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subscribe to style file blog via RSSWatch These Faces (And A Couple More)
October 19, 2009 10:24 am
Style.com’s Top Ten New Models feature went live this morning. But this season, our rundown of the breakout stars from the Spring 2010 runways was harder than ever to finalize, owing to standout performances from so many new faces. And so we’d like to offer honorable mentions to the following girls, who we’ll be looking out for in the coming months.
Ranya Mordanova: The Russian native (pictured far right) used a futuristic bowl cut and bleached eyebrows to her advantage for Fall 2009, ultimately landing the Givenchy campaign. This time around, her unique look stood out at Rodarte, Versace, and Lanvin.
Lindsay Wixson: This Los Angeles native (pictured far left) has a pout you’ll never forget, not to mention the ringing endorsement of Miuccia Prada. (Wixson surprised everyone by opening Prada and closing Miu Miu.) Rumors are swirling that she could be a new Meisel girl.
R’el Dade: Having won the same modeling competition that launched Erin Wasson and Ali Michael to fame, Dallas native Dade netted Christian Dior and Hermès in her runway debut.
Kate Kosushkina: Though Kosushkina walked Marc Jacobs and closed Prada, she was on the bench for most of Paris due to age restrictions. (She’s only 15.) Still, we’re confident we’ll be seeing more from this beauty next season.
Lisanne de Jong: If any country is having a moment, it has to be the Netherlands. Three Dutch babes made our Top Ten list, and their fellow countrywoman de Jong (pictured center) was close behind. She made the cut at Balenciaga before earning the coveted first exit at Miu Miu.
How does our list stack up to yours? Let us know your personal Top Ten in the comments below.
[The Top Ten New Models, Style.com]
tags: Kate Kosushkina, Lindsay Wixson, Lisanne de Jong, R'el Dade, Ranya Mordanova
Cindy Crawford Is A Fan of London Street Style
October 16, 2009 10:25 am
Is holding the title of Supermodel like that of POTUS? Like, you never really lose it? It’s certainly true of Cindy Crawford—clad in drapey, short Alexander Wang—whose super powers commanded the room last night at London’s Almada club to launch the Omega Constellation collection. “I rarely come across the pond,” she said. “But I definitely want to see some sights, visit Frieze—and support George.” That would be Clooney, and the supe did exactly that the night before walking the red carpet in twinned black dresses with the actor’s current girlfriend (and therefore current object of our fascination) Elisabetta Canalis for the Fantastic Mr. Fox premiere.
Crawford attracted an interesting mix: Lily Allen, model Tolula Adeyemi, Spice Girl Melanie Brown with husband Stephen Belafonte, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Rhys Ifans, Jasmine Guinness, Piers Morgan, former Queen drummer Roger Taylor, Ben Grimes, Marina Hanbury, and Matthew Mellon’s ex Noelle Reno. As if Crawford’s physical presence wasn’t enough, the room was dominated by massive screens flickering with images of the model. But she was more down-to-earth than her celluloid counterpart and happy to chat. “There’s a vibe in London,” she said en route to a private dinner hosted by Clooney. “[There’s] fantastic people-watching. I like to see what everyone is wearing, how they accessorize. For that alone it’s worth it to come.” In that case, see you next year at LFW? Crawford responded with a laugh, “Don’t count me out yet.”
tags: Cindy Crawford, Elisabetta Canalis, George Clooney, Lily Allen
Yea, Nay, or Eh: Miranda Kerr’s New Edge
October 14, 2009 12:44 pm
Is it just us, or is Miranda Kerr dispensing with her sweet bombshell look in favor of experimenting with a somewhat edgier wardrobe? Kerr may have taken just one turn on the Balenciaga runway, but perhaps that’s all it takes to shift a sensibility. At any rate, the bouncy curls have been slicked down, and while she is showing a fair amount of leg, they’re shod in a rather mannish flat cowboy bootie. Word has it that Nicolas Ghesquière’s campaign will feature Kasia Struss and three other lesser-known models, none of which are Kerr. Perhaps she’s simply angling for another major Paris casting. Whatever the reason, we’re loving this playing-against-type evolution. What do you think of Kerr’s less sunshine-y look? Will it help this angel lose her wings to land in more high-fashion shows?
