Alice Dellal

Alice Dellal

You know the name and you've probably seen the pictures, but who exactly is this quirky model that has dominated the social scene for the past few years?

Well, Alice is the heiress to a Brazilian property tycoon, has reportedly been involved in a cocaine scandal and is loved by the fashion and party world alike.

She could easily have been compared with Paris Hilton, in terms of her heiress status and yet, being the god-daughter of a knight of the realm and a close friend of Princess Caroline of Monaco's children, does tend to give her one over on Paris.

Dellal has modelled on the catwalk and for the high-street, is loved by fashion ed's worldwide and has become something of a phenomenon over the past few years.

So why do we know so little about her? Perhaps that's part of her appeal, like Kate Moss before her, she likes to remain mysterious, so more people ask about her.

She's the face of Mango and Agent Provocateur, both of which are arguably big deals in their own right, so with her face and body plastered everywhere, how can it be she remains so elusive?

That said, even people like Agyness Deyn and Daisy Lowe who are the modern day fashion icons, are quite a mystery when it comes to delving a little deeper about them and their past.

We know their heritage and who they're dating but that's about it, and it's the same with Alice. We know that she is the granddaughter of "Black" Jack Dellal, the Brazilian property tycoon, and that she also stands to inherit his £800 million fortune.

That in itself would make people gasp, but her family too are just as interesting, with her father helping to run the business empire and her mother having the kind of model good looks you could only pray for.

Her godfathers are Mario Testino and Sir Mick Jagger, who are both legends in their own right and she's firm friends with the likes of Lizzie Jagger and Alexa Chung.

Having relocated back to Britain five years ago, she has definitely made her mark on the party and fashion scene and it seems modelling contacts just seem to follow her wherever she goes.

Is she everyone's cup of tea? No, perhaps not but there's no denying we'll be seeing a lot more of Ms Dellal in 2009.