The Kids Are All Right: Teens Take Over the Red Carpet

Given that fourteen-year-old Hailee Steinfeld doesn't even have her ears pierced ("My mom won't let me until I'm sixteen," she says), it should come as no surprise that in-your-face cleavage, sausage-casing-tight minis, stripper-style platforms, or any of the other style elements that have become standard for Tinseltown's emerging talent over the last few years are out of the question for the True Grit star. "For other girls, if that's their thing, that's their thing," she says. "It's just not the way I feel comfortable dressing."

But as anyone who has followed the teen's awards-circuit press marathon over the last few months can tell you, Hailee is not a prude when it comes to fashion: She wore an avant-garde ivory Prabal Gurung number for the Golden Globes, a hot-pink-and-orange striped Prada gown to the Screen Actors Guild Awards, a voluminous tulle Marchesa confection for the Oscars (paired with red Converse high-tops at the after-parties), and a knee-length Miu Miu sheath featuring a satin swan (a surefire attention-getting theme for formalwear—just ask Bjrk) at the Berlin International Film Festival.

"We definitely try not to play it safe," says Karla Welch, Hailee's stylist of a year. "Safe is boring." It's an approach that's particularly refreshing given her client's age. "Not many fourteen-year-olds would wear a dress with a swan on it," says the stylist.

There are certainly some: Fourteen-year-old Kick-Ass star Chloë Grace Moretz, for example, has turned to the likes of Proenza Schouler and Chanel for quirky-chic dresses, and thirteen-year-old Elle Fanning (Dakota's little sister) is a devotee of fashion-forward Rodarte. "They're this little group who's totally having fun with fashion," Welch says. "They don't care what Us Weekly has to say."

What their parents have to say might be another story. Hailee, who attends all fittings with her mother, says, "I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing an outfit knowing that she wouldn't approve." (Her mom's pet peeves? Anything that's too low-cut or too tight.) Ditto Chloë, whose wardrobe criteria does not include sex appeal. "I first think about what look I want—either edgy, classic, indie, or mod," she says. "Then I go through designers' current collections and see what best matches with my inspiration."

Even Winter's Bone actress Jennifer Lawrence, who at 20 years old might not get as much flack as Hailee and company would were she to sex it up on the red carpet, still appreciates the opportunity to lay off the double-sided tape and put on a more demure design. "I don't like talking to someone and having them stare at my boobs," she says. "You don't want to be remembered as the sexy one. You want to be remembered as the girl who wears the tasteful dress."

That's definitely the legacy that this group is establishing. In the short time Hailee's been in the public eye, the actress has won over an impressive fan base within the fashion industry. "Hailee is a signature on the red carpet already," Marchesa codesigner Georgina Chapman says. "She has a personal style that's all her own." Adds Prabal Gurung: "Hailee dresses for herself rather than the media. I applaud her." And it's safe to say Miuccia Prada is also a supporter—the designer had Hailee as a front-row guest at her Miu Miu show in Paris in March.

Rodarte's Laura Mulleavy is equally complimentary about Elle Fanning. "Elle is so talented and perfectly embodies someone who is magically connected to the world around her," says the designer, who featured the star in a video inspired by Rodarte's spring collection.

And, should the young sophisticates change their minds, there's still time for femme fatale ensembles down the road. "I just don't think a fourteen-year-old should look sexy," Welch says. "You have time to be the hot girl later in life."