Years active: 1853-1903.
Known for: Marrying William Backhouse Astor Jr.
Net worth: $5 million.
Thanks to the money her family already had, Caroline Astor had plenty of freedom compared to women of the day. After marrying William Backhouse Astor Jr., she suddenly had the money, the clout, and the knowledge – her father had paid top dollar for Caroline’s education – to do what she wanted.
Her place in high society grew so powerful that it was only at her word that the Vanderbilts were allowed entry into that same high society – which she did begrudgingly. They were new money, after all.
Twiggy
Years active: 1966-present.
Known for: Supermodel.
Net worth: $50 million.
Back in the day being a supermodel was much more difficult. There was no social media to build a brand, fewer television shows to appear on, fewer designers to model for, and fewer people tied into the popular consciousness. Thus, when Twiggy rose to international fame, people took notice.
She was the most famous face of the sixties, with big bright eyes, dark lashes, and stylish hair – and all this despite only being sixteen. She became a famous teen icon and went on to enjoy additional success on the screen and stage.
Veruschka von Lehndorff
Years active: 1960-present.
Known for: model, actress.
Net Worth: $1 million.
The Prussian-born Verushka von Lehdorff has eyes that follow you around the room, and nobody has ever minded being in her gaze. Born to a count and countess, this sensual European model spent most of her early years on an estate in Prussia before being discovered in Prussia and modeling for the Ford Modeling Agency.
She was so popular artists such as Salvador Dali used her as a muse. In the seventies, she was earning ten thousand dollars a day, but a falling out with a Vogue editor led her to take a step back.
Edie Sedgwick
Years active: 1960's.
Known for: Andy Warhol's muse, model, actress.
Net worth: $5 million.
Edie's family was incredibly wealthy yet tumultuous. In the sixties, Edie took her trust fund and moved to New York City to pursue a modeling career, and struck up a friendship with pop-culture artist Andy Warhol.
She appeared in a number of Warhol's short films. She was named “The Girl of the Year” in 1965, being part of the elite Factory set. While certainly well-known in the States, and a media darling in and around New York, Sedgwick never became an international star.
Lee Radziwill
Years active: 1960-1970.
Known for: Public relations executive, interior decor.
Net worth: $50 million.
Lee Radziwill's sister Jackie was once the first lady of the United States, but little Lee found herself in the spotlight plenty of times herself. Lee's first venture, an acting career, never got off the ground, but she became a successful PR exec and also worked as an interior decorator.
In 1959 she married Prince Stanislaw Albrecht Radziwill, a famous Polish aristocrat, which afforded Lee the title “Her Serene Highness Princess Caroline.” Her Highness was also known for her many celebrity friends, including Mick Jagger. Lee, with Truman Capote, toured with The Rolling Stones in 1972. She passed away in 2019 at the age of 85.
Iman
Years active: 1970-present.
Known for: David Bowie's wife, fashion model, entrepreneur.
Net worth: $100 million.
One of the biggest models in the seventies, Iman had a rags-to-riches story that has to be seen to be believed. Born in Somalia, Iman was at her studies when a photographer spotted her. She moved to America and began modeling for Vogue, and before long was a top runway star.
She dated Warren Beatty in the late seventies and had a daughter with basketball star Spencer Haywood. She met British rocker Bowie in the early nineties, with which she had one daughter, and the two stayed together until Bowie's death in 2016.
Gloria Vanderbilt
Years active: 1930-1980.
Known for: Artist, author, actress, shipping heiress.
Net worth: $200 million
You've almost certainly heard the name Vanderbilt, and from that historic family comes the famous face of Gloria. By the age of eighteen months, she was worth over $80 million in today's money, but that wasn't enough for her.
She built her own businesses in the fashion industry, arts, and more. Some believe that Truman Capote based Audrey Hepburn's character, Holly Golightly, on her in the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Vanderbilt had four marriages.
Barbara Hutton
Years active: 1930-1979.
Known for: Heiress to the Woolworth fortune, philanthropist, debutante.
Net worth: $3,500.
Barbara Hutton had it all: fame, beauty, an heiress fortune, and more opportunities than she could count. However, nothing seemed to work for this It Girl, and the press ended up dubbing her “Poor Little Rich Girl.” Her businesses and other ventures never seemed to succeed, and her personal life was a constant mess – she had seven marriages.
