spotlight on my favorite up & coming british starlett

Ever since being sucked into the British version of Skins (which involved a lot of re-watching and obsessing over each episode like a 13 year old) I totally fell in love with my favorite character Effy, played by the uber-talented and stunning Kaya Scodelario.  Her dark & edgy style on and off-screen is so inspiring – I love the way she pairs tomboy items like clunky boots, moto jackets or a baggy tee with really fitted and girly pieces.  While this combination is is nothing new, it really works for her and she’s able to pull it off in a way that makes it look fresh and new- and she can rock messy bed-head hair (one of my all-time favorite looks) like none other.   I don’t care how young she is, I would love to rain this girl’s closet- but it’s not just her style that’s made me such a fan.

Why hadn’t I seen or heard of this fresh-faced, talented actress before stumbling across Skins thanks to a suggestion from Netflix?  At 14, she was cast as Effy with no prior acting experience whatsoever, but was nominted twice for the British TV Quick Award in the category for Best Actress for her stint in Skins.  This show helped her fine-tune her acting chops and has lead to bigger and better roles, modeling gigs and magazine features.  Recently, I read an article on her in British Vogue and wasn’t at all surprised to learn that she had landed the role of Cathy is in the latest film adaptation of Wuthering Heights (after Natalie Portman gave up the role.)  Her charatcter on Skins was so gritty, damaged but beautiful (much like her personal style), I cannot wait to see her in her role as Cathy, which was hailed as a ‘heart-wrenching revelation’ at the Venice Film Festival.  Wuthering Heights was released mid-November in the U.K. but it’s U.S. release date has yet to be announced.  Regardess, I’ve already checked out the trailer which is available online and I can’t wait to see it once it finally does hit theaters.  Here’s a spectrum of her style below- from 19th century classic beauty to hard as nails Effy to sultry and sophisticated editorials, she can do no wrong.

Stills from Wuthering Heights:

Leather and lace in high school:

All glam & grown up:

xo,

Lauren