Tweens For Couture

     First it was 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld for Miu Miu, and now it's 13-year-old Elle Fanning for Marc by Marc Jacobs. What is up with these young actresses becoming the "faces" of brands?
     Don't get me wrong, I love Hailee and Elle. They're both extremely talented and have loads of potential as rising starlets, but fashion muses?
     Hailee has an eccentric kind of style that's not quite defined (yes, she does wear lots of Miu Miu, so I guess I see where Miuccia is coming from), but I have to question some of her sartorial decisions, like an orange-and-hot-pink striped dress at the SAG Awards and a black number with a swan on it at the Berlin Film Festival. Some may call them "avant-garde", but I can't say I agree. And more importantly, fourteen is too young to embody the elegance that Miu Miu is all about. Sorry, Hailee.
     Below are a couple of her Miu Miu Fall 2011 ad campaigns, shot by Bruce Weber. I have to admit, she does look ladylike and carefree, which was probably the intent.

  

  

     As for Elle, she's following in her sister Dakota's footsteps in starring in an ad campaign of her own. Normally, Elle's style, whether it be shoots for magazines (she recently did one for the June/July issue of Teen Vogue) or on the red carpet, is adorably stylish. She names Rodarte and Valentino as two of her favorite designers, and wears their clothes frequently. However, I can't help but feel like she's dressed like a grandmother in this Marc by Marc Jacobs Fall 2011 ad (shot by Juergen Teller). The dress, the bag, the shoes, and the high socks all scream "50s!" That's a bit too precocious, if you know what I mean.