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"I first noticed Virginia Anton last summer at a Max Mara dinner in Los Angeles. The cat-eyed 22-year-old stuck out like a sartorial thumb amid a sea of flirty, sherbetcolored, red carpet\u2013ready frocks. Little did I know that every piece of her sophisticated ensemble, which included an intricate vintage blouse and Ala\u00EFa pencil skirt, was excavated from her mother&amp;#39;s closet.\n\n While some girls shudder at the thought of mom&amp;#39;s handme- downs, Virginia revels in the hunt. But, then again, this Pitzer College studio art major has always marched to the beat of her own drum. &amp;quot;I realized at a pretty young age that I was different from other girls,&amp;quot; she reveals. &amp;quot;I was a tall and lanky tomboy who wore blues and grays while all the other girls wore frilly pink and flower prints.&amp;quot; Virginia admires labels like Prada, Dries Van Noten, Marni, and Maison Martin Margiela (brands that match her self-proclaimed &amp;quot;classically weird&amp;quot; style), but high-end shopping sprees aren&amp;#39;t in the cards yet for this girl. &amp;quot;For now, thrifting in my mother&amp;#39;s closet is where it&amp;#39;s at, and I am more than OK with that,&amp;quot; she says as she unearths a suitcase brimming with everything from fifties Balmain to eighties Dolce &amp;amp; Gabbana\u2014a mother lode of printed pants, bright suits, and charming dresses. &amp;quot;I don&amp;#39;t think I ever thought my mom, aunt, or grandma didn&amp;#39;t dress &amp;#39;cool,&amp;#39; I just didn&amp;#39;t realize how cool they were!&amp;quot;\n\n In Virginia&amp;#39;s family, the chic gene goes way back: Her mom, Italian journalist Alessandra Venezia (who has saved clothing for Virginia since she was born), is a contributor to Vogue Italia and L&amp;#39;Uomo Vogue, and she never saw her own mother &amp;quot;without red lips and heels on.&amp;quot; Heels Virginia also remembers fondly: &amp;quot;Around ten years old, I would go through all of my grandma&amp;#39;s extravagant, beautiful shoes and reorganize them,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;That piqued my fashion interest\u2014and my shoe obsession!&amp;quot;\n\n Aside from Virginia&amp;#39;s fashion lineage, she credits her art background as a major style influencer. &amp;quot;Three years ago, there were many things of my mom&amp;#39;s I didn&amp;#39;t like or wouldn&amp;#39;t have dared to wear, but now I look back and think, You knew nothing, Virginia!&amp;quot; she explains. &amp;quot;Now I like to mix and match and clash with strange colors and patterns that may not seem like they&amp;#39;d go together. My taste changes and evolves.&amp;quot;\n\n Yet one thing stays the same: Virginia&amp;#39;s strong Italian heritage, passed down from the women she admires\u2014and steals clothes from. &amp;quot;Whenever I attempt to look casual, my friends comment that I seem dressed up. This is a very Italian trait!&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;You will never see me wearing flip-flops unless I&amp;#39;m at the beach, and that&amp;#39;s that.&amp;quot; True fashion DNA."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.teenvogue.com/gallery/virginia-anton>