There were three different princes, a count, a baron, a diplomat, and Cary Grant, but they all ended in divorce. This once fabulously rich woman passed away in 1979 with less than four thousand dollars in her account.
Marisa Berenson
Years active: 1960-present.
Known for: Starring in Cabaret, Vogue model.
Net worth: $10 million.
Marisa Berenson got her start in New York City early on thanks to her family's wealth, and when Vogue editor Diana Vreeland spotted her as a teenager, this model's life was set. Her fame increased quickly and she became one of the highest-paid models, according to herself.
She garnered the nickname “The Queen of the Scene” in the sixties and seventies and was a common fashion muse. Her part in "Cabaret" got her critical acclaim and was even a friend of the Beatles. She visited India with them.
Peggy Guggenheim
Years active: 1930-1979.
Known for: Art collector, Guggenheim heir.
Net Worth: $50 million.
Thanks to the mining industry, the Guggenheim family has been one of the wealthiest families in America for a long time. But Peggy was interested in more genteel things, such as art. When Peggy's father died aboard the Titanic, Peggy was left with millions, and began acquiring an enviable art collection.
Peggy spent plenty of time with the Bohemian writing and artist elite and sought out the best pieces of art ever. The collection is still on display at a dedicated Venice museum and includes Picasso, Dali, Ernst, and many more.
Annette Reed de la Renta
Years active: 1960-present.
Known for: Oscar de la Renta's widow, philanthropist, socialite.
Net worth: $26 million.
As the fashion power couple of the nineties, Annette Reed de la Renta and husband Oscar ruled the social scene. They, along with their four children, hosted the biggest parties with the biggest names, including Amal Clooney and Lady Gaga.
Oscar passed in 2014, and Annette inherited most of his estate. Annette might not be a jet-setter, but her philanthropic pursuits keep her in the public's eye in a tasteful, respectable manner. In addition, she still has a big impact on her social circles and the fashion industry.
Pat Buckley
Years active: 1948-2007.
Known for: Charity work, wife of William F. Buckley.
Net worth: $100 million.
While Patricia Buckley might not have been a famous actress or model, her life was still quite charmed. She not only inherited a large fortune from her father – Austin Cotterell Taylor, a lumber and mining magnate – but she also ended up marrying William F. Buckley, the brother of her college roommate.
Pat and her husband, an intellectual and author, split their time between Stanford and Manhattan, but also holidayed in places like Sweden and entertained people like Ted Kennedy. Pat was quite the style icon and entered the International Best-Dressed Hall of Fame in 1975.
Nan Kempner
Years active: 1950-1980.
Known for: Philanthropy, contributing editor for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, consultant for Tiffany & Co.
Net worth: $102 million.
While Nan's family was rich, Mr. Kempner was a wise, harsh, father, telling his daughter: “You'll never make it on your face, so you better be interesting.” Nan took the advice to heart and began writing and editing, moving to New York with her husband, a banker named Carl M. Loeb.
She rose to prominence in the fifties and soon became a bigger name than even she expected – and ended up modeling a little, even. Her couture clothing collection caught plenty of eyes, and she became part of the fashion industry for good with her writing and editing skills. Nan passed away in 2005 at the age of seventy-four.
Babe Paley
Years active: 1950-1960.
Known for: Fashion editor at Vogue, married the founder of CBS.
Net worth: $500 million.
Opulence came second-nature to Babe Paley, who became the epitome of classy style during the fifties and sixties, but she wasn't the only one of the family who caught the camera eye. She and her two sisters were dubbed the “fabulous Cushing sisters.”
Their father was a well-respected and well-earning professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and Yale. Babe's glamour and style led her to marry twice. The first to oil heir Stanley Grafton, and the second time to CBS founder William Paley.
Daisy Fellowes
Years active: 1910-1920.
Known for: Editor of Harper's Bazaar, heir to Singer sewing machine fortune.
Net worth: $200 million.
Daisy Fellowes struck it rich in more ways than one. Not only was she a classic beauty, but as the only child of Isabelle-Blanche Singer, she inherited the huge Singer family fortune. By the time Daisy was twenty years old, she was married to a prince, who would sadly pass away during World War I.
