Model Off Duty style is one of the most sought-after aesthetics. A model’s ability to make even the most basic outfit look effortlessly chic seems almost impossible to achieve. However, it’s not just the Kate Mosses of the 90s and Gigi Hadids of today who achieve. This idea goes way far back.
Model off duty still is created by the model’s personal style or the model’s personal stylist. Its iconism comes from her style matches the current trends and the current zeitgeist of pop culture and fashion. However, the overall crossover comes from how effortless it seems to achieve. The aesthetic is practical and aware, therefore it seems achievable instead of a celebrity’s usual untouchable wardrobe seen on red carpets. It’s relatable, and its allure and sought-after appeal come from the confidence of the woman wearing it.
Twiggy, Edie Sedgwick, Bridgette Bardot and Jean Shrimpton were the model It-girls of the 60s. Twiggy, only an adolescent at the time, was one of the defining people of the Swinging ‘60s movement in London, which popularized the 60s mod aesthetic and brought the mini skirt and mini dress into the mainstream thanks to Mary Quant’s revolutionary designs. It was so controversial at the time that there were even mini-skirt protests on both sides of the argument. She was named “The Face of ’66.” Her simplistic, minimalistic, chic and at least at the time, the rebellious style was sought-after from all over the world. She diversified her looks with color, patterns and accessories, making simple, chic and minimalism, glamourous.
Twiggy also popularized experimental makeup with interesting eyeliner shapes and lines and extravagant eyelashes that are still sued for inspiration today, just look at Maddy and Lexi’s makeup in Euphoria. Twiggy was so popular due to her androgynous appearance and sweet demeanor that there was even Twiggy merchandise created from lunchboxes to endorsed cosmetics. She even created her own clothing line, which meant fans of her off-duty style could buy pieces that were Twiggy-approved. She was even a huge source of inspiration for the 2009 Met Gala theme The Model As Muse; Embodying Fashion in 2009, which describes Twiggy’s iconic style as unisex. She took notes from Yves Saint Laurent’s love for mixing femininity and masculinity as well as space-agey elements popularized by Pierre Cardin. Her iconic look featured A-line mini dresses with collars, suits, coat dresses, and dresses with military-uniform-inspired details.
Twiggy’s look was based on Patty Boyd, but her biggest inspiration was Jean Shrimpton, who was also an icon of the British Swinging 60s movement, the 60s Youthquake and considered one of the world’s first supermodels. She was widely dubbed The It Girl and The Face of The Moment and contrasted the aristocratic-looking models of the time with her long ringlet hair, doe-eyes, pouty lips and arched brows. Shrimpton was also one of the first people to promote the mini skirt. She is also known for her gamine look, which is defined as a young, attractive woman with a mischievous personality and a boyish look, which became popular by Hollywood star and style icon Audrey Hepburn from her iconic look in the films Roman Holiday and Breakfast At Tiffany’s. Models Twiggy and Kate Moss are also known for their gamine looks. Brigette Bardot was the French It Girl of the time (it’s worth noting that she has become quite problematic in recent years, but we are talking about her impact on the 60s). She was a sex symbol and also became a notable actress and singer, known for her collaboration with Serge Gainsbourg on their hit “Bonnie and Clyde.” She portrayed hedonistic and sexually liberated characters. Edie Sedgwick was the model It Girl on the American front, It-artist Andy Warhol’s muse. She was named 1965’s “Girl of The Year” and vogue called her a “Youthquaker.” Edie starred in many of Andy Warhol’s avante-garde films through his studio called the Factory in Manhattan, most notably Poor Little Rich Girl and Chelsea Girls. She quickly became a style icon, developing a distinct look with heavy eye makeup, chandelier earrings, black leotards and mini dresses, which was notably an edgier take on the mainstream style of the time. She popularized mini skirts in the USA by buying children’s skirts and wearing them. The Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, Primal Scream, Dream Academy, The Cult, Deadbolt, and G-Eazy all wrote songs about her. Lady gaga’s “Applause” and “Marry The Night” makes references to Sedwick in their music videos. Taylor Momsen, a fan of Sedgwick’s style, wrote her song Factory Girl in honor of her through her band The Pretty Reckless. Many movies have tried to be made about her over the years with the likes of Warren Beatty and Mike Nicholas with Molly Ringwald, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Natalie Portman being considered for the role between the two directors. Jennifer Rubin ended up playing Sedgwick in Oliver Stone’s The Doors, while Sienna Miller played her in George Hickenlooper’s Factory Girl. An off-Broadway play “Edie + Andy” was written by Petter Braunstein about the iconic pairing. Warhol dubbed the term “Superstar” in her honor. She is also related to actresses Kyra Sedgwick (who is married to Kevin Bacon).
