someone lives in them.” —Marc Jacobs

“You can never take too much care over the choice of your shoes. Too many women think that they are unimportant, but the real proof of an elegant woman is what is on her feet.” —Christian Dior

And most importantly…
“Stand out, blending in is so last season – Clinton Duncan