Mad About Daria

Canadian supermodel Daria Werbowry cements her status as one of the few iconic models of the current generation of girls with a gargantuan 70 page editorial appearance in the February 2012 issue of Paris Vogue. Photographed by Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin in Las Vegas and in Ireland, Werbowry showcases the latest Spring/Summer 2012 fashions in a series of studio and on-location shots set amidst a backdrop of bright casino lights, Elvis impersonators and the stunning desert landscape. The accompanying article on Werbowry pays homage to the versatile, 180 cm tall, model turned sailor, "Daria Body & Soul: five covers, twenty editorials,  seventy pages this month. Eight years of crazy love between Vogue Paris and Daria Werbowry... this time it is far from the runways, the glitter, and the world of fashion that the muse - a little wild - of Lancome finds her balance. Instead she finds herself journeying with shamans, in the middle of the ocean or cut off from the world in her new home in Ireland. A beautiful soul in a pure state."

The Iconic Daria Werbowry
Vogue Paris - February 2012
Photographer - Inez Van Lansweerde & Vinoodh Matadin
Source - the fashionspot.com

Vogue Paris - February 2012
Photographer - Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin
Source - thefashionspot.com

A Matter of Principle

Photographic duo Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin have released a photographic retrospective of their greatest work to date through Taschen, entitled "Pretty Much Everything". The hefty monograph consists of two volumes, featuring 666 photographs from their work for publications including Paris Vogue, V Magazine, various art projects, and from campaigns for the likes of Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent.

Van Lamsweerde and Matadin are well-known for their steadfast loyalty towards a motley crew of models including Kate Moss, Guinevere Van Seenus, Raquel Zimmermann and Daria Werbowry amongst others. Of particular interest is the duo's  policy of not photographing models under the age of 18. In an interview with style.com, the pair outline the reasons behind their age conscious decision.

IVL: We saw this happen to so many models, especially with girls. They start at 14 and everyone says to them "Wow, you're incredible. You're so skinny. You look like a boy." And once that girl is 18 and she is finished growing, all of a sudden it was like, "Oh, she's fat."The poor girl. She's just growing. We felt it was unethical to support that. You get judged anyway and it's not easy. You have to really know who you are first. And at such a tender age - between 14 and 18 - you're figuring out who you are.

Style.com: But also I love seeing these girls like Malgosia who get older and just get better.

IVL: Yeah, more beautiful and more interesting. And as they grow, we grow with them. You never get bored of shooting someone that has made an interesting life for herself. What's exciting for us is when someone is not afraid to be someone else, and it takes character to be able to do that.

With the modelling industry's cast away attitude to last season's faces, I have complete admiration for Van Lamsweerde and Matadin's nurturing and principled approach towards their models. The images featured below from the CFDA Journal, illustrate the duo's ability to magically capture each model as a human being rather than an empty vessel ready to be discarded at whim.

Guinevere Van Seenus

Jamie Bochert

Anne Vyalitsyna

Isabeli Fontana

Doutzen Kroes

Dree Hemingway

Candice Swanepoel

Arizona Muse

Raquel Zimmermann

Freja Beha Erichsen

Anja Rubik

Natasha Poly
CFDA Journal Portraits 2011
Photographer - Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin
Source - inezandvinoodh.tumblr.com

Cover Girls

I've got to say that I am a sucker for a great cover shot. Give me a gorgeous cover with a beautiful model as subject and I will gladly purchase a magazine without even peeking at its content. December 2012 is shaping up to be a particularly festive period, with a  slew of innovative covers featuring models hitting the newsstands. Kate Moss channels David Bowie for Paris Vogue, Karlie Kloss continues her winning streak for French Numéro, newcomer Marique Schimmel goes Indie for the hip Aussie publication Russh and Lindsey Wixson is Muse's December Golden Girl. For me, models and photographers have always played an integral role in fashion magazine's identity. I remember the days when the names of photographers such as Richard Avedon, Patrick Demarchelier, Herb Ritts, Peter Lindbergh, Gilles Bensimon and Steven Meisel were synonymously tied in with specific publications. I stopped purchasing US Harpers Bazaar (post-Liz Tilberis) and W Magazine when the covers began to resemble the latest cover of In Style. These days I anticipate instead, the arrival of the latest issues of publications including Paris and Italia Vogue, French Numéro, Russh and i-D. 