The 70s were all about Jerry Hall, Lauren Hutton, Jane Birkin and Marisa Berenson. Jerry Hall has been in relationships with Mick Jagger and Rupert Murdoch and the mom fo model Georgia May Jagger. She shared an apartment with Grace Jones and Jessica Lange before they all made it. She started off her modeling career by appearing on the cover of Roxy Music’s Sirens album. She was also an actor and singer. Hall’s signatures were catsuits, sequins, cocktail dresses, silk gowns, and a rock n roll type of aesthetic. She worked with some of the most prestigious fashion houses including YSL, Dior and Chanel. Lauren Hutton is known for the gap in the middle of her teeth. She is the definition of a high fashion model, appearing in shows and campaigns for brands like Bottega Veneta, Tom Ford, Chanel, Badgley Mischka, and Calvin Klein. Hutton was the ultimate Americana, girl-next-door, with red dresses, blazers, denim jackets, the biker chic aesthetic, small jewelry, leather accessories, and sportswear. Jane Birkin is the big one from this era, however. You may have heard of Hermes’ Birkin bag? Well, it’s named after her. She married Serge Gainsbourg and is Charlotte Gainsbourg’s mom. She is also the ultimate icon for boho-chic style with an edgy twist due to her love for chain-mail dresses due to her collaboration with Paco Rabanne. Marisa Berenson, the granddaughter of the iconic designer Elsa Schiaparelli, was dubbed the “It” girl of the 70s by designer Yves Saint Laurent. She wore outfits with folk and military-inspired elements. The 70s is when the relationship between celebrities, like musicians and actors, being trendsetters has been well-established, and by the end of the 70s, models were starting to become full-fledged celebrities, making their style trendsetting, and still referenced today.
The 80s brought the supermodel back thanks to the rise of Brooke Shields, Christie Brinkley, Pat Cleveland, Iman and Grace Jones. This time around, models became full-on celebrities, starring in movies, MTV music videos and even having other business ventures due to their star status, something that wouldn’t have been possible without Twiggy pioneering the idea of a model being a superstar. Brooke Shields, due to her beauty and young age, was one of the most controversial figures in pop culture in the 80s, between her iconic Calvin Klein campaign, her X-rated to R-rated Blue Lagoon movie and her work with Playboy as a young woman. She still a huge pop culture figure today through her acting work. Her style essentials were slogan t-shirts, bonbon dresses, floral dresses, officewear, sportswear, knotted white button-downs, black sunglasses, white tailored pants, denim and good tailoring. Christie Brinkley was a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model who appeared on an unprecedented 3 consecutive covers in the early 80s. Iman, was notably married to musician David Bowie, who became the muse to designers like Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein, Thierry Mugler, Yves Saint Laurent, Halston and Donna Karan and was considered by many as the “Dream Woman.” She eventually created her own cosmetic line and television personality. Iman often takes the same fashion sensibilities as her husband did, with her style being known as very experimental and daring, becoming a favorite of Italian designers. With model off-duty being known for its timeless, approachable appeal, Imann revolutionized it by making it more fun, unique and experimental with loud silhouettes and patterns. She is credited with starting the distinction between staples versus statement pieces in womenswear fashion, often having staples, which are common in model-off-duty looks, and using statement pieces to create a more dynamic visual. She was known for accessorizing heavily.