During the 1920s, Daisy was seen as a daring and fashionable It Girl, set the stage for the flapper fashion craze, and even had her eye on marrying Winston Churchill – but ended up settling for his cousin Reginald.
Diane von Furstenberg
Years active: 1970-present.
Known for: Fashion designer, marrying into German royalty.
Net worth: $1.2 billion.
Diane had it made: she married her college sweetheart Prince Egon von Furstenberg and became part of the German royal family (such as it is), but before long she realized she wanted a career of her own and jumped into the fashion world only a year after getting married.
Thanks to her newfound wealth and a pretty good amount of talent, von Furstenberg is now one of the most famous in the world, and its high-profile devotees include Victoria Beckham and Michelle Williams.
Jane Birkin
Years active: 1966-present.
Known for: Partnership with Serge Gainsbourg, the namesake of the Birkin bag.
Net worth: $20 million.
Arguably one of the most iconic It Girls to have ever lived, Jane was the inspiration behind the famous Hermes Birkin bag. While trying to make her way as an actress, Jane met famous musician and artist Serge Gainsbourg, and the two formed an artistic partnership, creating music and movies.
In their romantic life, they attracted plenty of media attention, including being the inspiration for the song “Je t'aime.” Birkin is still part of the art community and lives in Paris.
Amanda Burden
Years active: 1964-present.
Known for: Director of NYC Department of Planning, daughter of Babe Paley.
Net worth: $200 million.
The It Girl is passed down from mother to daughter here, as Amanda Burden is the daughter of Babe Paley and Stanley Grafton Mortimer Jr. However, Burden has said that she and her mom had very little in the way of a relationship.
Amanda studied urban planning at Columbia, and while she rose to a prominent New York City council spot, she was also featured on plenty of best-dressed lists during her day, along with big names like Jackie Kennedy, proving to millions of young girls that success and beauty can go hand in hand.
Doris Duke
Years active: 1930-1993.
Known for: Tobacco heiress, charity worker.
Net worth: $1.2 billion.
As one of the richest women in the world, Doris Duke was well aware of how lucrative the tobacco industry was – she was the daughter of tobacco tycoon James Buchanan Duke. However, Doris used her high profile and wealth to help others. She even spent time working in an Egyptian canteen during World War II, which paid her one dollar a year.
She was a big adventurer, a horticulturist, a pianist, and an art collector. She was tireless in her campaign for various charity causes, and when she died in 1993 most of her immense fortune went to charity.
Evelyn Nesbit
Years active: 1910-1967.
Known for: model, wife of Harry Kendall Thaw.
Net worth: $500,000.
Long before the years of Giselle Bündchen, Kate Moss, or even Twiggy, there was Evelyn Nesbit. She became the poster girl – quite literally – of the early twentieth century, and in her late teens was posing for artists such as James Carroll Beckwith.
She was a model, an actress, and a chorus girl, and all of it combined to make her a star, but a scandal wasn't far behind. In 1906, her husband, Harry Kendall Thaw, killed socialite Stanford White in Madison Square Garden, which became the “Trial of the Century.” Thaw's anger was due to White's former romance with Nesbit...who had to testify at the trial.
Eleanor Lambert
Years active: 1920-2003.
Known for: Fashion, publicist.
Net worth: $8 million.
The New York fashion industry seems almost set in stone, but it wasn't always so. Thanks to Eleanor Lambert, institutions such as the International Best Dressed List, and the City Fashion Critics' Award are still running. Without her, there wouldn't even be fashion week, which even the rooting plebeians of the world, who will go outside in an outfit of bright maroon long-sleeved t-shirts with charcoal cargo pants, ugh, recognize.
She became a worldwide tastemaker thanks to all her work in the fashion world. Lambert passed away in 2003 at the ripe old age of 100, only a few years after receiving a lifetime award for her contributions to the industry.
Dina Merrill
Years active: 1945-2009.
Known for: daughter of Post Cereals heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post.
Net worth: $5 billion.
Dina Merrill will likely turn out to be the richest It Girl on the list, thanks to a nearly unbelievable fortune that will pop your eyes right out of your head even in today's money. From her birth in 1924 to her death at the age of ninety-three, she never wanted for anything, being the only child of a rich heiress.
