Frances Bean Cobain: Fashion's timely muse

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Frances Bean Cobain: Fashion's timely muse

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Top photographers make daughter of late Kurt Cobain their stylized subject.

24 August,2011 08:55 am

It was bound to happen: her DNA demanded it. Frances Bean Cobain, who turned 19 on Aug. 18, has traversed the path of other rock star progeny to become a bona fide muse to the fashion world.The scion of 90s music icons Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain, she already is one of music historys most famous heirs apparent, and is both the literal and symbolic daughter of grunge. As Cobain turns 19, and the music, fashion, and lifestyle era she was born of turns 20 next month, a new wave of interest surrounds both these personal and musical milestones.Be it coincidence or fate, Cobain has formally arrived as major part of the cultural dialogue. As confirmation, two of the most admired photographers in fashion ostensibly presaged (and ratified) the occasion this month: both Hedi Slimane and Rocky Schenck have released private (yet instantly publicized) shoots of the girl as she comes of age, leading the image-making industry to happily declare her its latest sensation. But what does fashion really want from Miss Cobain — and what does she want from fashion.Its crucial to remember that Cobain is not your typical Generation Y navel gazer. Though Courtney Love runs a Tumblr that curates her daily wardrobe escapades and initiates Twitter flame wars, her daughter chooses to maintain a low profile, living life largely off the digital grid. She eschews the spotlight, rarely accepting interviews, and only occasionally crosses the medias radar with a well-timed appearance or personal creative project. Last year, she curated an art installation called Scumf--k that was a clandestine affair but succeeded on its own terms.Resultantly, a flicker of interest flared in the darker corners of the fashion blogosphere. But a breakout moment was yet to be made.