



1 / 11 Chevron Chevron Photo: Getty Images Millie Bobby Brown, 13

Call it the Millie Bobby Brown effect. This time last year, the 13-year-old Stranger Things star was yet another of Hollywood’s well-dressed child stars. Apt to arrive at premieres in pretty, age-appropriate pieces, Brown left the sartorial risk-taking to the grown-ups. Fast forward 12 months and now she ranks among the year’s most influential fashion muses. Stepping out in custom Raf Simons pieces from Calvin Klein, pulling off fresh from the runway Vuitton, and serving as a regular presence in editorials or on best-dressed lists, Brown leads a new pack of style influencers. If the last set of it-girls had to wait until 20 to attain the kind of fashion cred that lead to campaigns and magazine covers, this new generation is proving that the concept of awkward teenage years no longer exists.

Fashion has always been obsessed with youth—the modeling industry thrives on a revolving door of high schoolers—but never before have so many under the age of 20 wielded such clout. Moving beyond teen-centric media and wearing fashions that resonate with all ages, the young women that made an impact this year did so by tackling the kind of esoteric design appreciated by true aficionados. Case in point: when 17-year-old pop diva Sabrina Carpenter arrived at Billboard’s Women in Music Awards back in November, she stood out from her contemporaries in a pink draped Céline dress. Embracing Phoebe Philo’s austerity in an upbeat color scheme, Carpenter made the look her own.

Adapting the trends to suit their personalities made all the difference. With their target audience in search of authenticity rather than brand loyalty, fashion moments occurred when the combination of wearer and item felt organic. When Yara Shahidi pairs a Prada skirt with a HSTRY t-shirt that reads “respect existence or expect resistance,” it meshes with her politically engaged personality. Likewise, sister’s Chloe and Halle Bailey colorful wardrobe filled with prints and pattern corresponds with the eclecticism found in their music. Granted, every teenager with a slate of red carpet events on their schedule has a stylist guiding them along the way, but the girls who stood out managed to seem effortless—a feat many adults have yet to master. Here, a look back at the celebrities under 20 who made an impact in 2017.