Her life of luxury led her to an acting career, where she would use her famous beauty and relentless charm to star opposite actresses like Elizabeth Taylor.
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Years active: 1934-1998.
Known for: Moulin Rouge (1952), extravagant lifestyle.
Net worth: $40 million.
This Budapest-born actress made her mark in the movie industry starting in the fifties, but she was much better-known because of her high spending, beauty, and her off-screen antics. Her undeniable good looks and electric persona led her to be married almost ten times, including once to Conrad Hilton Jr., heir of the Hilton hotels fortune.
In a perfect display of everything that is Zsa Zsa Gabor, she once said: “I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house.”
Caroline Astor
Years active: 1853-1903.
Known for: Marrying William Backhouse Astor Jr.
Net worth: $5 million.
Thanks to the money her family already had, Caroline Astor had plenty of freedom compared to women of the day. After marrying William Backhouse Astor Jr., she suddenly had the money, the clout, and the knowledge – her father had paid top dollar for Caroline's education – to do what she wanted.
Her place in high society grew so powerful that it was only at her word that the Vanderbilts were allowed entry into that same high society – which she did begrudgingly. They were new money, after all.
Grace Jones
Years Active: 1970-2000.
Known for: model, singer, actress.
Net worth: $7 million
Grace Jones was the It Girl who broke the mold. Like many on this list, she got her start as a model, and thanks to her unique masculine look, she got people to notice. However, she would then move on to music and release three albums during the seventies.
Her avant-garde concerts garnered her more attention, but she wasn't about to let her star fall. She jumped into acting, and a talent for on-screen performances combined with her big name and striking looks landed her roles next to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Christopher Walken, and Halle Berry.
Tinsley Mortimer
Years active: 2000s.
Known for: Socialite, a descendant of Thomas Jefferson, fashion designer, actress.
Net worth: $35 million.
Tinsley Mortimer's face is a common sight around New York City. She hosted benefits, sat on committees, and even claimed to be descended from the closest thing the United States has to royalty, Thomas Jefferson. A brief scandal struck when rumors about Mortimer's father, who may or may not have been a simple rug salesman. The horror.
Mortimer married an oil heir, got her own reality show, had a bag line from Samantha Thavasa, had a cameo on " Gossip Girl", and was arrested in 2016 for trespassing on the property of sugar scion Alexander “Nico” Fanjul, with whom Mortimer had a rocky relationship.
Olivia Palermo
Years active: 2000-2010.
Known for: Socialite, blogger, designer, Instagram.
Net worth: $10 million.
Olivia Palermo made her entrance into the socialite life by taking on the queen of social circles at the time, and another It Girl on the list: Tinsley Mortimer. A New York cover story pitted this fresh twenty-year-old against Mortimer, and Olivia – the daughter of a real-estate developer and an interior decorator – went from socialite to model to blogger and designer.
She now boasts 3.8 million followers on Instagram, where she and her model husband Johannes Huebl put up pictures of their yachting, shows, and outfits.
Nancy Cunard
Years active: 1910-1920.
Known for: Shipping heiress, socialite, writer, political activist, promiscuity.
Net worth: $5 million.
Nancy Cunard loved two things: African-inspired personal design choices, and having intimate relations. To facilitate the second, she had a risky hysterectomy, which nearly killed her but left her unable to get pregnant.
Between spending time with famous artists and writers such as Aldous Huxley, Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Nancy devoted much of her life to fighting racism and fascism, but suffered from substance abuse. Due to mental illness, her physical health deteriorated, and when she died in Paris she weighed a shocking fifty-seven pounds.
C.Z. Guest
Years active: 1940-1990.
Known for: Actress, socialite, author, fashion designer.
Net worth: $5 million.
There's nothing like royalty, and even though America has no kings or queens, C.Z. Guest is pretty close. Born to an investment banker and C.Z.'s real name is Lucy Douglas, but when her brother gave her the nickname “Sissy” during childhood, the name stuck even though it became C.Z.
She dabbled in acting, married Winston Frederick Churchill Guest, and Ernest Hemingway was the best man. She appeared on the cover of Time in 1962, and had numerous paintings done of her, including by Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol. She was, of course, a friend of Truman Capote. Guest died at the age of eighty-three in 2003.
