Gaia Repossi

Her age isn't the only thing belied by her appearance. Although most assume she's French—and with a closet full of Celine and Givenchy, who can blame them?—Repossi is very Italian and very proud of it. "I love being Italian," she declares. "I love being tan, showing some skin, and putting together strong looks. And I eat a lot of pasta!"
erhaps it's the , mix of the two—an Italian background and a French way of life—that helped transform the rebellious Monte Carlo-raised teenager into a budding fashion icon. (She has unofficially been ordained the new face ofchic, minimalist style.) Notes Altuzarra, "She mixes a kind of French nonchalance with Italian glamour and femininity."
Repossi, who has been an avid artist since she was 14 and continues to paint every day, credits her style to her mother, who was a loyal client to many of the great couturiers of the late 20th cen^tury^{: Valentino},^{Yves Sain} _Gaia Repossi Laurent, and Hubert defor Alexander Givenchy. But since the Wang cuff. '90s, Repossi says, her ^repossi.^com mother has worn almost exclusively Chanel. "She has it all!" she says, laughing. And today Repossi counts Karl Lagerfeld as a friend as well. He took portraits of her and codesigner Eugenie Niarchos for the promotional materials for their Ere by Repossi collections and turned up at Repossi's uber-A-list Paris Fashion Week fete at the Ritz last fall.
One of the perks of growing up with a chic mother is undoubtedly the hand-me-downs; one of her favorites is a '70s couture YSL cape. She loves to mix such items with more modern finds, like the Chanel high-heeled clogs she has worn all season. It's this personal blend that makes Repossi so unique. "She can wear refinement and luxury without looking pretentious or like she's trying too hard," says Wang. "She's the perfect balance." Derek Blasberg