SHE is a city girl who will only leave it for a good reason at the weekend. Holidays are taken in Val D'Isere and Monaco, with other free time spent at the races, charity parties, or sipping cocktails in the trendiest of bars.

She may be one of a dying breed in London, but it appears she is flourishing north of the border. She is the Scottish It-girl.

Caledonia magazine this week rolls out its list of 13 glamorous socialites with a tartan tinge. Like their southern cousins, the Scottish It-girls are life-of-the party young women, always on the A-list of top parties organised by the wealthy, famous, or blue-blooded elite.

The current It-queen in London is Lady Victoria Hervey, an aristocrat who snatched the crown from original It-girl Tara Palmer-Tomkinson.

Many of the attributes of the classic London It-girls are shared in Scotland.

However, Caledonia magazine says that while Scottish It-girls may shop in similar stores, holiday in the same places, and attend similar events, in Scotland they have ''a certain quality that makes them stand out''.

Morag McKinnon, assistant editor at Caledonia, said yesterday: ''It-girls are alive and kicking in Scotland, but with a difference. The ones we spoke to are not just glamorous socialites, but they are also talented, bright, and hard-working as models, party planners, or students.''

However, of the list of 13 Scottish It-girls, aged 18 to 31, only one is immediately recognisable - Sarah Heaney, 29, the Scottish Television newscaster.

Another entrant, Terri Seymour, 27, the new hostess of Scottish Television's Wheel of Fortune, will no doubt become equally recognisable.

The rest are an assortment: fashion buyer, model, advertising executive, hair-stylist, event organiser and four students.

Chloe Oakshett, 23, may be a wine student, but there is nothing student-like about her lifestyle. Weekends are spent with boyfriend Tom, either sipping champagne while watching his horse race or jetting off to their house in the south of France.

Miss Oakshett, who has lived in Uruguay, London, and Japan before studying philosophy and English at Edinburgh University, is currently taking exams to become a wine adviser.

''I do like the finer things in life, but I am aware of what poverty and hardship can do to people,'' she said.

Among the other It-girls is Cosima Sempill, 18, an art student in Glasgow whose great-great-grandfather was Glasgow Boy Sir John Lavery; Sarah Davidson, 26, fashion buyer, whose mother owns one of Scotland's leading boutiques, Jane Davidson in Edinburgh; and Polly MacLehose, an advertising executive in London, whose mother is Chris Klein, the Scottish designer.

Others on the list are Caroline Lee, 20, art history student, Edinburgh University; Elaine Mitchell, 31, hair stylist, Glasgow; Sarah Parker, event organiser, Edinburgh; Paula Rabbitt, 24, fashion co-ordinator, Edinburgh; Ellie Reid, 24, fashion sponsorship, Edinburgh; Amy Rewcastle, 19, model, Glasgow; and Char Watson, 20, student, Edinburgh.

The It-girls list follows an article in Caledonia on Scotland's most eligible bachelors which included Cal Macininch, actor; Rory James Duff, 22, investment banker and laird; Dougie Walker, 27, the athlete; Tony Connetta, 27, boss of Di Maggios restaurant chain; Hugh Craigie Halket, 32, a boss of IT firm Vestech; Dave Hathway, 29, a client manager and Ian McInroy, 22, rugby player.

Caledonia also has given key features to help identify an It-girl in her natural habitat. Scotland's top bachelors need look no further than top bars Corinthian and Groucho St Judes for cocktails, or eateries such as the new Gordon Ramsay restaurant Amaryllis in Glasgow and Martin Wishart's restaurant in Leith.

But if you want to take these It-girls on a date then be warned: their idea of a good day out is to go to Wimbledon, Ascot, Murrayfield, Hamilton Park or Perth races, fashion shows and charity bashes.

On the streets of Glasgow yesterday, there was slight bemusement at the list. Leanne Hutchison, 18, from Kirkintilloch, said: ''They may think that they are It-girls but I've never heard of them. If you want to be an It-girl you have to be on TV. If you are not on TV, how are people going to know who you are?''

Lisa Cooper, 20 from Aberdeen, said: ''Have these people just been picked off the street?'' while Francesca Clark, 20 from Ralston, near Paisley, said: ''I've not really heard of any of them apart from Sarah Heaney.''

Over to Ms Heaney for the last word. Her manager, David Warwick, said yesterday: ''Sarah works for a living and where she reached is by her own talent and efforts.

''She's less of an It-girl than anyone I can think of.''

You must get noticed

LADY Victoria Hervey may have packs of paparrazzi snapping her every move, but what does it actually take to be an It-girl?

Number one, make sure you get noticed. Being an It-girl depends on fame, and fame depends on how many people know you. Every arrival should turn heads, like Audrey Hepburn's final entrance in My Fair Lady.

Stay in the city. The best parties are in the cities at weekends, so leave only if you must. Ascot and weddings on country estates are acceptable.

Working (if daddy threatens to cut your allowance) should be used as an opportunity to increase your publicity. Design, fashion, and modelling have ample opportunities for mingling with the great and good, but the celebrity column remains the holy grail of It-dom. Think Tara: think the Sunday Times. But remember, do not work too hard.

Shopping remains an imperative for It-status. Money should be spent with abandon and owning more shoes than Imelda Marcos is to be applauded. Never shop in Marks and Spencer, apart for underwear.

Eat and drink at least four or five days a week, as long as you are not in a rehab clinic.

And when you have enough of it all, make sure you get away somewhere exclusive.