Kate Moss
Paris Vogue - December 2011
Photographer - Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Karlie Kloss
Numéro - Issue 120
Photographer - Greg Kadel
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Marique Schimmel
Russh - December 2011
Photographer - Nick Dorey
Source - models.com

Lindsey Wixson
Muse - Winter 2011
Photographer - Will Davidson
Source - models.com

Tunisian Dream

With the constant influx of new models inundating the fashion industry each season, it's easy to become a little blasé about beauty. Every now and then though, a new face pops up who sends a shock wave through fashion circles. That very girl is twenty-one year old Tunisian, Hanaa Ben Abdesslem. 

One of A Kind Beauty
Photographer - Elena Kechicheva
Source - IMG Models

Hailing from Nabeul, this exotic, androgynous beauty is a true stand out. Measuring at 179 cm, the statuesque Ben Abdesslem made her runway debut in the Vivienne Westwood Spring/Summer 2011 show. Three months later, Ben Abdesslem's modelling options kicked into overdrive with a career defining Jean Sebergesque haircut which garnered her the attention of Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci. Ben Abdesslem landed a Givenchy couture exclusive and has since been photographed by Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin, Knoepfel & Indlekofer and Karim Sadli for Paris Vogue, Terry Richardson for V, Mario Sorrenti for Vogue Italia, and Terry Tsiolis for W.

Whilst some would be quick to pidgeon-hole Ben Abdesslem as a quirky androgynous type, there is no denying however that she possesses a delicate beauty, femininity and elegance which will translate to commercial viability. Lancome cosmetics appears to agree, having signed Ben Abdesslem to join its stable of beauties including Arlenis Sosa and Daria Werbowry, as one of the faces of its Fall/Winter 2011 Visionnaire campaign.

What I find most alluring about Ben Abdesslem is that hers is a beauty that has been untapped and unrepresented in the fashion industry. Aside from Moroccan model Hind Sahli, I am unable to recall any other models of North African descent working in fashion today. In an interview with US Vogue, Ben Abdesslem alludes to the divide between the world of fashion and her cultural background, "...seeking a modelling career has been a dream of mine for a long time. To me, modelling is an expression of freedom, a career choice that goes beyond the barriers of culture and tradition in my country." I for one, am delighted that Ben Abdesslem is fulfilling her dream and hope to see a lot more of this enigmatic beauty in the years to come.

Paris Vogue - March 2011
Photographer - Karim Sadli
Source - models.com

Intermission - December 2011
Photographer - John Scarisbrick
Source - models.com

Photographer - Gilles Zimmermann
Source - thefashionspot.com

Sui He & Hanaa Ben Abdesslem
V Magazine - Issue 74
Photographer - Terry Richardson
Source - models.com

Glamour Girl
Paris Vogue - November 2011
Photographer - Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin
Source - thefashionspot.com

T Magazine - September 2011
Photographer - Danko Steiner
Source - models.com

Vogue Italia - October 2011
Photographer - Mario Sorrenti
Source - thefashionspot.com

Leader of the Pack

Brazilian bombshell Raquel Zimmermann is one of the few models of the current generation who has managed to continually enthral and inspire designers, stylists and photographers through who her uncanny ability to reinvent herself with each and every editorial appearance. Paris Vogue's November 2011 issue features is Zimmermann rocking it out in the latest haute couture finery in front of Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin's lens. Zimmerman literally leaps of the pages in a series of high energy poses and facial expressions whilst bringing a touch of humour to the Emanuelle Alt styled editorial.

The Inimitable Raquel Zimmermann

Raquel Zimmermann
Paris Vogue - November 2011
Photographer - Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin
Source - models.com

In the Mix

W Magazine remodels the seventies with its March 2011 editorial lensed by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. Styled by Alex White, the editorial features a who's who cast of modelling talent including Karolina Kurkova, Adriana Lima, Raquel Zimmerman, Anja Rubik, Hind Sahli, Anna de Rijk, Tasha Tilberg, Crystal Renn, Izabel Goulart, Delfine Bafort and Karlie Kloss, decked out in 70's revivalist fashion by Diane Von Furstenberg, Dolce Gabbana, Chloé, Jean Paul Gaulthier and Roberto Cavalli. It's wonderful to see a mix of newcomers, established names and veteran models like Tilberg and Bafort bringing an element of surprise to this 70's glam-inspired editorial.

Karolina Kurkova

Hind Sahli

Anna de Rijk

Karlie Kloss

Delfine Bafort

Anja Rubik

Tasha Tilberg

Raquel Zimmerman

Izabel Goulart

Crystal Renn

Adriana Lima
W Magazine - March 2011
Photographer - Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin
Source - models.com