With only four -and -a -half weeks to cast the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls, the casting directors looked to a fresh-faced actress, college student, and former model with only one uncredited role on her réesumée., Alexis Bledel was their first choice for the leading role of Rory for casting directors—Despite being sick at the time of her audition!, Casting dDirector Jill Anthony told Vanity Fair, “Luckily, we had videotaped one of her early auditions. We popped that in, and they saw her on camera, and she just jumped off the screen, you know. Those blue eyes.” Lorelai Gilmore actress Lauren Graham agreed about this not-so-typical teen. She said, “In Rory, you have an exceptionally intelligent girl who cares about academics. Perhaps, as an idea, that feels risky on network television, like, ‘Oh, maybe we’ll alienate the young women who aren’t interested in reading the way Rory is. Maybe we need to give them a sexier character.’ Anything you read about it then was, like, ‘What an unusual role model Rory is!’ And I thought, ‘Isn’t that the best one?’ If you’re a parent and your kid responds to this girl, that’s only a positive thing.” Fans embraced Rory as a smart—and smartly dressed—teenager, and the unusual combination of this young mother-daughter duo, earning Gilmore Girls praise across the globe, critical acclaim, a spot -on Time Magazine’s “Best TV Shows of All-TIME,” and the #12 ranking on Empire’s “The 100 Best TV Shows of All Time” list in 2021.

Ready for the Ivy League? An ode to Rory’s penchant for argyle, this vest—constructed in the round from the bottom up— knits up quickly in worsted weight. Constructed in the round from the bottom up, steeks allow for the stranded colorwork to be knit in the round for ease. Once the body is complete, the arm and neck holes are cut and stitches are picked up for the finishing ribbing. You’ll be the head of the class in this preppy, classic wardrobe staple.