sports illustrated: Watch this Face

It is rare that I come across a new face that truly engages and moves me. This was the case when I discovered Kelly Mittendorf's pictures recently and I have not been able to get her out of my consciousness ever since. Initially scouted at the age of eleven at her local swimming pool in Arizona, Mittendorf put modelling on hold to focus on her studies. Mittendorf has been modelling now for just over a year, having graduated as a high school honour student with a 4.3 GPA.

Represented by Marilyn Model Management in New York and standing at 178 cm, Mittendorf has a face and presence that is impossible to forget. Mittendorf's chiselled, square jaw-line and impossibly high cheek bones are off set by wide set, feline-like eyes. Mittendorf has an incredibly expressive face and emotional range, alternating in an instant from an intensely hypnotic gaze to that of a free-spirited gamine. I also adore the distinct scar on Mittendorf's forehead and her infectious smile which is made all the more endearing by the gap between her front teeth. To me it is the sum of all of these imperfections which make Mittendorf memorable. I will be keeping a close eye on Mittendorf at the upcoming Spring/Summer shows in September and so should you.