Brynn Wallner has her finger on the pulse of what’s trendy, yet classic. Her creation of Dimepiece, a femme-forward resource for anyone who might be into watches, has young women everywhere fiending for some arm candy of their own. “Wearing a high-end analog watch in 2024 is purely a luxury.” When smartphones came around, watches became unnecessary, making the allure of having a really beautiful one even more potent. “Younger people want in—whether they’re trying to flex or something more symbolic, or both. Watches can be beautifully symbolic, whether it’s a piece passed down to you from family or one you bought yourself to commemorate something important.”

Making a name for herself as a New York-based internet It Girl, Wallner modeled the new Première Sound from Chanel—a necklace featuring a watch and the unexpected, trendy choice of wired headphones. The original Première watch was created in ‘87 and has remained timeless. “I want to be a part of what is to come,” Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel once said. Her eponymous maison has done just that by marrying the aspirational luxury of a watch and the rise of wired headphones as a fashion statement.

For the last few years, I’ve been documenting the rise of hot girls wearing wired headphones as a chic accessory on my Instagram account @wireditgirls. Shining a spotlight on It Girls like Bella Hadid and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen who’ve been instrumental in reviving the humble wire, turning it into an “unbothered” statement. They wear The Row, meaning they can afford AirPods, yet they reach for the classic wired version: effortless, chic, fit for the girl on the go. For Chanel, Lily-Rose Depp and Lana Del Rey were the obvious choices to model the three-in-one piece. “The fact that Lana got involved with this is a big deal… She doesn’t seem to subscribe to the branded nonsense that celebs of her caliber do,” Wallner says. “She wears, like, LoveShackFancy and shoes you can buy at Walmart. With Chanel, though, she said yes to heaven.” 

Her endorsement begs the question: What makes an “It Girl?” Is it something they’re born with or something they can learn? According to Wallner, “Either you’ve got it, or you don’t! The second one starts trying to achieve the elusive “it”, it’s over. A good litmus test for this is… If the party ends when she leaves, she’s an it-girl.” There’s one definitive trait they all have in common – an element of mystery that leaves us wanting more. This intangible je ne sais quoi makes them effortlessly cool. Their life feels just out of reach but something to always aspire towards. If you catch a glimpse of a chic girl on the streets of NY or LA with her Chanel wires in, ask her if she knows the time. She probably won’t have anything playing through the wires and she’ll ignore you anyway… but she’ll be so satisfied that you asked.

Shelby Hull: I feel like you’re an it-girl and people refer to you as one, especially in the watch community and New York scene, do you think it-girls are born or made? And what do you think makes an it-girl?

Brynn Wallner: Either you’ve got it, or you don’t! The second one starts trying to achieve the elusive “it”, it’s over. A good litmus test for this is… If the party ends when she leaves, she’s an it-girl. I’ve been called an it-girl, but I don’t think I am (being the “it girl” of the watch world does not count for reasons I don’t care to get into). I have some of the ingredients, but the recipe is not quite there… 

SH: As a New York it girl, do you think New York is still cool? What are the spots that you like to go to? Which is cooler, LA or NY? 

BW: New York City will always be cool, even though Chase Bank has replaced the Coffee Shop and there’s a Sweetgreen on the Bowery. It’s cool because you can walk everywhere, and that mobility generates a sort of magic spontaneity that you cannot get in LA. But, you have to pay attention. If you’re constantly looking down at your phone at a restaurant, on the subway, cruising down the street, that’s just as isolating as driving in your car alone in Los Angeles (although I looooove to drive in LA alone at night). If you open yourself to NY’s “cool”, it will present itself, even if it’s in the tiniest, most everyday details like running into an old friend on the street. 

LA is cool too, obviously. I lived there for five years after graduating college and it was the perfect place to live in my early 20s (when I was still partying). It’s easier to tap the energy and light that made it a destination for filmmaking, which I really understood after reading David Lynch’s small essay “Los Angeles” from Catching the Big Fish (one dreamy day, I copied the essay onto cardboard with a sharpie in huge letters and hung up in the room of my West Hollywood apartment that had a Melrose Place-style pool). In LA, you only need a little extra money and a car to indulge in the fantasy that it sells—you can eat spaghetti bolognese at the Polo Lounge, swim in the sparkling ocean in Malibu, drive to Palm Springs, eat a big slice of chocolate cake at Mel’s diner… 

SH: Do you use wires or airpods?

BW: I love long phone calls with friends and family, and I always take them while multitasking. (I’m doing laundry right now as we speak, Shelby!) I just can’t do this as seamlessly with wires, plus the wires electrically shock me in the winter when I’m walking and they rub against my jacket. The airpods might be killing my brain cells but they’re just more practical for my lifestyle…

SH: Who do we want to see wearing this Chanel Premiere Sound piece? 

BW: I don’t know, I mean they really hit the nail on the head with Lana del Rey and Lily-Rose Depp. I really feel like I was the target audience for this. The fact that Lana got involved with this is a big deal… She doesn’t seem to subscribe to the branded nonsense that celebs of her caliber do. She wears, like, LoveShackFancy and shoes you can buy at Walmart. With Chanel, though, she said yes to heaven. 

SH: Watches have always been somewhat of a status symbol but a whole new generation is into watches now thanks to you and dimepiece—what has that done for the watch industry? If people want to purchase a watch but don’t know where to start or perhaps own a watch already but want to start a little collection, where’s a good place to start? What do you recommend?

BW: Wearing a high-end analog watch in 2024 is purely a luxury—when smartphones came around, their necessity dropped and, despite what watch people say, they’ve become an accessory. And younger people want in, whether they’re trying to flex or something more symbolic (or both). Watches can be beautifully symbolic, whether it’s a piece passed down to you from family or something you bought yourself to commemorate something important. And sometimes it’s not even that deep. Seeing Bella Hadid wear her Cartier Panthère at, like, the beach… You can see how casual and cool they look. Plus, a watch is a cherry on top to an outfit. As soon as you put a nicer one on, you immediately feel more put together. 

SH: What is the it-girl watch to you? 

BW: The Cartier Panthère. I’ve been saying this since 2020, but I still think it’s valid. Everyone from Madonna to Gwyneth Paltrow to Rihanna to Bella Hadid has worn it. It’s flirty and jewelry-forward, but casual enough that it can withstand the occupational hazards of partying until 4am. 

SH: You’ve mentioned your love of Sofia Coppola and Lana Del Rey so I must know, who is your ultimate it girl?

BW: I’m sure a lot of people would agree with me (including the front cover of NY Mag) when I say Chloe Sevigny! Her look, her attitude… We know she’s an actress, but another essential “it girl” quality is you never know exactly what they do [laughs]. She’s everything, everywhere all at once.

This story appears in the pages of V151: now available for purchase!

Photography Charles Billot

Fashion Liv Vitale