Showstopper

Toronto native Kate King backed up her stellar Spring/Summer 2011 debut, amassing an incredulous 63 shows at the Spring/Summer 2012 collections. Listed by models.com and COACD as a Top Ten newcomer for the past F/W 2011 season, the auburn haired beauty snagged a Dolce Gabbana campaign in the process, alongside established stars Isabeli Fontana, Liu Wen, Constance Jablonski, Maryna Linchuk and Jac Jagaciak. Eighteen year old King recently switched representation from Elite to Ford Models and is being heralded as one of the most exciting prospects in recent times.

Backstage at Alexander Wang S/S 2012
Image courtesy of Interview Magazine
Source - thefashionspot.com

Championed by influential casting agent, Natalie Joos, who recollects in an interview with V Magazine, "When Kate King walked into my pre-casting for Fashion Week for FW11, my tireless attention shifted. She was this tall, mousy shy girl who reminded me of Ruby Aldridge. But she had a strong, rare kind of beauty, great hair and her walk was flawless." I couldn't agree more with Joos assessment of King. For me, King is a real standout and possesses an air mystery due in part to her olive skin tone, amber coloured eyes and angular bone structure. Looking at King, it's difficult to ascertain her heritage. It's this air of intrigue which makes her all the more alluring and memorable.

Mysterious Girl
Photographer - Craig Arend
Source - thefashionspot.com

Kate King
Photographer - Shirley Yu
Source - thefashionspot.com

In an interview with the Cut, King alludes to her mixed British and Guyanese lineage, when asked if there is anything about the fashion industry that she would change. "Being that I'm a medley of different races, I would love the runways to continue integrating different races and bodies." King is part of an eclectic group of second season girls who are stamping their mark on the fashion industry. Speaking with the Cut, King lists compatriots Sui He and Emily Baker as her tightest buddies, "Emily is so sweet...She's probably one of the girls I'm closest with. I also clicked with this Chinese model Sui He. She's 22, but she looks like a baby." One things for sure, King is certainly no cookie cutter beauty either and with her willowy 178 cm tall runway perfect proportions, is likely to be make an indelible impact in the years to come.

Alberta Ferretti - S/S 2012
Photographer - Yannis Vlamos

Giles - S/S 2012
Photographer - Alessandro Viero

Michael Kors - S/S 2012
Photographer - Yannis Vlamos

Hervé Leger - S/S 2012
Photographer - Yannis Vlamos

Prada - S/S 2012
Photographer - Monica Feudi

Proenza Schouler - S/S 2012
Photographer - Monica Feudi
All runway images courtesy of style.com

You've Got the Right Stuff

What do Natalie Joos, Andrew Weir, Michelle Lee, James Scully, and Ashley Brokaw, all have in common? This talented group are the masterminds behind the casting of runway shows for the likes of Zac Posen, Yigal Azrouel, Thankoon, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Hererra, Jason Wu, Derek Lam, Proenza Schouler, and Rag & Bone, to name but a few. The job of determining which newcomers will rise from obscurity to become the most coveted faces of the season is a nearly implausible task. The Cut probes Joos et al. for their tips on who will be this seasons breakthrough models.

Valerija Sestic
Photographer - Unknown
Source - thefashionspot.com

Switzerland's Valerija Sestic is of Croatian descent and is high on casting agent Michelle Lee's must have list, "Works a striking dichotomy - while very young and fresh, she also has a domineering quality reminiscent of a young Cordula Reyer."

Beegee Margenyte
Image courtesy of Supreme Models
Source - thefashionspot.com

Lithuanian stunner Beegee Magenyte is represented by Supreme Model Management and has casting maestro James Scully backing her as this season's face to watch, "This is only Beegee's first full season, but she enters the shows with the pedigree of  having banked future editorials with Carine Roitfeld and Mario Testino. I expect her to be a hit right from the beginning of the week."

Kelly Mittendorf
Photographer - Unknown
Source - thefashionspot.com

With a Prada campaign under her belt before having set foot on an international catwalk, Kelly Mittendorf is destined for super success. Casting agent Natalie Joos concurs; "She has a more than intriguing look, with slanted wider-set eyes, a full head of curly chestnut hair, and a big smile at all times. Kelly, a proud American girl from Arizona who can be seen in the new Prada Ads, is sure to shoot straight to the top this season."

Xiao Wen Ju
Photographer - Unknown
Source - models.com

The buzz surrounding Chinese model Xiao Wen Ju from IMG Models is palpable and with casting agent Ashley Brokaw in her court, its no wonder. "A season under her belt has done wonders for her confidence. She has great presence when she walks and her face is divine. Xiao doesn't look like anyone else out there."

Julia Frauche
Photographer - Unknown
Source - models.com

Also getting the nod from casting maestro James Scully, is French newcomer Julia Frauche who is represented by Next Model Management, "My underdog of the season, she is a dead ringer for Raquel Zimmerman, who in my opinion is the ultimate chameleon with one of the best bodies in the business. Julia reminds me so much of Raquel when she started out, so I'm curious to see how her season goes. I, for one, will definitely be using her."

Senait
Image courtesy of Elmer Olsen models
Source - thef-list.blogspot.com

Canadian newcomer Senait is represented by IMG Models in New York and is another of Michelle Lee's favourite new faces, "She has an undeniable classic beauty, and a lovely personality to match."

Gertrud Hegelund
Photographer - Unknown
Source - models.com

IMG Models Gertrud Hegelund is the baby sister of model Agnete. With a current Louis Vuitton campaign is rotation, Gertrud according to Natalie Joos is destined to be amongst tis seasons most wanted. "Getrud hails from Sweden and is the younger sister of Agnete. I booked her for a Turkish Vogue editorial that came out a few months ago. She's super tall and regal, and a little bit of an enigma, and she's being kept very exclusive."

