V Magazine's Asia Issue

V Magazine's Asia issue is due to hit newsstands on the 12th of May with Lady Gaga appearing on the cover photographed by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. Ten percent of the proceeds of sales will go towards the Japan relief effort. The issue features a stunning editorial with the modelling's top Asian talent. Liu Wen, Fei Fei Sun, Shu Pei Qin and Tao Okamoto transform into modern day vixens under the masterful lens of Terry Tsiolis. Newcomers Ming Xi, Sui He and Bonnie Chen also appear in editorials shot by Nick Knight, Glen Luchford and Sebastien Faena respectively. It is truly amazing to see so many top models of Asian descent showcased in one issue. Let's hope that the recent smattering of editorials featuring all-Black and all-Asian casts is not just a gimmick and that models of colour become the norm rather than the exception in the higher echelons of the modelling world.

Fei Fei Sun
Photographer - Terry Tsiolis

Tao Okamoto
Photographer - Terry Tsilois

Fei Fei Sun
Photographer - Terry Tsiolis

Shu Pei Qin
Photographer - Terry Tsiolis

Liu Wen
Photographer - Terry Tsiolis

Tao Okamoto
Photographer - Terry Tsiolis
All images V Magazine - Issue 71
Source - nymag.com

Memoirs of a Gaga
Photographer -  Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin
V Magazine - Issue 71
Source - beautyisdiverse.com

Sui He
Photographer - Glen Luchford
V Magazine - Issue 71
Source - models.com

Bonnie Chen
Photographer - Sebastian Faena
V Magazine - Issue 71
Source - models.com

Ming Xi
Photographer - Nick Knight
V Magazine - Issue 71
Source - models.com

La Belle Estelle

During the late Eighties, Estelle LeFebure was one of fashion's most celebrated models. Hailing from Dieppe in France, a then nineteen year old LeFebure was discovered whilst on a day trip to Paris. Standing at 175 cm in height, LeFebure formed part of a band of models during the Eighties who sported fuller-figured, athletic physiques. LeFebure regularly collaborated with photographers such as Peter Lindbergh, Patrick Demarchelier, Richard Avedon, Gilles Bensimon, Marc Hispard, Francesco Scavullo and Herb Ritts. Consequently, LeFebure became a staple model for American Vogue, American Elle and British Vogue and appeared on the cover of American Vogue a staggering seven times throughout her modelling career.

British Vogue - June 1987
Photographer - Patrick Demarchelier

French ELLE - March 1989
Photographer - Marc Hispard

British Vogue - June 1987
Photographer - Patrick Demarchelier

US ELLE - Unknown
Photographer - Gilles Bensimon
Source - thefashionspot.com

For me, LeFebure was simply a delight to behold. Blessed with a raw, unadulterated beauty and an incandescent smile, LeFebure was the very embodiment of the natural, healthy look of the Eighties. LeFebure along with models Elle MacPherson, Stephanie Seymour, Paulina Porizkova, Christy Turlington and Ashley Richardson, were photographed regularly by Gilles Bensimon for American Elle which spearheaded the trend toward models with fuller, lush figures. 

US Vogue - May 1988
Photographer - Richard Avedon

Glamour - March 1989
Photographer - Paul Lange

Cosmopolitan - June 1988
Photographer - Francesco Scavullo

US Vogue - June 1989
Photographer - Peter Lindbergh

US ELLE - October 1987
Photographer -Gilles Bensimon

LeFebure's incredible range as a model, which could alternate from femme fatale to that of the girl next door, made her popular with a diverse range of publications from US Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Mademoiselle, Glamour and Self. LeFebure's appearances in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and George Michael's Too Funky music clip made her a household name and set pulses racing. When I reminisce about the original supermodels from the Eighties, it is LeFebure's sublime beauty, charisma and personality which remind me of what first fuelled my interest in models.

British Vogue - Unknown
Photographer - Herb Ritts
Source - thefashionspot.com

US Vogue - June 1989
Photographer - Peter Lindbergh

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit - 1988
Photographer - Marc Hispard

Estelle Lefebure, Karen Alexander, Rachel Williams,
Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz & Christy Turlington
British Vogue - August 1988
Photographer - Peter Lindbergh

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.

One of a kind
Photographer - Unknown
Source - models.com

Photographer - Billy Kidd
Source - billykidd.blogspot.com

Photographer - Matthew Priestley
Source - thefashionspot.com

Photographer - Nando Esparza
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Photographer - Unknown
Source - models.com

Photographer - Unknown
Source - thefashionspot.com

Numero Uno

Aussie Mega model Abbey Lee Kershaw's latest appearance on the cover of French Numero renders me speechless. Photographed by Tom Munro for Numero's June 2011 edition, Kershaw looks flawlessly beautiful, wearing a figure hugging bodice with leather straps and a free flowing skirt from Lanvin. Represented by Next Models in New York, Kershaw began modelling in 2004 after winning the Girlfriend Model Search. Kershaw has since risen through the ranks to become one of the most sought after models working today and is an editorial favourite for the likes of Numero, Vogue Paris, US Vogue, Vogue Italia, Purple Magazine and V Magazine. Currently ranked at number 5 on the model.com's list of Top 50 models, Kershaw clearly looks like a woman in charge of her destiny and I am certain that the best is yet to come from her.

