Master Stroke

Dutch model Laura Kampman is a marked woman following her stunning debut on the cover of Vogue Italia's February 2012 issue. Model maker Steven Meisel captures the versatile newcomer in a series of artistic portraits which pay tribute to the surrealists. Kampman looks positively enchanting in elaborate head pieces, lacy veils and capes, and full length gloves. Represented by New York Model Management, Kampman is ticking off all the right boxes including exclusives for Calvin Klein and Balenciaga at the Spring/Summer 2012 collections, editorials for British Vogue and Vogue Italia, and a Balenciaga campaign lensed again by Meisel. With New York Fashion Week less than a week away, you can bet that Ms Kampman will be the most coveted name on the list of the most influential casting directors and designers.

Model as Muse
Vogue Italia - February 2012
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - models.com

Vogue Italia - February 2012
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - models.com

Vogue Italia - February 2012
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - models.com

Vogue Italia - February 2012
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - vogue.it

Vogue Italia - February 2012
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - models.com

Vogue Italia - February 2012
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - models.com

The Exclusive Laura Kampman

Seventeen year old Dutch model Laura Kampman was the most buzzed about model of the recent Spring/Summer 2012 season. Kampman who is represented by New York Model Management, scored the two most coveted runway spots of the season thanks to her Calvin Klein exclusive in New York and her Balenciaga exclusive in Paris.

Listed by models.com founder Wayne Sterling as a Top Ten Newcomer of the S/S 2012 collections, Kampman has an unique look that is mix of masculine, tomboy edge and delicate, feminine features. It is this juxtaposition coupled with an amazonian 180 cm frame which has industry pundits marking her as a newcomer with credible staying power. Already photographed by Paolo Roversi for the January 2012 issue of British Vogue, Kampman has also been shot recently by Steven Meisel for the Spring/Summer 2012 Balenciaga campaign and has an upcoming Vogue Italia editorial in  the works.

Looking at Kampman, I get the same vibe that I got when I first laid eyes on model Freja Beha Erichsen. It's that combination of sensuality and nonchalance which makes Kampman so alluring and intriguing. Watch for Kampman to explode in 2012 as a defining model amongst the next generation of models.

Laura Kampman
British Vogue - January 2012
Photographer - Paolo Roversi
Source - models.com

Laura Kampman & Francisco Costa
Calvin Klein - S/S 2012
Source - vogue.com

Calvin Klein - S/S 2012
Photographer - Filippo Fior
Source- style.com

Balenciaga - S/S 2012
Photographer - Unknown
Source - thefashionspot.com

Backstage at Balenciaga S/S 2012
Photographer - Unknown
Source - thefashionspot.com

Balenciaga - S/S 2012
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - models.com

Photographer - Felix Wong
Source - thefashionspot.com

Photographer - Unknown
Source - thefashionspot.com

Comp Card
Courtesy of New York Model Management
Source - thefashionspot.com

The Contender

Models like 19 year old Santo Domingo native Marihenny Rivera Pasible remind me of why I fell in love with modelling in the first instance. Rivera Pasible possesses a rare innocent, child-like beauty that is simply mesmerising in its purity. Backed by casting agents Michele Lee, Russell Marsh and Katie Grand, Rivera Pasible made an indelible mark at the Spring/Summer 2012 collections appearing in a total of 16 shows. The Dominican stunner who is represented by New York Model Management, was earmarked early on for success by influential casting agent Katie Grand who selected her to open the Giles show in London. The buzz generated paid dividends in Paris and Milan with Rivera Pasible walking for Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Loewe, Kenzo, Hussein Chalayan, Prada and Marni.

Introducing Ms Marihenny Rivera Pasible
Photographer - Terry Gates
Source - thefashionspot.com

With editorial appearances in V Magazine, Lurve Magazine, Teen Vogue and Nylon under her belt, as well as an up-coming British Vogue editorial lensed by Paolo Roversi, Rivera Pasible is fast becoming one of the most coveted newcomers of the Spring/Summer 2012 season. The interest in Rivera Pasible is evident with the Cut, models.com and Vogue Italia all featuring interviews with the elegant and articulate beauty on their websites. Watch for Rivera Pasible to dominate at the Fall/Winter 2012 collections in February where I am certain she will have the bounty of New York's designers falling before her well turned feet.

