The matron saint of hipsters, the East Village fixture is as well-known for her proudly avant-garde fashion sense as she is for her edgy film roles.

Born into a well-off family in Darien, a teenage Sevigny was still in high school when she started interning at Sassy magazine and appeared in a Sonic Youth video. In 1994, Jay McInerney profiled her in the New Yorker, anointing her the city's "It girl." A year later, her first movie, the gritty teen drama Kids, made Sevigny an indie icon. She spent the next few years working on unimpeachably hip films and earned an Oscar nomination for her performance as a transman-lover in Boys Don't Cry. Although her career was nearly upended in 2003 with her appearance in The Brown Bunny (in which she gave former flame/director Vincent Gallo an on-camera blowjob), Sevigny's career turned around in 2006 on HBO's polygamist saga Big Love.

Sevigny's fashion sense helped her land her first break, and she's been a style icon ever since. The attention hasn't always been positive: She's been a staple on both "Best Dressed" and "Style Offender" lists for as long as she's been in the public eye. Upper East Siders who want to affect her "hip," "downtown" look can purchase her fashion line at SoHo boutique Opening Ceremony. [Image via Getty]