Years active: 1853-1903.
Known for: Marrying William Backhouse Astor Jr.
Net worth: $5 million.
Thanks to the money her family already had, Caroline Astor had plenty of freedom compared to women of the day. After marrying William Backhouse Astor Jr., she suddenly had the money, the clout, and the knowledge – her father had paid top dollar for Caroline’s education – to do what she wanted.
Her place in high society grew so powerful that it was only at her word that the Vanderbilts were allowed entry into that same high society – which she did begrudgingly. They were new money, after all.
Dina Merrill
Years active: 1945-2009.
Known for: daughter of Post Cereals heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post.
Net worth: $5 billion.
Dina Merrill will likely turn out to be the richest It Girl on the list, thanks to a nearly unbelievable fortune that will pop your eyes right out of your head even in today's money. From her birth in 1924 to her death at the age of ninety-three, she never wanted for anything, being the only child of a rich heiress.
Her life of luxury led her to an acting career, where she would use her famous beauty and relentless charm to star opposite actresses like Elizabeth Taylor.
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Years active: 1934-1998.
Known for: Moulin Rouge (1952), extravagant lifestyle.
Net worth: $40 million.
This Budapest-born actress made her mark in the movie industry starting in the fifties, but she was much better-known because of her high spending, beauty, and her off-screen antics. Her undeniable good looks and electric persona led her to be married almost ten times, including once to Conrad Hilton Jr., heir of the Hilton hotels fortune.
In a perfect display of everything that is Zsa Zsa Gabor, she once said: “I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house.”
Grace Jones
Years Active: 1970-2000.
Known for: model, singer, actress.
Net worth: $7 million
Grace Jones was the It Girl who broke the mold. Like many on this list, she got her start as a model, and thanks to her unique masculine look, she got people to notice. However, she would then move on to music and release three albums during the seventies.
Her avant-garde concerts garnered her more attention, but she wasn't about to let her star fall. She jumped into acting, and a talent for on-screen performances combined with her big name and striking looks landed her roles next to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Christopher Walken, and Halle Berry.
Tinsley Mortimer
Years active: 2000s.
Known for: Socialite, a descendant of Thomas Jefferson, fashion designer, actress.
Net worth: $35 million.
Tinsley Mortimer's face is a common sight around New York City. She hosted benefits, sat on committees, and even claimed to be descended from the closest thing the United States has to royalty, Thomas Jefferson. A brief scandal struck when rumors about Mortimer's father, who may or may not have been a simple rug salesman. The horror.
Mortimer married an oil heir, got her own reality show, had a bag line from Samantha Thavasa, had a cameo on " Gossip Girl", and was arrested in 2016 for trespassing on the property of sugar scion Alexander “Nico” Fanjul, with whom Mortimer had a rocky relationship.