Photographer - Unknown
Source - models.com

Lurve Magazine - Issue 5
Photographer - Matteo Montanari
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Photographer - Unknown
Source - interview.com

Photographer - Idris & Tony
Source - vogue.it

Photographer - Idris & Tony
Source - vogue.it

Ohne Titel - S/S 2012
Photographer - Filippo Fior

Hussein Chalayan - S/S 2012
Photographer - Filippo Fior

Prada - S/S 2012
Photographer - Monica Feudi

Rebecca Taylor - S/S 2012
Photographer - Alessandro Viero

Marni - S/S 2012
Photographer - Yannis Vlamos

Top Shop Unique - S/S 2012
Photographer - Yannis Vlamos
All runway images courtesy of style.com

Jamaican Pride

September is shaping up to be a bumper month editorial-wise for models of colour. American Elle showcases the illuminating beauty of Jamaican model Jeneil Williams in an editorial shot by Laurie Bartley. Represented by New York Models, Kingston-born Williams brings a touch of modernity to a series of outdoor shots set amidst the tropical flora and fauna of the Caribbean island of St Lucia. Williams looks simply spellbinding in neon bright graphic prints which contrast beautifully with her flawless ebony coloured skin. I have not purchased American Elle since the late Nineties but with editorials featuring the likes of Williams, Herieth Paul and Stephanie Seymour in its September edition, it may well be time to break the drought.

Jeneil Williams
US Elle - September 2011
Photographer - Laurie Bartley
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

A Star is Born

Chinese model Sui He is fast becoming one of the most coveted newcomers following a succession of sensational editorial appearances in V, Love and W magazine. In addition to that editorial trifecta, is Sui's limelight stealing cover appearance on Vogue China's 6th Anniversary issue lensed by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, and her star turn as the current face of Ralph Lauren's Fall/Winter 2011 campaign.

Born in Wenzhou, Sui has been modelling for four years and received her first major breakthrough at the Fall/Winter 2011 shows when she was selected by casting director Jennifer Starr to open for Ralph Lauren, making her the first model of Asian descent to do so. What followed was a Dries Van Noten exclusive in Paris and select runway appearances in Milan for  D&G, D'Squared, Costume National and Anteprima.

Sui has a face that is distinctly Eurasian in appearance and is blessed with the most sublime angular bone structure. What is fascinating about Sui is that she is able to morph from a delicate and elegant beauty to that of a harder-edged unconventional gothic type as evidenced in her most recent editorial appearances for Love and V magazine. It is this versatility along with Sui's undeniable exceptional beauty which will ensure her longevity in the fickle world of modelling.

Photographer - David Urbanke
Source - davidurbanke.blogspot.com

Love Magazine - Issue 6
Photographer - Sølve Sundsbø
Source - models.com

Photographer - Unknown
Source - models.com

W Magazine - June 2011
Photographer - Daniele Duella & Iango Henzi
Source - models.com

V Magazine - Summer 2011
Photographer - Glen Luchford
Source - models.com

Photographer - Unknown
Source - models.com

Photographer - Unknown
Source - models.com

Ralph Lauren - F/W 2011
Photographer - Carter Berg
Source - newyorkmodelsblog.com

Ralph Lauren - F/W 2011
Photographer - Carter Berg
Source - newyorkmodelsblog.com

Photographer - Unknown
Source - thefashionspot.com

Photographer - David Urbanke
Source - davidurbanke.blogspot.com

Russian With a Twist

Hailing from Moscow, twenty-one-year old Valeriya Sorokoletova of New York Model Management is clear proof that the Russians are not quite done with as yet. The statuesque 176 cm tall, grey-eyed newcomer has a beguiling beauty that denotes a maturity beyond her years. Sorokoletova was scouted whilst returning home on her daily bus route and was swiftly signed by Rush Models in Moscow. Sorkoletova's piercing grey eyes and teutonic physicality remind me of nineties supermodel Nadja Auermann and it's no wonder given that Sorokoletova is of Russian and German descent. Sorokoletova's sophisticated and refined beauty is a welcome respite from the barely in their teens baby-faced models that have become a mainstay of modelling in recent years.

Photographer - Djameel
Source - rushmodels.blogspot.com

Photographer - William Lords
Source - rushmodels.blogspot.com

Photographer - William Lords
Source - rushmodels.blogspot.com

Polaroid - New York Model Management
Source - models.com

Polaroid - New York Model Management
Source - models.com

Photographer - William Lords
Source - rushmodels.blogspot.com

Photographer - WIlliam Lords
Source - rushmodels.blogspot.com

Photographer - Djameel
Source - rushmodels.blogspot.com