Marella Agnelli
Years active: 1970-2010.
Known for: Noblewoman, art collector, socialite.
Net worth: $5 million.
A frequent face within the pages of Vogue, Marella Agnelli was the wife of Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli. She was an avid gardener and even authored a few books on the subject. Once again, she was friends with Truman Capote, and her life was portrayed in the biographical film " Infamous" in 2006 – Isabella Rossellini played her.
She was an occasional editor and photographer for Vogue, and also created her own textile line. Agnelli was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1963 and died in 2019 at the age of ninety-one.
Gloria Guinness
Years active: 1940-1980.
Known for: Socialite and fashion icon.
Net worth: unknown millions.
Gloria Guinness, born Gloria Rubio y Alatorre, was a Mexican socialite and fashion icon, as well as a contributing editor to " Harper's Bazaar" from 1963 to 1971, considered to be one of the most elegant women in modern history. She frequently lied about her origins, claiming she was from Veracruz, and that her father was a revolutionary killed in a war. In truth, she was born in Guadalajara, and her father was a journalist who died of natural causes.
She often wrote for "Harper's Bazaar" and was voted the second best-dressed woman in the world by Time in 1962, losing out only to Jackie Kennedy. There's even a rumor Gloria was employed as a spy. Gloria died in 1980 at the age of sixty-eight.
Slim Keith
Years active: 1950-1960.
Known for: Model.
Net worth: $5 million.
Nancy “Slim” Keith was an American New York socialite and fashion icon during the fifties and sixties. While she was well known as a fashion trend-setter, one of her biggest actions was bringing Lauren Bacall to Hollywood. She showed her then-husband, Howard Hawks, a magazine cover with Bacall's picture on it, and the rest is history.
Dubbed the original “California Girl” thanks to her golden looks and athletic ability, she at one point pursued a career in opera but decided it was too demanding. Keith died at the age of seventy-two in 1990.
Chessy Rayner
Years active: 1950-1990.
Known for: Decorator and fashion icon.
Net worth: Many millions.
With a zeal for unique decorating ideas and a classic beauty herself, Chessy Rayner paved the way for interesting styles the world over. She and her husband, William P. Rayner, were a fast-paced, beautiful couple who frequently appeared in "Women's Wear Daily".
When her mother remarried and became the wife of Iva S. V. Patcevitch, the chairman of Conde Nast, Chessy became a fixture of the Manhattan social scene. Rather than relaxing, Chessy became a fashion editor and writer for Vogue. She passed away at the age of sixty-six in 1998.
Loulou de la Falaise
Years Active: 1960-2010.
Known for: Fashion muse and designer.
Net worth: $5 million.
Author Judith Thurman, writing in The New Yorker magazine, called Loulou de la Falaise “the quintessential Rive Gauche Haute bohémienne.” After a tumultuous childhood, Loulou was a fashion model for Vogue and inspired Saint Laurent's 1966 women's tuxedo "Le Smoking" as well as his line of see-through blouses.
La Falaise designed jewelry, boxes, vases, and articles of clothing alongside Saint Laurent, and her jewelry designs are still sold today, including a simplified line for the Home Shopping Network. She died in 2011 at the age of sixty-three.
Pilar Crespi
Years active: 1970-present.
Known for: Vogue editor, fashion industry, model, President at Source of Hope.
Net worth: Millions.
Being the daughter of a countess who is a member of the International Best Dressed List puts the spotlight on you at a young age, but Pilar Crespi did nothing but flourish. After becoming a model at a young age, Pilar stunned the fashion world with her breezy, effortless beauty.
She went on to become an editor at Vogue and a well-known name in the fashion industry, but she's most proud of the organization she started with her husband Stephen Robert called Source of Hope, which provides educational programs, grants, and scholarships to low-income cosmetology students.
Annabel Goldsmith
Years active: 1960s-1970s.
Known for: Mother, society hostess, the eponym for London nightclub Annabel's.
Net worth: $5 million.
Born into the aristocratic and historic Anglo-Irish Vane-Tempest-Stewart family, Lady Annabel Goldsmith ended up taking the last name of Sir James Goldsmith. He was her second husband after the two had an extramarital affair.
