An ode to the perennial It girl’s style in honor of her birthday
A couple of years ago, I was interviewing Chloë Sevigny about a short film she had recently starred in. At some point during our call, I had asked her about her reputation as a style icon…as one does when talking to the Chloë Sevigny. Her answer has always stuck with me because it wasn’t what I had expected. She told me that it made her uncomfortable, that it was a label she wasn’t sure what to do with, one that she didn’t ask for. I could feel her shrug over the line as she laughed.
Sevigny during the New York City premiere of “Deceiver” at Cinema II in 1998.
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Her disinterest in it is what makes her so cool. There are thousands of girls out there who would die for that title, who are out there posting themselves on social media every minute of every day in hopes that someone gives them the title next. And then there’s Sevigny, who has had it for decades and doesn’t really care. If someone else took the title, I’m sure she’d be just as indifferent—but then again, there’s also no chance anyone would. Because no one possesses the same singular aura that has made her a star and also made the way she dresses so effortlessly it.
Wearing Miu Miu on the streets of Paris during fashion week in March of 2016.
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Today, Sevigny turns 50, and she’s still the coolest girl in the world. Her style is now just as influential because she has always dressed as if she were the only girl in the world, not the coolest. And to have that level of almost anti-self-awareness, where you don’t realize or care how you are perceived, has essentially become extinct. Sevigny isn’t influenced by trends or what anyone else is wearing. It’s evident from every single one of her looks that she has such a clear sense of who she is and what she likes. It’s what people these days call personal style.
Sevigny at the 72nd Annual Academy Awards.
In 2024, it’s hard to get dressed without worrying what someone online will say about it, but Sevigny grew up at a time when you really just lived your life to live it instead of taking photos of it to post online. She never looks like she is trying too hard, and she always looks comfortable. She has a knack for wearing things that feel unexpected and yet so obviously her. There’s always a whimsical touch like a sailor collar or a pair of tiger print tights that is just right. When she puts clothing on, it feels like she was always meant to wear it. Her brand is so strong it’s easy to tell when someone walks down the runway or when a new brand enters the zeitgeist if it gets the Sevigny seal of approval in a couple of months’ time. But her brand is also so strong it’s impossible to recreate any of her looks because it is her essence that makes them so special.
