A Fine Line

Was it only a year ago that Karl Lagerfeld's artful imagery set a new standard for the traditionally risqué Pirelli calendar? This year Pirelli returns to its provocative roots, enlisting the talents of photographer Mario Sorrenti, who is well-known for creating sensual images for Paris Vogue, V Magazine and Purple. Amongst this year's alumni are models Kate Moss, Lara Stone, Joan Smalls, Isabeli Fontana, Saskia de Brauw, Malgolsia Bela, Edita Vilkevicuite, Natasha Poly, and Guinevere Van Seenus. Actresses Rinko Kikuchi, Magareth Made and Milla Jovovich also disrobe for Sorrenti amongst the beautiful remote landscape of Murtoli in Corsica. 

Of his approach for the Pirelli shoot, Sorrenti reveals to WWD, "You know, originally, I was going to do very sexy pictures, and when we got there I realised that I didn't want the pictures to be sexy at all... I didn't want them to be posing and arching and like sticking their boobs in my face or anything like that." Sorrenti, a former model himself, explains his approach to nudity in an interview with Glenn O'Brien at the Pirelli calendar press release, "I always thought about taking off clothes as a way of getting closer to the individual and the person, and of getting something that was more honest and pure."   

Joan Smalls

Joan Smalls

Edita Vilkevicuite

Lara Stone

Saskia de Brauw

Isabeli Fontana

Guinevere Van Seenus

Saskia de Brauw

Edita Vilkevicuite

Isabeli Fontana

Rinko Kikuchi

Natasha Poly

Kate Moss

Guinevere Van Seenus

Malgosia Bela
Photographer - Mario Sorrenti
Source - fashionista.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

The Future is Here

French model Aymeline Valade has emerged as this season's most coveted newcomer landing three  Fall/Winter campaigns for Kenzo, Just Cavalli and Etro photographed by Mario Sorrenti, Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, and Mario Testino respectively. At age twenty six, Valade's success may come as a surprise to many given that most newcomers are barely shy of their teens. Valade's breakthrough occurred during the Fall/Winter 2011 collections in New York when Alexander Wang selected her to open his show. What followed was a deluge of runway bookings in Milan and Paris for the likes of Gucci, Chanel, Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton for which she closed. Valade has since made an indelible mark editorial-wise in blue chip publications including W, Interview, Numero, the Journal, i-D Magazine and German Vogue.

Valade along with Arizona Muse and Saskia de Brauw represent a shift in modelling's aesthetic toward models with life experience, a defined sense of self and purpose, and above all with personality. More than just a pretty face, Valade is an inquisitive woman who is clearly at one with her body, having trained for years in classical ballet. Valade details in an interview with the Cut that "I was scouted multiple times at multiple ages, but due to school and lack of interest I never pursued it. When I was 23, I went to Paris and was interning at a communications agency. Every day I passed by an agency and they scouted me. I did a few jobs with them but left after my internship was over. I eventually signed with Women Paris when my old agent from the agency became my manager and the rest is history."

Valade's striking individual looks are accentuated by an insightful mind and serene nature, adding in the interview with the Cut that "Happiness is a state. It is not something you think about, but something you are. The best thing to do is to just enjoy every situation as much as you can, the less you think about it, the better." Valade to me represents a backlash against the past few years of android-like pre-pubescent models predominantly from Eastern European block countries. Valade possesses the looks and personality to inspire photographers and designers to allow models to project their own personality onto the runway and editorial pages.

A new era of Supermodel
The Journal - S/S 2011
Photographer - Hugh Lippe
Source - models.com

German Vogue - May 2011
Photographer - Greg Kadel
Source - models.com

Arizona Muse & Aymeline Valade
W Magazine - March 2011
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - thefashionspot.com

German Vogue - May 2011
Photographer - Greg Kadel
Source - models.com

Aymeline Valade & Alla Kostromichova
i-D Magazine - April 2011
Photographer - Josh Olins
Source - models.com

  

Aymeline Valade & Clement Chabernaud
Kenzo - F/W 2011
Photographer - Mario Sorrenti
Source - models.com

Aymeline Valade & Andres Risso
Etro - F/W 2011
Photographer - Mario Testino
Source -  models.com

Aymeline Valade & Stelios Niakaris
Just Cavalli - F/W 2011
Photographer - Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
Source - models.com

Alexander Wang - S/S 2011
Photographer - Craig McDean
Source - thefashionspot.com

Pretty Baby

Baby faced Dutch model Anna de Rijk transforms for Harpers Bazaar Spain in a punk meets surfer inspired editorial. Posing for photographer Txema Yeste, de Rijk is clearly making the transition into womanhood and looks utterly convincing in fringed denim and leather ensembles embellished with studs, held together by a ricochet of safety pins. With slicked back, jet black hair and charcoal-lined eye make up accentuating her piercing baby blues, de Rijk looks menacingly beautiful.

Represented by DNA Models in New York, twenty three year old de Rijk has been modelling since 2006 and made her mark along with fellow Dutch compatriots Lisanne de Jong, Ymre Steikema and Mirte Maas at the Fall/Winter collections in 2009. De Rijk has posed for some of the fashion industry's heavyweight photographers such as Mario Testino for US Vogue, Steven Meisel and Paolo Roversi for Vogue Italia, Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinnodh Matadin for Paris Vogue, Mario Sorrenti for W Magazine. De Rijk has been able to consolidate on her editorial appeal with blue chip campaigns for Prada, Sonia Rykiel, Vera Wang, Trussardi Jeans, Top Shop and Chanel Cosmetics. If this editorial is an indaicator of things to come, de Rijk looks set to make the transition from modelling ingenue to a model with real staying power.

Anna de Rijk
Harpers Bazaar Spain - June 2011
Photographer - Texema Yeste
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Feast for the eyes

Paris Vogue's February edition offers a veritable smorgasbord of today's top models and fashions in a stunning portfolio photographed by Mario Sorrenti. Natasha Poly, Joan Smalls, Lara Stone, Freja Beha Erichsen, Sasha Pivovarova, Daria Werbowry, Daphne Groeneveld and Saskia de Brauw join forces to showcase the 65 looks for Summer. Sorrenti captures the individual beauty of each of the models in a celebration of bold, brazen femininity and glamour.

Lara Stone
Paris Vogue - February 2011
Photographer - Mario Sorrenti

Joan Smalls

Joan Smalls

Joan Smalls

Natasha Poly

Natasha Poly

Daphne Groeneveld

Daphne Groeneveld & Saskia de Brauw

Saskia de Brauw

Lara Stone

Lara Stone

Sasha Pivovarova

Daria Werbowry

Daria Werbowry

Freja Beha Erichsen

Freja Beha Erichsen
All photos Paris Vogue- February 2011
Photographer - Mario Sorrenti
Source - thefashionspot.com