TEEN SPIRIT
TWO, FOUR, SIX, EIGHT! HERE’S A FALL LOOK WE APPRECIATE. BY LISA MISCHIANTI. PHOTOGRAPHED BY SILJA MAGG. STYLED BY JESSICA BOBINCE

To say she’s a buxom blonde Texan may sound all school spirit and strong-hold hair spray, but It Model Ashley Smith is not your typical Southern Belle. Hailing from a small town, Smith’s rough-around-the-edges, gap-toothed, busty-bodied look gave her some trouble growing up. “Kids are vicious, man,” she recalls of the constant teasing. “They would call me ‘bucktooth’ or say stuff like, ‘How many quarters can you stick in there?’” By the time she was a teenager working the checkout line at the local grocery store, however, Smith had soccer moms telling her she could be a model. A scout from the Foreman agency, who spotted her at SXSW four years ago, agreed. Smith soon landed campaigns for the likes of Balenciaga and Chanel after moving to New York City, and her career only continues to grow. When she’s not modeling, she’s enjoying her new apartment in the East Village, taking acting classes, and spending the majority of her paychecks on dinners out. Smith is also collaborating with RVCA to craft a “Clueless meets Cry-Baby collection for girls who are skipping school to go smoke cigarettes with boys.” But perhaps the coolest thing about Miss Smith is her genuine self-awareness. “I’m not perfect for every job, and that’s OK, because the jobs that I get are my jobs,” she explains. “I prefer to be great at what I’m known for, rather than be nondescript.” Three cheers for that.