She was known in London as a high-society hostess, but for the most part, she has been content to raise her six children. Two of them are journalist and film producer Jemima Goldsmith and Conservative MP for Richmond Park Zac Goldsmith. As a descendant and heiress of the Marquess of Londonderry, she's never been far from the public eye.
Princess Stéphanie
Years active: 1970-present.
Known for: Singer, swimwear designer, and fashion model, royalty.
Net worth: $100 million.
That title isn't a joke: Princess Stéphanie of Monaco (Stéphanie Marie Elizabeth Grimaldi) is the daughter of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and American actress Grace Kelly. She's currently fourteenth in line for the Monegasque throne, the throne of Monaco.
Her mother sadly died after an accident, in which Stéphanie was also involved, and afterward, she began an apprenticeship at Christian Dior. She's also released a number of albums that feature her as a singer. She spends most of her time running a number of organizations and having numerous relationships with people such as her bodyguard, an elephant trainer, and an acrobat.
Nina Griscom
Years active: 1970s-2020.
Known for: Socialite, entrepreneur, model, TV personality.
Net worth: millions.
While attending Barnard College in the 1970s, Nina Griscom started modeling for Eileen Ford. She married and divorced men as if on a whim, including Joe Hunter, Lloyd P. Griscom Jr., and Dr. Daniel C. Baker.
While known as a party girl, Griscom also appeared on television as a co-host on HBO and a restaurant-review series on the Food Network. She partnered with Alan Richman to create home-decorating stores in Manhattan and Southampton and appeared as a spokeswoman and consultant for Revlon, among other fashion endeavors. Griscom died at the age of sixty-five early in 2020.
Cornelia Guest
Years active: 1980s-present.
Known for: Daughter of C.Z. Guest, socialite, author.
Net worth: $5 million.
Cornelia Guest is the daughter of It Girl C.Z. Douglas and polo champ Winston Guest. Her Godparents are former King Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson. Cornelia dropped out of high school at fifteen, but became an accomplished equestrian like her father, riding competitively until her mother died.
She made her debut at the International Debutante Ball in the winter of 1981-1982, and her eighteenth birthday party included guests such as Prince Egon von Fürstenberg, supermodel Cheryl Tiegs, and childhood friend Truman Capote.
Georgina Brandolini
Years active: 1970s-present.
Known for: Fashion executive, designer, princess.
Net worth: $5 million.
Princess Georgina Brandolini d'Adda, Contessa di Valmareno (deep breath) is a French-Brazilian fashion executive and designer. She became a countess after marrying Rodrigo Tiberto Brandolini d'Adda in 1975, with which she has two children.
She interned at Dior fashion house and worked for fashion designer Valentino Garavani in Rio de Janeiro. She worked with him for twenty years as a muse, “personal aid,” and director of external and public relations. She joined the International Best Dressed List in 1983, and is currently a representative for the international interests of Iguatemi Empresa de Shopping Centers.
Tamara Beckwith
Years active: 1990s-present.
Known for: Socialite, TV personality, jewelry designer.
Net worth: $3 million.
Daughter of property developer Peter Beckwith, Tamara Beckwith grew up in southwest London. She met William Gerhauser, the son of the Finance Director of the Playboy global empire, and the two had a daughter. Beckwith has appeared on plenty of shows like "Shooting Stars", "Brass Eye", "Loose Women", "Celebrities Under Pressure", "The Big Breakfast", and lots of others you've never heard of.
She designs a range of Diamonique jewelry for QVC UK, and is a contributing editor for "Hello" magazine. She was at one point engaged to Sharon Stone's brother Michael before marrying construction heir Giorgio Veroni in Venice.
Sofia Coppola
Years active: 1990s-present.
Known for: Filmmaker and actress.
Net worth: $30 million.
While Sofia Coppola's on-screen first big movie role – The Godfather Part III – wasn't exactly the blockbuster of the decade, it still introduced the world to Francis Ford Coppola's daughter in a big way. She first appeared as an infant in "The Godfather", and has also appeared in or directed "The Virgin Suicides", "Lost in Translation", "Marie Antoinette", "Somewhere", "The Bling Ring", and "The Beguiled".
Her beauty and simple style continue to inspire, and she's also garnered plenty of accolades, including being only the second woman in the Cannes Film Festival history to win the Best Director award.
