(Celebrity)

The Most Famous It Girls In History, Called Out

Who are your favorites?

by Hayley Prokos
Dave Benett/Getty Images

Every decade has seen women whose style and beauty have charmed the masses. They’re called It girls — the vanguard and muses for the world’s biggest talents. See the evolution of the It girl ahead; you’ll recognize many of the faces on this non-exhaustive list.

Pierre Suu/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

1920s: Josephine Baker

The American-born French talent (she sang, danced, and acted) was the face of the the beauty and vitality of Black-American culture, which took France by storm in this decade. Later, during WWII, she became a French Resistance agent and spied on the Nazis.Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images

1930s: Marion Davies

Davies was an actor and comedian, appearing in films opposite Clark Gable and Gary Cooper and serving as Orson Welles’ muse for the female lead of Citizen Kane. She was also the mistress of William Randolph Hearst, the mogul whom inspired Charles Foster Kane.Donaldson Collection/Moviepix/Getty Images

1940s: Lauren Bacall

Bacall was an American actor known for her portrayals of provocative women who hid their soft core under dense layers of realism. She was also the wife of the ever-suave Humphrey Bogart, whom she starred alongside in The Big Sleep and To Have And Have Not.Archive Photos/Archive Photos/Getty Images

1950s: Ava Gardner

This It girl was a trip. One husband called the actor “the most beautiful creature.” She made a great friendship with Grace Kelly and a (third) husband out of Frank Sinatra. Gardner also wooed Howard Hughes, Steve McQueen, and JFK — and tried to bed Fidel Castro.Sunset Boulevard/Corbis Historical/Getty Images

1960s: Edie Sedgwick

Sedgwick dismissed her patrician ancestry (a lineage that goes back to the Pilgrims) for a party-girl life. She and Andy Warhol met (and fell in love) in 1965, and she became one of his biggest muses until the two fell out a year later.Hulton Archive/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

1970s: Marisa Berenson

With flowing brown tresses and piercing, steel-gray eyes, Berenson was a natural-born fashion model (and, technically speaking, the granddaughter of Elsa Schiaparelli). She was the muse of Yves Saint Laurent and Halston and a regular at Studio 54.Bertrand LAFORET/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

1970s: Lauren Hutton

In the mid ’60s, a young Hutton began posing for the likes of Bert Stern and Richard Avedon. The stints made way for a hugely successful modeling career in the ’70s (and an acting career, too) and helped her amass an impressive 20-something covers of Vogue.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty Images

1980s: Lisa Bonet

A star of Angel Heart and the love interest of Lenny Kravitz, Bonet’s spunk inspired many girls in the ’80s. She’s the mother of modern It girl, actor, and up-and-coming director Zoë Kravitz.Michael Ochs Archives/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

1980s: Madonna

Michigan-born Madonna Louise Ciccone not only led the music charts from the time of her debut in the ’80s, but she lured millions into her material world with her scandalous style and feminist merits, too.Kevin.Mazur/WireImage/Getty Images

1990s: The Big Six

The Big Six, as they were dubbed, were supermodels at the heart of the ’90s zeitgeist (cue George Michael’s Freedom! ’90 music video). The group included Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

2000s: Sienna Miller & Alexa Chung

Like many It girls, Miller and Chung started out in fashion but only the latter stayed to make a name for herself there as a designer and commenter. Miller modeled briefly before her film career and her style choices put her on the map for good. Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images

2010s & Beyond: Gigi & Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner & Kaia Gerber

These women are cause to wonder if another supermodel era is on the rise again. The Hadids, Jenner, and Gerber all take spots on the It girl list because they are, and have been, well, everywhere.Tristan Fewings/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

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