As we all know, the era 90s of not just the supermodel, but also the model-off-duty look. The 90s is when the idea of the supermodel became its own faction of media, culture, fashion and fame. This is when the model-off-duty style became popularized. Street style is how model can connect with their audiences that they gain through their celebrity status. It communicated who th3 models were and what their personality is like, decades before social media came to fruition. Street style and model-off-duty are often used interchangeably, without the model-off-duty popularization, street style and its allure it has today wouldn’t be the same. Thus, street style icons like Carolyn Basset of the 90s, Paris Hilton of the 2000s, and Julia Fox and Olivia Rodrigo of today wouldn’t be able to influence the fashions of their fans the way they do. Street style is more of an umbrella term, for off-duty fashion gurus, actors, musicians, influencers and even just normal fashion-forward people in big cities like New York, Paris, Los Angeles and Milan. While model off-duty is specific to models, but is a such sub-genre of the aesthetic. Street style wouldn’t exist without model off-duty. This is because of model-off-duty’s fashion history, all of which has been aforementioned. Street style has changed in recent years, becoming extremely fast-paced. It is a very alluring facet of the industry and has changed how it’s viewed, thought of, worn, and consumed, with street-style looks often being just anticipated as runway looks during fashion week. Having a good street style can align those who participated with style icon status and just status in general. This is because the style has a bigger influence in fashion media and media, in general than the actual trends themselves vs. when you set trends, you’re selling a fad. When you sell style, you are selling a message. A lifestyle. An inspiration. Model-off-duty is unique in that regard because of its individualism, due to its uniqueness from person to person, its history, how long it has existed and been influential, and timeless, attainable appeal, how it’s been sought-after for so long because it does seem unrealistic or untouchable.
In the 90s, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer, Linda Evangelista, and Kate Moss were all considered the “Big Six” and most if not all of them were featured in George Michael’s “Freedom ‘90” music video. They all became favorites of Chanel, Versace, Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, Dior, Vivienne Westwood, Gucci and YSL. Naomi Campbell’s style is bold, experimental and sexy, making her still one of the most anticipated style icons today anytime people get told that she’s attending an event. Campbell was also a trailblazer for black models in the industry. Her white peers would refuse to do shows if designers didn’t include Campbell in them, mainly her friend Evangelista. Campbell is often considered to be the face of “Supermodel Glam,” often wearing sparkly and attention-grabbing looks. Her style had the perfect balance of sophistication and fun, shown by how she played with fabric and silhouette. Her street style featured more daring and unique interpretations of classic staples, often playing with hardware, texture and patterns. Cindy Crawford became everyone’s favorite causal, down-to-Earth girl, with her effortless style that utilized basics. The DeKalb, Illinois native epitomized the look of the All-American girl and her personal style included classic American pieces like white and black skirts, denim, leather blazers, sportswear, little black dresses, blazer blazers, masculine-inspired outerwear, black turtlenecks, black belts, jeans, and comfortable shoes. Her look is often considered the epitome of the timeless off-duty look, with no model off-duty moodboard being complete without a Crawford look.
Crawford had the most commercial success of the “Big Six” supermodels by appearing in an iconic Pepsi Super Bowl ad and played Jon Bon Jovi’’s love interest in a music video for his band, Bon Jovi, for the song “Please Come Home For Christmas.” Christy Turlington became the personification of “less is more” with her classic style including jeans, jackets, black turtlenecks and white buttons downs. Vogue’s long-time creative director Grace Coddington described her as “the most beautiful woman in the world,” and she also appeared in Duran Duran’s “Notorious” music video, while her peers Crawford and Campbell were in the band’s “Girl Panic” music video.
Claudia Schiffer became the ultimate girly chic icon with her love for flowy dresses, oversized blazers, jumpsuits, blouses and white shirts. She was often compared to Bridgette Bardot for her appearance and was hand selected as the new face of Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld in 1990, becoming his most recurring Chanel bride, one of the most honorable positions a model can have by closing the Chanel fashion show in a wedding dress designed by Lagerfeld, throughout the 90s.