tags: Balenciaga, Miranda Kerr
Yea, Nay, or Eh: Irina Lazareanu, Candy Striper
October 8, 2009 4:51 pm
Model-slash-chanteuse Irina Lazareanu stood out at last night’s party for Gaia Repossi and Eugenie Niarchos’ new jewelry collection, where the uniform seemed to be some incarnation of black, often very short and tight. Lazareanu’s candy-striped satin dress worn with pearls and a funny little bejeweled vintage hat had a sort of ladylike eclecticism not often seen in these parts. But Lazareanu kept the look fresh with her cropped ‘do and boyish blazer. What do you think of Lazareanu’s break from the pack?
tags: Irina Lazareanu
A Day In The Life Of: Aminata Niaria, Rising Star Model
October 2, 2009 7:33 pm
It was Alber Elbaz who discovered Aminata Niaria almost three years ago. Now, the Senegalese beauty is something of a Paris darling. We asked her to chronicle her packed day of racing around to castings, shows, and, of course, parties. Here’s what Aminata did yesterday.
Thursday, October 1
8:40 a.m. I’m en route to my first show, Hiroko Koshino. I have a nice, brisk walk there to wake me up!
9 a.m. I arrive at the Carrousel du Louvre. I am lucky enough to get a mani-pedi and a massage backstage before the show. Great start to the day!
10:30 a.m. I go into hair and makeup, which I love. Phophie Mathias is doing my makeup. Very cool.
1:05 p.m. The show is up! I have to run off to my fitting at Véronique Leroy at 2 p.m.
1:30 p.m. I arrive a half hour ahead of my scheduled fitting, hoping they can take me early so I can get everything done today. Fingers crossed I won’t have to wait…
3:25 p.m. Arrive for my Stella McCartney casting with James Scully, who is working on the show. It took forever to get here! You can definitely tell it’s fashion week in Paris. There’s so much traffic, people, and action!
4 p.m. Out of the casting with a lot of missed calls from IMG! I’ve got to run run run to Rick Owens!
4:20 p.m. Arrive at Les Beaux-Arts de Paris and head straight into show rehearsal. Then on to makeup, which is a really clean and sharp look. I love it and will get some tips on how to do it myself.
5:30 p.m. Retouching and some backstage photos. I see Rick Owens and we have a photo together! His work is very strong and captivating—I just love it.
6:10 p.m. The show has just finished a bit late and I’m running behind for the next. I’m off to A.F. Vandevorst. Got to run to the Musée de l’Homme!
8 p.m. Leaving A.F. Vandervorst for a quick fitting at Issey Miyake.
10 p.m. I run home for a quick change so I can stop by the Vogue Covers 1920-2009 soirée at the Hôtel de Crillon. I wear a BCBG Max Azria dress and grab a Swarovski clutch.
10:30 p.m. Arrive at the party fashionably late. I am very excited to speak with some of the people who I meet briefly in castings—Carine Roitfeld, Patti Wilson. There are so many wonderful personalities here. Unfortunately I can’t stay long. I have a 7 a.m. call time for Issey Miyake.
11:10 p.m. Turning the lights out. My day is finished. Off to get some beauty sleep for tomorrow is a new day! Au revoir!
tags: A Day In The Life Of, Alber Elbaz, Aminata Niaria, Phophie Mathias, Rick Owens, Veronique Leroy
Balenciaga’s Secret: Yes, That’s Miranda Kerr
October 2, 2009 10:20 am
Who doesn’t love a bit of a casting surprise to add yet another layer of excitement to a show? If yesterday at Balenciaga is any evidence, tossing a bodacious Victoria’s Secret girl into the lean and edgy model mix is on its way to becoming a thing. I had heard through the tweet-vine that Miranda Kerr was in the show, but I had a heck of a time finding her. That’s Kerr above in look 13, next to a shot of her in her natural perky state. Many likened Kerr’s appearance to that of another member of the smoking-hot Victoria’s Secret club: Adriana Lima, who walked last season in Givenchy. Lima then ended up scoring a spot in the campaign. Will Kerr follow Jennifer Connelly as Balenciaga’s Spring face? Only time and creative directors will tell.
