Move Over Vanilli. Get Down Bobby Brown. There is a new Millie in town and her name is Millie Bobby Brown! Having cut her teeth in acting on the finest Netflix cloth as breakout star of rising cult series – Stranger Things, this fresh faced youngster is the next sensation in fashion. At just 13 years old, and with over 8.5 million followers on Instagram, her influence is clear. The British actress’s rise to prominence has crossed paths with the fashion-set, and they are clearing the way for the pale beauty in consideration of her mainstream potential to be a next gen icon of style.
She certainly qualifies. Like most actors (child or not) that have sprung into the limelight, there is always an underlying history of dues paid in the lead up to their ‘discovery’. Millie’s career began as a student at an acting workshop where she was scouted for the role of Alice in ABC’s 2013 production of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. According to IMBD, her parents facilitated the process by moving the family from their Florida-base across country to LA, on the advice of talent scouts who observed her possession of “instincts that you cannot teach”.
Indeed, Millie secured her next role off the back of a single-audition tape not long after the family descended on Hollywood. Her performance as Madison O’Donnell in BBC America’s show Intruders was followed up by a series of guest appearances in network televisions’ biggest shows including Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS and Modern Family. But it was not until her critically acclaimed role as Eleven on Stranger Things that the industry took note. Brown received nominations from the Screen Actors Guild Award and the Primetime Emmy Awards for her individual performance; and took home the SAG award for best ensemble performance shared by the cast of Stranger Things.
As a self-confessed fan of the show, I can back up that the attention has been warranted. There’s a quiet subtlety in Millie’s movement that is akin to top models who, in the words of Tyra Banks, know how to “SMIZE” (smile with their eyes). Her physicality also can’t be overlooked. The show had her don a GI Jane shaved head that accentuates her high cheek bones, large doe eyes and, as time will confirm, her willowy height. She bares a striking, somewhat sisterly resemblance to her older English counter-part in Emma Watson. Emma Watson took the fashion and film world by storm and was embraced by editorial publications after lopping her character Hermione’s locks off post-Harry Potter. Watson emerged with an edgy pixie look made famous by model-actress Twiggy in the 1960s. Whilst Millie’s bob is a requirement of the show, her fashioned regrowth typifies classic British style.
Brown has since been picked up to star in two music videos, one being English Singer Birdy’s new single Find Me, alongside featuring in a number of commercials, editorials and publications. But January 2017 saw her official step into serious fashion, modelling for Calvin Klein’s By Appointment campaign. It is worth pointing out that according to Elle.com this was also the debut of designer Raf Simmons reign of the classic American label, and the first time that the brand has offered a made-to-measure service. The campaign was captured by Simmons’ long-time photographer Willy Vanderperre, depicting Brown in a very clean-cut androgynous shoot that was appropriate to her age. Her inclusion as the youngest addition amongst the other high profile fashion-cred, is a mark to Simmon’s own vision to keep Calvin Klein present by teeing up the next generation of clientele.
To celebrate her recent birthday, Teen Vogue online have catalogued Millie’s 12 best outfits and make mention of her iconic status, noting that her influence has cross-generational appeal. But my personal must-watch is their candid reel 22 Things That Are Stranger Than Stranger Things with Millie Bobby Brown which shows off her natural charm. Writer for Teen Vogue, Avery Matera outlines why the young starlet has our attention:
“She’s always polished, always poised, but doesn’t hesitate to rock a playful pair of overalls or edgy leather jacket on occasion. In short, she’s everything we want to be when it comes to our wardrobe. Millie may have just emerged from the best year ever, but it’s a safe bet this bright star is just going to keep soaring”.
So where do stars go when they are already at the summit? Well – into the anticipated sequel for Godzilla: King of Monsters of course! With representation from IMG models, unmatched experience in the acting and fashion community, plus the added benefit of youth on her side, Brown is decidedly the new black.