Kate Moss was the ultimate cool girl with her effortlessly glamorous, tousled and unapologetic style. She was an icon for the heroine chic style, grunge style, and rocker chic style. She epitomized the British edgy girl style and still does so today. She often bent the rules of fashion and loved mixing minimalism and drama. Her style essentials are mini dresses, sheer fabrics, black blazers, jeans, a good t-shirt, a slip dress and an attention-grabbing piece. She was known for her edgy, experimental and eclectic style. Moss was discovered on at JFK Airport and had a notable relationship with actor Johnny Depp. She is also best known for her iconic work with Calvin Klein and having the quintessential party girl style, which is why she was the main inspiration behind Serena van der Woodsen’s iconic looks on the hit show Gossip Girl, who was played by style icon Blake Lively. She also helped begin to intertwine music and music in the 90s with the rise of grunge. Moss was also associated with the gamine look and the waif look, as in the “waifer thin” models during the heroin chic era in fashion (she is the one was said “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels,” which was probably a joke taken out of context by the media, as the media loves to twist things women say.) Moss, like Crawford, is one of the quintessential 90s supermodels. An off-duty moodboard can’t be complete without a look from Moss.
Helena Christensen was probably the most notable of these women. She was the co-founder of Nylon magazine and former partner of INXS’ singer Michael Hutchence was considered to be the seventh member of the “Magnificent Seven” of the “Big Six.” She also starred in Chris Isaak’s “Wicked game” music video dubbed “The Sexiest music video of all time” by MTV, and was known for her girl-next-door pretty looks, was also a huge model of the time. Excluded from this group, but equally as influential was Ralph Lauren icon Bridget Hall has exemplified the 90s preppy chic look, Shalom Harlow, who was notably in How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days and hosted MTV’s House of Style, Carla Bruni, who famously married the President of France Nicolas Sarkorzy and is a famous French singer too, Jill Goodacre who famously appeared on Friends and was a Victoria’s Secret Angel, Frederique, who as best known for her work with Victoria’s Secret as well and Stephanie Seymour, a former Victoria’s Secret angel as well and Guns n Roses video vixen known for her classic taste.
The 2000s was the era of the Victoria’s Secret Angel, most notably including Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Lily Aldridge and Gisele Bundchen. Adriana Lima was named the “most valuable & longest Running Victoria Secret Angel.” Lima was also a Fashion Icon honoree at the Daily Front Row Awards. She is known for her New York-influenced, classic sense of style. Alessandra Ambrosio was the first spokesperson of VS’s PINK brand. Ambrosio is known for her laid-back style including denim jeans, tie-dye, and crop tops. Lily Aldridge is one of the most notable angels and has also become a video vixen starring in videos for friend Taylor Swift, Limp Bizkit and Kings Of Leon. Aldridge’s essentials include solid colors, denim, crop tops, matching sets, chunky sweaters, blazers and button-downs. Gisele Bundchen is considered to be one of the most successful models in the industry. She has had notable relationships with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Brady. She also starred in the fashion film The Devil Wears Prada. Her style essentials are more casual, bohemian, comfortable, sporty and down-to-earth, featuring jeans, solid-colored sweaters, button-downs, sneakers, leather jackets shearling jackets, boots and t-shirts. She opts for a more timeless approach to style like many of her model counterparts, and still mixes in trends for fun without being consumed by them. Vlada Roslyakova considered to be one of the most influential Russian models, is often considered to be a “Russian Doll.” Her off-duty looks are known for being darker, edgier and more casual, in a similar way to Kate Moss, but unlike Moss, she is less experimental, having a uniform of sorts of skinny jeans, heels, t-shirts, statement handbags and statement outerwear. She enjoys playing with layers, hardware and texture. Roslyakova is known for her signature dark smokey eye, which was a popular makeup trend at the time and also worn by actress and musician Taylor Momsen.