tags: Balenciaga, Givenchy, Miranda Kerr, Victoria's Secret
Opened And Closed: The Scorecard So Far…
September 30, 2009 10:19 am
First girl out. Grand finale. As we know, in the theater of the runway, those are the starring roles. This season, four girls stood out by taking them most often: new favorite Abbey Lee; veteran Natasha Poly; tiny-named, 15-year-old (!) Jac; and elegant Iris Strubegger. Of course, snagging both is quite the coup, particularly for a major show. Abbey Lee, for one, scored in Milan both opening and closing Fendi and Versace. This seems like a good spot for honorable model mentions beyond this quartet, like Karmen Pedaru, who bookended Narciso Rodriguez’s show. Also of note: fresh face Mirte Maas, who opened Alexander Wang and Donna Karan; Anastasia Kuznetsova, who opened four shows, including Rodarte and 3.1 Phillip Lim; Lindsey Wixson, who also opened four shows, including Prada; and Alla Kostromicheva, who opened three shows, including Jil Sander and Thakoon. As the first day of Paris fashion week gets under way today, we’ll be keeping score. For now, here’s a detailed breakdown of the winners’ circle.
Abbey Lee
Opened: D&G, Matthew Williamson, Twenty8Twelve
Closed: Badgley Mischka, Burberry Prorsum
Both: Fendi, Versace
Natasha Poly
Opened: Carolina Herrera, Gucci, Tommy Hilfiger
Closed: Blumarine, Emilio Pucci, Michael Kors
Both: Altuzarra, Anna Sui
Jac
Opened: Bottega Veneta, Calvin Klein Collection, Derek Lam, Marni,
Emilio Pucci
Closed: Alexander Wang
Both: Etro
Iris Strubegger
Opened: Aquilano.Rimondi, Dolce & Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta
Closed: Alberta Ferretti, Bottega Veneta, Isaac Mizrahi
Both: Zero + Maria Cornejo
tags: Abbey Lee, Iris Strubegger, Jac, Karmen Pedaru, Natasha Poly
Yea, Nay, Or Eh: Super Coordinated
September 25, 2009 6:04 pm
As we mentioned yesterday, Naomi Campbell, Eva Herzigova, and Claudia Schiffer hit Milan’s department store La Rinascente earlier this evening to celebrate the launch of D&G’s new fragrance Anthology. Though they’re not wearing a stitch in the campaign, for this occasion, this trio of über-models dressed themselves in matchy-matchy looks of black jackets, white tees, black pumps, and a dash of distressed denim. Of the three, we’re partial to Eva’s adorable slashed cigarette jeans. (If we had her legs, that’s all we’d wear.) But we kind of love this picture as a whole. The visually calculated supermodel moment has a whiff of their nineties heyday. It might come off as reaching for past glory if they didn’t look so inhumanly fantastic, but the fact remains that they do. What do you think of the super-coordination? Please discuss.
tags: Claudia Schiffer, D&G, Eva Herzigova, Milan Fashion Week, Naomi Campbell
La Serenissima: Daria On Modeling 2.0
September 25, 2009 2:30 pm
We arrived at Stefanel’s 50th Anniversary party hosted by Mario Testino and Daria Werbowy just as the photographer had slipped away to the Prada show. But the sublime model was still in the house and in fine, friendly form. In fact, Werbowy was possibly the most relaxed person amid the crowd of nervous fashion week faces with tight schedules. “I hardly do shows anymore,” she explained. “I’m on to the next step of my career.” But she mused on the biannual month-long, four-city runway frenzy, “It’s a strange life when you are in that scene. Everything is a rush for four very intense weeks of the year and suddenly you get back to your real life, and by comparison it suddenly looks empty.” Hmm…something to think about as we round the bend of week three.
tags: Daria Werbowy, Mario Testino, Milan Fashion Week, Stefanel
Frankie Rayder Takes A Turn
September 10, 2009 10:24 am
Is Alexander Wang a magnet for supes? The likes of Trish Goff, Tasha Tilberg, and Natasa Vojnovic stepped out for his Fall ‘09 show, and we hear that the designer has nabbed Frankie Rayder for his Spring ‘10 performance this Saturday. With the exception of appearances at Michael Kors last season and Givenchy a year ago, the Wisconsin beauty and better half to Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers has been mostly retired from the runway scene. We can’t help but wonder if lil’ sis Missy is behind this one—she starred in Wang’s Spring lookbook, after all.
tags: Alexander Wang, Frankie Rayder, Givenchy, Michael Kors, Natasa Vojnovic, Tasha Tilberg, Trish Goff