Flawless Beauty
Numero - Issue 123
Photographer - Tom Munro
Source - models.com

Numero - February 2010
Photographer - Greg Kadel
Source - models.com

Numero - December 2009
Photographer - Miguel Riveriego
Source - models.com

Numero - February 2010
Photographer - Greg Kadel
Source - models.com

Birds of a Feather...

Norwegian newcomer Merethe Hopland appears in a visually enticing editorial in the latest issue of French Revue de Modes. Photographer Giulia Noni, captures Hopland's flawless, classic European features and statuesque frame alongside a desolate freeway and grey skyline. The images literally pop as a result of the juxtaposition of Hopland's colourful ensembles in an assortment of bright citrus, lime and fuschia pink hues against the stark surrounding backdrop.

Hopland reminds me of a young Carolyn Murphy who also sported a similar pixie style haircut in her early modelling days. Represented by Marilyn Model Management in New York, Hopland stands at 180 cm in height and possesses a delicate beauty and elegance which make her a standout on the runway. During the recent Fall/Winter 2011 collections, Hopland landed a New York Calvin Klein exclusive  and appeared later in the season at Chanel, Missoni, Costume National, Max Mara and Salvatore Ferragomo. Hopland appears to be on the right track having also scored recent editorial appearances in Vman, Harper's Bazaar UK and German Vogue. 

French Revue de Modes
Photographer - Giulia Noni
Source - thefashionspot.com

Bambi bites back

Australian modelling sensation, Bambi Northwood-Blyth continues her editorial crossover with appearances on the covers of Australian Harper's Bazaar, Oyster Magazine, Spanish Harper's Bazaar, Vogue Nippon, and French Revue de Modes. With so few magazine covers allocated to models these days, five covers is an astonishing feat for any model let alone a relative newcomer. Steven Meisel appears to agree, having recently lensed Northwood-Blyth for the Spring/Summer 2011 cK one campaign and for an editorial in W Magazine. Let's hope that Ms Northwood-Blyth pops up on the pages of Vogue Italia or US Vogue for whom Meisel is a key contributor.

Harper's Bazaar Australia - June/July 2011
Photographer - Lachlan Bailey
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

French Revue de Modes - S/S 2011
Photographer - Thierry Le Goues
Source - thefashionspot.com

Harper's Bazaar Espana - May 2011
Photographer - Nico
Source - models.com

Oyster Magazine - Issue 92
Photographer - Bec Parsons
Source - models.com

Britt Maren, Fei Fei Sun, Milou Van Groesen
& Bambi Northwood-Blyth
Vogue Nippon - April 2011
Photographer - Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin

cK one - S/S 2011
Abbey Lee Kershaw, Bambi Northwood-Blyth, Lara Stone & Ruby Aldridge
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - models.com

W Magazine  - March 2011
Bambi Northwood-Blyth, Eliza Cummings, Saskia de
 Brauw & Jana Knauerova
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - models.com

Beautiful Outcast

Shortly after my arrival in Berlin in July 2010, I was meandering down the main shopping precinct of Friedrichstraße, when I caught glimpse of an astonishingly beautiful woman with shoulder length, grey hair cycling past me. It was only upon second glance that I realised this vision of loveliness was the very spitting image of Nineties Supermodel Kristen McMenamy.

During the early Nineties, McMenamy reached the peak of her fame, creating iconic images with the likes of Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon, Juergen Teller and Steven Meisel. With her bleached eye brows, strong nose, androgynous looks, ever-changing hair colour and formidable personality, McMenamy came to represent the epitome of unconventional beauty. In an interview with i-D, McMenamy recounts how "My upbringing was very Catholic, very strict. I lived in suburban America where you had to fit the norm; otherwise you'd be considered an outcast. I was always an outcast. I fought my whole life against being normal, I'm not gonna start now."

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

i-D Magazine - September 2010
Photographer - Daniele Duella & Iango Henzi

i-D Magazine - September 2010
Photographer - Daniele Duella & Iango Henzi
Source - Models.com

In 2010, McMenamy ever the non-conformist, returned to modelling with a vengeance and new waist length silver, grey tresses. At age 46, McMenamy's ensuing editorial appearances in US Vogue, Vogue Italia, Paris Vogue, LOVE, Dazed & Confused, and i-D Magazine have cemented her near legendary status in the fashion industry as a muse to designers, photographers and stylists. 

Vogue Paris - October 2009
Photographer - David Sims
Source - models.com

US Vogue - August 2010
Photographer - David Sims
Source - models.com

LOVE - Issue 3
Photographer - Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
Source - models.com

Dazed & Confused - August 2010
Photographer -  Tierney Gearon
Source - models.com

McMenamy continues to enthral, with her latest appearance on the cover of the May 2011 edition of Vogue Italia and in the accompanying editorial shot by Steven Meisel. I have not seen McMenamy looking better. She exhibits an inner calm and confidence whilst also retaining the free spirited nature of her personality. In the same interview with i-D Magazine McMenamy concurs "Well, I am still modelling at 46, that goes to show that there isn't a cut off point for beauty or coolness. I wanna be a rockin' senior citizen!"

Vogue Italia - May 2011
Photographer - Steven Meisel

Vogue Italia - May 2011
Photographer - Steven Meisel

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