The 2010s brought the age of the Insta-model including Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber, Cara Delevinge, Kendall Jenner, and Taylor Hill. Almost all of them have models in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Gigi and Bella Hadid are the daughters of Yolanda Hadid and have notably dated Cody Simpson, Joe Jonas, The Weeknd and Zayn Malik. Gigi is known for her effortless, luxe-meets-athleisure, down-to-Earth style. Her essentials include blazers, unique sneakers, sunglasses, bike shorts, sweaters, graphic tees, denim jackets, Doc Martens, Cropped hoodies, sweaters worn over your shoulders, statement handbags, puffers and denim jeans. While, Bella is known for her experimental, risque, androgynous style. Her essentials include the whale tail, top knots, baggy pants, oversized blazers, crop tops, baseball caps, low-rise pants, bustiers, and tracksuits. Hailey Bieber is one of the few on this list who has a notable specific relationship with a particular fashion house. For Bieber, that’s YSL. she style is known to be edgy, feminine, and androgynous because of it. She is often seen in large coats, all-black outfits, white slip dresses, blazers, sweaters, turtlenecks, denim jeans, bike shorts, crop tops, and baggy pants. Cara Delevinge has become a notable actress after her modeling career with appearances in Paper Towns, Only Murders In The Building and Suicide Squad. Her style is experimental, daring and androgynous. She is often seen not wearing shirts under blazers, tshirts, pantsuits, interesting jackets, and sheer dresses. Kendall Jenner is known as the daughter and younger sister of Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian, to appear one their numerous reality shows. She is known for her down-to-Earth, sporty style, including vests, shoulder bags, cutouts, matching sets, crop tops, slip-on, sneakers, and jeans. Taylor Hill is known for her casual style including jeans, tshirts, crop tops, blazers, baseball caps, oversized coats, and leather pants.
Today models are more diverse than ever, both through body type and race. Ashley Graham and Paloma Eslessner have become trailblazers by paving the way for larger body types to be treated as equally valuable in the fashion industry. Their fearless, boundless and empowering sense of style has made them people to watch in magazines and on red carpets. Trans model-turned-actress Hunter Schafer and young plus-sized model-turned-actor Barbie Ferreira have made a name for themselves in the HBO series Euphoria. However, they were models before they nabbed the parts of Jules and Kat. They are both known for their edgy, experimental, campy styles.
There are also nepotism models like Kaia Gerber, the daughter of Cindy Crawford. Her street style is far more casual and trendy then her mother’s, often seen wearing oversized outerwear, sneakers, t-shrts, blazers, jeans, boots, sunglasses and beanies, while her night time style is more classic with black blazers, leather jackets, black slacks and pump shoes. She often utilizes trendy accessories and the color black. Gerber often off-sets her looks, doing things the average person wouldn’t expect. Examples include wearing sneakers with dresses, mixing masculine and feminine pieces or wearing fur coats with jeans. Gerber’s style is part grunge, part vintage, part modern, part glam, part trendy style, expertly mixing her mom’s timeless off-duty style approach with trendy pieces currently being shown in fashion. Kendal Jenner and The Hadid sisters can also be considered nepotism models, but their relative were technically just famous, not models. Lila Moss and Georgia May Jagger are more actual nepotism models along with Gerber.
Models also often become muses to designers and artists, which means their style often emulates that brand and person’s staples and image. For example, Edie Sedgwick as aforementioned was Andy Warhol’s muse. Model Bridget Hall was the face of Ralph Lauren in the 90s. Jane Birkin was the muse of multiple fashion houses including Paco Rabbane and Hermes. Claudia Schiffer was a favorite of Karl Lagerfeld, and was the iconic Chanel bride multiple times, while Cara Delevinge became a hush muse towards the end of his life. Hailey Bieber is known to be a great friend of YSL, just as actress Kristen Stewart has had a relationship with Chanel for years. The Model As Muse was even the 2009 Met Gala theme, as aforementioned. So yes, models and muses go hand-in-hand.
What ties all of these iconic models together? Is it their career or legacy? No, it’s their style. Their senses of style are all timeless and classic with many elements still popular today. How many of the models on this list have mini skirts, blazers, denim jeans, crop tops, and button downs as one of their wardrobe essentials? Almost all of them. That’s because these pieces are timeless, practical, and perfect for day-to-day wear. These pieces aren’t glitzy and unattainable. They are sold at cheaper rates at places like Forever 21 and Target. So, to conclude it doesn’t take much to pull of that model-off-duty style. You probably have many of these pieces already in your closet. All that you need know is some model confidence.