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

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

Terry's Girls

Just in, are these candid snaps of photographer Terry Richardson with three of modelling's most gorgeous faces. Joan Smalls, Candice Swanepoel and Aussie sensation Bambi Northwood-Blyth pose solo and alongside Richardson for these studio shots. Richardson "thumbs up" studio shots have become his signature trademark and bring a sense of lightness and fun on set. The candid pics also give the models the opportunity to ham it up and to express a side of their personalities that we don't get to see often enough.

Terry Richardson & Joan Smalls

Joan Smalls

Candice Swanepoel

Terry Richardson & Candice Swanepoel

Candice Swanepoel

Bambi Northwood-Blyth & Terry Richardson

Bambi Northwood-Blyth

Bambi's Bambi Tatt
Photographer - Terry Richardson
Source - terrysdiary.com

A Sight to Behold

Vogue China's September issue makes a bold statement with its group cover shot of modelling's finest Asian talent. Photographers Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin bring new meaning to the word sublime with their cover image featuring Sui He, Liu Wen, Ming Xi, Fei Fei Sun, Shu Pei Qin and veteran model Du Juan. It's no secret that I love seeing models brought together for the purposes of a cover shoot and Vogue China's most recent effort delivers with impeccable styling, breathtakingly beautiful models and a clear celebration of all things beautiful. This incredible assembly of established and up-and-coming Asian models affirms the notion that ethnicity in modelling need not be a passing fad. 

Vogue China - September 2011
Photographer - Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin
Source - models.com

Too Hot to Handle

Today I discovered an incredibly exciting modelling prospect in the guise of Silent Model's newest recruit Zoi Mantakanis. Hailing from Karlskrona in Sweden, seventeen year old Mantzakanis owes her extraordinary dark, brooding looks to her Greek and Swedish lineage. Standing at 175 cm, Mantzakanis' angelic face and voluptuous pout conjures up images of iconic models Brooke Shields and Gia Carangi. The lethal combination of Mantakanis' va-va-voom physique and her pretty baby face is simply mesmerising and marketable. I am particularly enthused about Mantzakanis because even though her face looks vaguely familiar, her looks are distinctly individual and unlike any other model that I have seen in recent times. It will be interesting to see if casting directors will be transfixed by Mantzakanis in the lead up to the Spring/Summer collections in September.

The Heat is On
Photographer - Nican Robinson
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Photographer - Nican Robinson
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Photographer - Nican Robinson
Source - fashiongonerouge.com

Photographer - Unknown
Source - silentmodels.com

Photographer - Michael Schwartz
Source - thefashionspot.com

Photographer - Michael Schwartz
Source - thefashionspot.com

Photographer - Unknown
Source - thefashionspot.com

A-List Talent

Lane Crawford, Hong Kong's premier specialist store enlists an impressive cast of top tier Asian models for its Fall/Winter 2011 campaign. Shot by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, the cast includes Liu Wen, Shu Pei Qin, Fei Fei Sun, Ming Xi and Xiao Wen Ju. Stylist Marie-Amélie Sauvé decks out the Asian beauties in luxury looks from Haider Ackermann, Azzedine Alaia, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Celine, Alexander McQueen and more. What I find most refreshing about this campaign is that the models are not depicted in a way which fetishises their ethnicity. Sauvé deserves major kudos for presenting Liu Wen et al. instead as modern day beauties with mass market appeal.

Fei Fei Sun, Liu Wen, Shu Pei Qin, Xiao Wen Ju & Ming Xi
Lane Crawford - F/W 2011
Photographer - Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
Source - models.com

Shu Pei Qin, Fei Fei Sun & Ming Xi
Lane Crawford - F/W 2011
Video still - Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
Source - fordmodelsblog.com

Fei Fei Sun, Ming Xi, Shu Pei Qin, Xiao Wen Ju & Liu Wen
Lane Crawford - F/W 2011
Photographer - Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
Source - models.com

Ming Xi
Lane Crawford - F/W 2011
Video Still - Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
Source - fordmodelsblog.com

Gold Russh

Russh Magazine's August/September issue features a treasure trove of editorial goodies. Golden girl Nyasha Matonhodze stars in an Alex Franco lensed editorial entitled "On a Wing." Matonhodze looks simply sublime wearing an assortment of creations embellished with ostrich feathers, plastic scales and fur by Gareth Pugh, Prada and Haider Ackermann. Gillian Wilkins clever styling is perfectly suited to Matonhodze's unembellished natural beauty which is further enhanced by the surrounding landscape, and flora and fauna. At only sixteen years, Matonhodze seems poised for an incredible future having already landed a Louis Vuitton campaign shot by Steven Meisel, as well as editorials for Teen Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and V Magazine, and a stunning cover debut for the issue 6 of Love Magazine. 

Golden Girl - Nyasha Matonhodze

Nyasha Matonhodze
Russh Magazine - August/September 2011
Photographer -  Alex Franco
Stylist - Gillian Wilkins
Source - thefashionspot.com