An orthodontist's nightmare.
For years our parents have been frivolously spending thousands of dollars on pricey, yet painfully embarrassing, orthodontic contraptions for those of us unfortunate enough to have been born with a mouthful of unruly choppers. But in the past few years, from covers of Vogue to haute couture runways a new discovery has been made: the allure of the gap-toothed bombshell.
The chic gap between the two front teeth on a model is certainly not a new trend; supermodels like Brigitte Bardot and Lauren Hutton have paved the way for newcomers with spacey smiles to grace the fashion scene, but this rediscovered trend may be the beginning of a gap toothed craze. It seems almost impossible to flip through the pages of any magazine and not find at least one; almost every elite modeling agency has made it their mission to sign one of these beauties and they are muses to countless designers. Editor in chief of W magazine, Stefano Tonchi, describes the lust for the gap as a “love for the imperfect, and authentic [...] values that are more and more important for younger generations,” adding that they show “originality [and] authenticity... in a world that is more and more digitally enhanced”. Whatever the justification for the fad, it certainly has heads turning and people talking. Our word of advice? Flash 'em if you got 'em ladies and gentlemen, because in the topsy-turvy world of fashion this season's must is next seasons' faux pas.
Whether you love them, hate them, or wish they would just get braces like the rest of the world, the girls who chose to skip those awkward metal-face days in order to rebel (orthodontically speaking) by showing off their bridge-worthy pearly whites are on the spotlight, and it's paying off!
THE ORIGINAL GAP SMILES:
Brigitte Bardot
D.O.B: September 28, 1934.
ON THE MAP: Paris, France.
NICKNAME: BB.
BIG BREAK: Cover of Elle Magazine [March, 1950].
BEST KNOWN FOR: Film “And God Created Woman” [1958].
FAV. QUOTE: “I am really a cat transformed into a woman… I purr. I scratch. And sometimes, I bite.”
Lauren Hutton
D.O.B: November 17, 1943.
ON THE MAP: South Carolina, U.S.
NICKNAME: Lauren [ full name: Mary Laurence].
BIG BREAK: Playboy Magazine [1963].
BEST KNOWN FOR: Face of Revlon Cosmetics.
FAV. QUOTE: “If the accident of genes has put you in a place where you can be a role model, then be somebody!”
THE NEW GENERATION OF GAPS:
Lara Stone
D.O.B: December 20, 1983.
ON THE MAP: Geldrop, The Netherlands.
NICKNAME: Fashion's It Girl.
BIG BREAK: Vogue Paris Spread [March, 2007].
BEST KNOWN FOR: First modern gap-toothed super model.
FAV. QUOTE: “I figure out what they hate most, then I do lots and lots of that.”
Linsey Wixson
D.O.B: April 11, 1994.
ON THE MAP: Kansas, U.S.
NICKNAME: The pout.
BIG BREAK: Vogue Italia Spread [June, 2009].
BEST KNOWN FOR: “Bee-stung lips” look.
FAV. QUOTE: “Real success is not, like, materialistic. It's being where you want to be when you want to be…”
Georgia Jagger:
D.O.B: January 12, 1992.
ON THE MAP: U.S.
NICKNAME: Jagger.
BIG BREAK: British Vogue cover [November, 2009].
BEST KNOWN FOR: Her "Jagger Swagger".
FAV. QUOTE: “I would always style my mother and tell her, if someone asks you who styled you, say Georgia!”
Jessica Hart:
D.O.B: March 26, 1886.
ON THE MAP: Sydney, Australia.
NICKNAME: Jess.
BIG BREAK: Vogue Australia cover [March, 2008].
BEST KNOWN FOR: Her long legs and athletic physique...and you guessed it. Her teeth.
FAV. MISSION WORK?: Her clothing line, Neon Hart, from which she donates a percentage to charity!
