Who

Leigh Lezark is a member of the MisShapes, the raven-haired trio known for party-promoting, DJing, modeling, hiding behind their bangs, and generally exuding hipness.

Backstory

Lezark grew up in Toms River, New Jersey. Thanks to a fake ID, though, she spent most of her teen years in Manhattan where she started clubbing at gay bars and CBGB by the age of 14. Lezark moved to the Lower East Side after high school and was studying photography at Hunter when she met Greg Krelenstein and Geordan Nicol at Don Hill's in 2001. The three soon moved in together, commencing their party-throwing careers with a drunken New Year's Eve party at their apartment fueled by booze they'd stolen from a friend's restaurant. In early 2004, the trio threw the first official MisShapes party at the West Village bar Luke & Leroy. (The party later moved to Don Hill's.) With underage wannabe thrill-seekers dressed in 1980s-inspired duds dancing to retro rock and posing for photo portraits taken in the club's basement (which were uploaded onto the Misshapes website), the group became a downtown fixture in short order thanks to constant coverage from blogs, a profile in the Times and celebrity guest DJs like Hilary Duff and Madonna.

Of note

The trio decided to shutter their regular party in late 2007, but the MisShapes brand appears to be just getting started. In September 2007, MTV Books published a selection of portraits taken at their parties. (Their bouncer, Thomas Onorato, also got a book deal.) They've also appeared in ads for the clothing line Eastpak, and are now rumored to be working on a graphic novel with DC Comics and a fashion line for H&M. Their apparent willingness to market themselves to within an inch of their glamorous lives has come at some cost: Although the deluge of breathless press earned them the adulation of the fashion crowd early on, the trio may be more notable these days for the fierce backlash that followed.

The look

The severe-looking Lezark is known for her solemn, humorless visage in photos, hence her blog nickname "Princess Coldstare." She's also been seized upon as a modern-day fashion icon with the Times' Cathy Horyn comparing her to Edie Sedgwick, although Lezark's dress code consists of little more than black on black with black accessories. And while her trademark is her flat coal-black hair, she's a natural blonde.

Personal

Lezark's dating actor Max Minghella, son of late Cold Mountain director Anthony Minghella. She lives on East 3rd Street with her dachshund Edie.