Trunk show 

She's got two Shakespearean films in the works and a CK Calvin Klein Jeans contract. Here, actress Julia Stile tries success on for size. Julia Stiles is practically guaranteed future "It" girl status -- and not just because her name is so easy to use in headlines ("High Stiles," "Stiles of the Times," "Stiles and Substance," "Stiles, You're on Candid Camera!").

Those who missed her recent star turn as Kat, the acerbic high school pariah in 10 Things I Hate About You, may recognize Stiles as the flower child from last winter's NBC miniseries The 60s. Now the long-limbed 18-year-old Manhattan native may be giving Gwyneth Paltrow a run for her money. Stiles is starring in two Shakespeare productions: O (Othello set in a contemporary high school) and Hamlet (opposite Ethan Hawke), both for Miramax. "It's weird -- I just gravitated toward all these Shakespeare projects," says Stiles (10 Things is itself a modern retelling of Taming of the Shrew). "I try not to be intimidated by it."

She is a big fan of actress Parker Posey ("she seems so unself-conscious"), singer Ani DiFranco ("I totally, totally worship her"), The Breakfast Club ("it's more than just a teen flick"), and, these days, fashion. On the following pages she tries on evening clothes from Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, DKNY, Marc Jacobs, Giorgio Armani, Valentino, and Calvin Klein. (Look for her in a CK Calvin Klein Jeans campaign this fall.) "I just love Calvin's stuff," she says. Especially the designer's strapless top and ballroom skirt. "I felt like a queen in that."

Article by Catherine Hong
Originally published in the May 1999 issue of Allure Magazine