The Rise of the 'It' Girl

Of course, an "it" girl needs a hip hotspot to hang out. Just like Ivy or Woolloomooloo Wharf today, Sydney has always had VIP venues where the bold and the beautiful flocked. Photographer Robert Rosen (who is currently showing his work at the Art Trader's Gallery, Paddington) remembers Mario on Stanley Street as the place to be seen.

"It was definitely the place to be," he says. "The place was famous for long lunches on Fridays from 1pm where people would just hang around, table-hop then order dinner." Other hip hangouts included Stranded in the Strand and Juliana's Nightclub at the Sydney Hilton.

While the dollar has always been a major motivator, today's scene is less about breeding and more about how much you want to earn. Bill Ranken has witnessed the scene morph from an insular slice of English-style society to a flash-trash series of never-ending parties. He has been snapping the social elite since 1988.

"In the old days I think people went to parties because they were all friends and they were all invited. Nowadays there's a lot of underlying business going on, and there's a lot of people there to promote a product," says Ranken.

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Looking good and being photographed at the right place (with the right man), is the "it" girl's ticket to making money. "It's one thing to actually just go to the opening of an envelope but it's another thing entirely to be a success in your own right. Tickets to the right party and ambiton make a pretty lethal combination," says Sadowsky.

So what makes an 'it' girl here in Sydney? You need the right dress, and most importantly an invite to the hottest event in town. But don't worry if your budget doesn't stretch to Manolos. Even in the surreal world of Sydney's social scene, real girls can get their share of the limelight.

Ranken says the real "it" girls are the ones who see events as photo calls. Girls who grab the attention of the photographers are those that go out simply to have fun. "These girls are natural, they're not affected," he says. "They're not a self-promotion thing, pushed by PRs. I often find the lesser the star, the more attitude they have."

 

 

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