Dorothy Tree
Years active: 1927-1951.
Known for: Actress and voice teacher.
Net worth: $185 million.
Born Dorothy Estelle Triebitz in Brooklyn, New York, Dorothy was the eldest of three daughters. Tree attended Cornell University for two years before pursuing an acting career. She took the name “Dorothy Tree” and first hit the stage in 1926. Her credits include "Bright Honor", "The Merchant of Venice", "Holiday", and "The Triumphant Bachelor".
She moved to film and was a rising star before being blacklisted after being branded a communist. She began teaching voice and diction in New York and specialized in singing in English at the Metropolitan Opera. She died at the age of eighty-five in 1992.
Daphne Guinness
Years active: 1980-present.
Known for: Socialite and fashion designer.
Net worth: $100 million.
The Honorable Daphne Diana Joan Susanna Guinness is a descendant of famous brewer Arthur Guinness, who is responsible for all that wonderful Irish stout. Daphne herself is a model, fashion designer, and philanthropist.
She's been in fashion with Isabella Blow, Karl Lagerfeld, Garth Pugh, Philip Treacy, and more, both contributing to designs and modeling for them. She's produced and edited short films, starred in a few films, recorded music videos, and enjoys collecting art. She's a modern renaissance woman who is clearly much more than a pretty face.
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson
Years active: 1995-2014.
Known for: Socialite, TV personality, model, charity patron.
Net worth: $20 million.
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson's father Charles represented Great Britain as a skier in the 1964 winter Olympics, and Tara herself would go on to become one of Britain's biggest It Girls during the nineties. She began contributing a weekly column in The Sunday Times, which was actually ghostwritten based on Tara's description of events. Similar articles from Tara began appearing in other publications.
She made numerous television appearances, mostly focusing on her social status and celebrity, including "Top Gear", and "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!" Tara died in 2017 due to a perforated ulcer and peritonitis.
Rena Sindi
Years active: 1990-present.
Known for: Socialite, author, and party hostess.
Net worth: millions.
Born in 1969 in Baghdad, Rena Kirdar Sindi spent much of her childhood in the Middle East. Her father was billionaire Nemir A. Kirdar, who founded Investrocp, the merchant bank, in the 1980s. He later acquired Gucci, Tiffany & Company, and Saks Fifth Avenue. Rena earned a master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University but also enjoyed throwing some lavish and unforgettable parties.
She's had a few marriages and has published "Be My Guest", a detailed photographic diary of her most successful events, with tips on invitations, table settings, recipes, cocktails, decorations, and music.
Sally Albemarle
Years active: 1980-present.
Known for: Sculptor, marriage to Earl of Albemarle.
Net worth: millions.
Nothing makes you an It Girl faster than getting in good with royalty or landed gentry. Sally Claire Tadayon found that out when she married Rufus Keppel, 10th Earl of Albemarle. Sally is an accomplished sculptor of Danish and Persian ancestry, and when the two were married in 2001 the wedding was featured in "Town & Country", catapulting her into high society.
While the marriage didn't last, Sally's beauty certainly has, and she continues to make waves whenever she steps out of her studio in a new, fashionable outfit.
Lauren Santo Domingo
Years active: 1990s-present.
Known for: Entrepreneur, magazine editor, and socialite.
Net worth: $5 billion.
Lauren Santo Domingo got her start as a model in her teens and in television commercials before getting a degree in history at the University of Southern California. She went to work at Vogue as a fashion assistant and worked her way up to Sittings Editor of the American designer market.
She's been married to Andrés Santo Domingo since 2008 after the two met in 1998. After that, Lauren went on to create Moda Operandi, which allows women to shop from complete designer collections – a benefit usually only offered to editors or stylists.
Eugenie Niarchos
Years active: 2000s-present.
Known for: Jewelry designer and fashion marketer.
Net worth: $5 million.
As the granddaughter of famous entrepreneur Stavros Niarchos, Eugenie was destined to be caught in the camera's eye at some point. It didn't take her too long before she began designing jewelry under the line she created, Venyx. Her collections often take influence from animals, the ocean, and space.
She's friends with Lauren Santo Domingo, and is even related by marriage to Daphne Guinness – such a circle of friends or family can only mean big things for this designer with an eye for the simple and fashionable.