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"The sweeping marble staircase at Ralph Lauren's Madison Avenue flagship, commonly referred to as \"the mansion,\" is so grand it looks like it belongs in a palace (fitting, if you consider that Mr. Lauren is pretty much the king of American fashion). In fact, you almost expect a princess to come floating down in some fantastical gown.\n\nOn this particular September morning, one does. Thirteen-year-old Kiernan Shipka\u2014 television, if not bloodline, royalty\u2014emerges from above in a cloud of white tulle. She skips down the stairs with the grace of a ballet dancer (she is trained as one), only instead of pointe shoes or glass slippers, she is wearing black motorcycle boots. This is not a princess lying in wait of Prince Charming; it's a princess on a mission. And today, that mission is to find the perfect entrance-making outfit for her fashion week debut\u2014a coming-out of sorts for a young Hollywood star.\n\nKiernan will attend her first runway show this afternoon. Though she is already something of a wunderkind when it comes to matters of style (she's walked red carpets in Zac Posen and had her designerladen closet featured on The Coveteur), she is appropriately filled with anticipation. \"You get these visions in your head of what it's going to be like,\" she says. We decide her tulle dress, though dreamy, is too dressy for a 5 p.m. show. Kiernan has recently taken a liking to Ralph Lauren pants. \"I bought a pair last Christmas that are velvet with a zipper up the side, and I think I've worn them more days than I haven't,\" she says. With that in mind, I hone in on black velvet jodhpurs and a regal red Sgt. Pepper jacket with gold piping. It is at once Grace Kelly chic (an American princess if ever there was one) and unpretentiously cool. In short, it is everything Kiernan loves about Ralph Lauren, the brand. \"Classic, timeless, well made, and just so gorgeous,\" she says.\n\nI ask how her style compares to that of her Mad Men character, Sally Draper. \"Sally is very preppy and tries to mix it with a bit of an edge,\" says Kiernan. \"That's almost like me. Obviously, some of the patterns and silhouettes are different, because Sally's in the sixties and I'm in 2012, but overall she influences my style a lot. The silhouette that goes in at the waist and then flips out\u2014that's something I got from Sally.\"\n\nSeveral hours later we arrive at the venue, and Kiernan slips backstage to preview the clothes. This being a Ralph Lauren Girls fashion show, the models are for the most part younger than Kiernan. I point out that this may be the only fashion show she attends where, at five foot one, she towers over the runway models. \"I know!\" she says, laughing. \"It's kind of amazing.\" We take our seats, the lights dim, and the music starts pumping. As the opening model takes to the runway, Kiernan pulls out her phone and snaps a photo. \"I've been wearing Ralph Lauren since I was a baby,\" she tells me. \"This is like a fairy tale.\" One with plenty of shining armor to boot."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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