But her industry pragmatism is only part of her self-expression — lately, like so many of us do during an identity crisis, she’s been experimenting with her hair. After getting a short bob, she asked her hair stylist, with whom she’s been working since she was 12, to add two long, rattail-looking braids. VanderWaal can clip them in or take them out depending on her mood. “[My braids are] like accessories,” she says. “I just loved the way it made me feel.” Today, she’s braid-free, instead opting for a red and blue Chanel coat, which she doesn’t take off throughout the interview, with jeans and simple flats. (A few weeks after we meet, she’ll attend Chanel’s Paris Fashion Week show for the first time, joking that a photo from the event is her “clearest picture in 25 years.” Again, she’s 16.)