Ilse de Boer
Photographer - Unknown
Source - models.com

The wave of Dutch models continues with Andrew Weir's pick, Ilse de Boer represented by IMG Models. "Ilse has a powerful combination of features, making her one of the strongest faces I have seen in a long time."

Rising Sun

In the lead up to the Fall/Winter 2010 shows, influential casting director Natalie Joos singled out Chinese model Fei Fei Sun as a new face to watch. Joos noted in a an interview with elle.com that "this is her first season in New York and already she is everyone's sweetheart. She's a very pretty girl with amazing potential to steal the show this season." Sun not only stole the show, but also made it onto models.com list of top ten newcomers for the season. Proving that she is no one hit wonder, Sun recently walked in a staggering 56 shows at the Fall/Winter 2011 collections.

Harpers Bazaar Malaysia - June 2011
Photographer - Gan
Source - the fashionspot.com

Elle China - December 2010
Photographer - Zack Zhang
Source - models.com

Photographer - Liang Zi
Source - thefashionspot.com

Fei Fei Sun & Ming Xi
US Vogue - February 2011
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - models.com

Vogue China - June 2010
Photographer - Gem Mitchell
Source - thefashionspot.com

V Magazine - February 2011
Photographer - Daniele Duella & Iango Henzi
Source - models.com

Discovered in an Elite Model Look of the year competition in 2008, Sun's meteoric rise through the modelling ranks has seen her photographed by the likes of Peter Lindbergh, Mario Testino, Steven Meisel, Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin, Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott and Daniele Duella & Iango Henzi. Sun is clearly on every photographer, designer, casting director and magazine editor's must have list, with appearances in US Vogue, British Vogue, V Magazine, Vogue Italia, Interview and i-D Magazine in 2011 alone, coupled with campaigns for cK One, Dsquared 2, and DKNY fragrances.

Vogue Italia - January 2011
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Harpers Bazaar Singapore - June 2011
Photographer - Gan
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

V Magazine - March 2011
Photographer - Mario Testino
Source - nymag.com

Sun's success can be attributed to the fact that she has a look that is individual and distinct. For me, she resembles an Asian version of Gemma Ward, with her wide set eyes, heart shaped mouth, and doll-like features. As mesmerising as her beauty is, it is Sun's ability to turn mere pretty into the unconventional and mysterious, which makes her an alluring and exciting prospect for photographers. Sun, who recently switched agencies from Muse to Women Model Management, looks set to become a serious contender  in the supermodel stakes with an upcoming Fall/Winter campaign for Louis Vuitton shot by Steven Meisel.

Dsquared2 - Spring/Summer 2011
Photographer - Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
Source - nymag.com

DKNY Be Delicious - Spring/Summer 2011
Photographer - Regan Cameron
Source - thefashionspot.com

cK One - Spring/Summer 2011
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - nymag.com

Perfect Fit

The casting of a show plays a vital role in ensuring that the designer's vision for a collection, translates onto the catwalk and continues to resonate long after the final turn on the runway. Casting director, Natalie Joos knows a thing or two about the casting process, having cast shows for Hugo Boss, Philip Lim, Helmut Lang, Yigal Azrouel, ADAM, Jill Stuart, VPL, Valentino Red, Bruno Pieters and Cosello Tagliapietra. Joos' interest in casting developed during her five year tenure as a studio manager for photographer Craig McDean, when she would assist with castings. McDean encouraged Joos to pursue casting full-time and in 2003, Joos formed her own casting agency, Natalie Joos Casting. 

Model Visionary - Natalie Joos
Source - streetpeeper.com

For Joos, the casting of a show is akin to assembling a puzzle and involves the painstaking selection of the right line-up of models to embody the designer's aesthetic. Speaking with style.com, Joos shed light on the casting process, "for a show especially, your trying to sell a coherent story. You want the whole group of girls to have the same feel. Casting ADAM is very different to casting Yigal, you know? It's a different girl. Yigal's girl is tough, she struts. The ADAM girl is a bit softer. You have to translate the vibe of the clothes through the girls wearing them. It's not just, oh, let's find the prettiest ones. There's a whole process of interpretation."

Joos sees hundreds of models in the lead up to the shows and concurs that the appearance of a particular model on a particular runway is anything but arbitrary; "I start by seeing all the new faces at the pre-casting. They come in have their polaroid taken, do the walk and leave. I then make my wish list board. I place all the girls' cards on the board who I could/would like to see in the show. Then I request options for each of the girls on my board. Once you get all of them in place you start confirming, scheduling the fittings and calling them in for the show. Done."

Natalie Joos' picks for Fall/Winter 2011
V Magazine - Issue 69

With the increasingly rapid turnover of new models each season, Joos has mastered the art of distinguishing between a mere pretty face and a model with true staying power, "There are certain gems that emerge every season. The ones that truly possess all the right qualities to survive model trends, with or without great management. A great model really has the right face, body, proportions, walk and personality and there are only very few girls who have all the elements in place. I don't think it's necessarily the clients who get fed up with the same faces, but if you have a little bit of an eye you can easily tell who are the true wonders; the rest are fillers."

As for the Fall/Winter 2011 collections, Joos reveals to the New York Times that, "I'm seeing two different scenarios emerge as I'm looking at all of these new girls, which I already predicted from last season. We're looking at a more characteristic girl. She's a character, she has a signature all of her own. She's something different." Joos concurs though that character and beauty go hand in hand, "I like beautiful girls. That's my taste, and yeah, if you work with me I bring my own aesthetic to the table. I like a girl who you look at and say, wow...where did you come from? Who made you? I like a model to be a model. Taller, more beautiful and a little unreal."

Natalie Joos
Photographer - Paolo Kudacki
Source - style.com