Welcome to Planet Suri, where the other inhabitants are, of course, her A-list parents Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. And the truth is that on this planet Suri is not just a little princess being doted on by her parents. In accordance with the doctrine of the Church of Scientology — of which her parents are devoted followers — she is apparently treated as an adult, free to make decisions on her clothes, make-up and diet.
A sunny day in Beverly Hills and in a beautifully manicured garden a little girl is celebrating her fifth birthday. She sits at the head of the table, dressed in her favourite turquoise sunglasses and a pretty pink dress. Nothing out of the ordinary, then. Except that while she unwraps a doll, the guests have to shout over the whirring of helicopters above. Because this is no ordinary five-year-old — this is Suri Cruise, and the helicopters contain paparazzi desperate to get a shot of the little girl who is surely becoming the most photographed child in the world.
There’s no doubt that Suri is adorable, with a long curtain of conker-brown hair and the most bewitching slanted green eyes. But here the comparisons with most other children of her age end. Her taste in clothes runs to £1,300 Dolce & Gabbana trench coats and £500 miniature Marc Jacobs heels. She’s been credited — and blamed — for sparking a multi-million-pound mania for putting pampered kids in designer labels. Thanks to a serious shopping habit that has been indulged ever since she was a toddler, her wardrobe is said to be worth £2 million. Little Suri has been wearing make-up for two years and was spotted earlier this year making selections at beauty chain Sephora in New York.
She favours pink lipstick for daytime and a dramatic slash of red at night. She also has her own designer bags to carry her books and cuddly toys — she has a smaller version of her mother’s Ferragamo Sofia bag, for instance, and often carries her very own £11,000 Hermes handbag. Little Miss Cruise even has such decisive views about her outfits that she has never been seen in trousers. And why shouldn’t she? Her father Tom, who was 43 when Suri was born, calls her his ‘fountain of youth’ and is clearly happy to spoil her rotten. ‘She likes to dress herself and wears whatever she wants,’ says Tom. ‘I’m not gonna tell her different.’
