User generated street style sites helped spawn the era of the personal style blog. Lookbook.nu and Chictopia collectively created enough social media attention to pave the way for the individual personal style blog phenomena. In an unprecedented move, L'Oreal Paris has created a new niche for user generated content: yourstyleyourstudio.
And it's all about Haute Hair.
Fashion Night Out in New York City inspirations:
Your Style Your Studio, blog landing page
WIN THIS MARC BY MARC JACOBS cross body strap bag
Win the above Marc by Marc Jacobs Cross Body strap bag filled with the above L'Oreal products
L'Oreal Paris recently approached me to help them launch this new hairstyle lookbook--Your Style Your Studio. To my knowledge, there exists no user generated hair style site like this--YET. Lindbergh may have been first to cross the Atlantic,Earhart the first woman to do so, and now Your Style Your Studio is first in the niche of user generated hair style inspirations.
The site is all about YOUR inspired hair and YOUR individual style from bold colors to daring cuts to fashion forward looks. The look book, inspired by the brand's studio line of hair products as seen in the photo above, is meant for both men AND women. So if you are a guy, go forth and upload your own pictures.
I believe in this site so much, that for the first time in the 4 year history of altamira, I'm doing an exclusive giveaway sponsored by L'Oreal Paris. Not only can you win 1 of 2 Marc by Marc Jacob's leather cross body totes, but you can win it stuffed full of the exact L'Oreal hair styling products seen in the photo above. I will personally select 2 winners.
To be eligible to win 1 of 2 Marc by Marc Jacobs cross body totes stuffed full of L'Oreal products as seen in the picture above, you must:
UPLOAD A PHOTO TO YOUR STYLE YOUR STUDIO--upload your own Haute Hair style inspiration photo to the Your Style Your Studio look book. The picture should be horizontal in format and a minimum resolution of 560 x 370 pixels.
LEAVE A COMMENT by Friday, September 16th 2011 8 am Eastern Standard Time With a URL link to your hair style photo. Make sure the URL works correctly and that it goes to the Your Style Your Studio site like this link HERE
CONTEST CLOSES on Friday, September 16th 2011 at 8 am Eastern Standard Time. The contest is open to anyone anywhere in the world. Winner to be announced on Saturday September 17th, 2011. I will personally select 2 winners based on the editorial QUALITY of the picture you upload. It's all about Haute Hair. Artsy, Avant Garde, Creative. Have fun with it. Be creative. Make your photo's better than mine as seen in the links below--as if you were submitting to Numero or Vogue.
You won't be alone in uploading images to the lookbook. I'll be uploading additional images too! Here are some of my examples but remember, you want to do better than me: A Clean Sweep Mod Squad Perfectly Undone Pony The Modern Bouffant New Wave Braids Envy
With fashion month soon to be upon us, models will be attending casting calls in between fittings, shows, and visits to their agencies. If you haven't seen what a casting call for a runway show is like, it can be quite anxiety driven. Girls are literally lined up by the 10's and 20's outside in hallways. Some Casting Directors have pre-casting castings, in which they will see hundreds of girls in just 2 days time, so they can edit down their choices for runway shows accordingly. Just try mentioning the name Russell Marsh to a model and watch her reaction. Because of the timing, I thought it was appropriate to republish an interview I did with Sarah Doukas, the founder of Storm Model Management and the one who discovered Kate Moss at JFK airport. In it, we talked about the impact of style on a models career.
We sat down for a chat at her agency in South Kensington and what follows is a brief glimpse of the modeling world, distilled ultimately into two major categories: how a models personal style can help create more opportunities for them and how press (think my blog here) can help create more opportunities for models as well.
I must add that everyone at Storm Models from their Press Officer Paula Karaiskos to their entire New Faces Division was a pleasure to work with. Many thanks to everyone at Storm who helped me along the way and especially to Sarah for breaking from her hectic schedule for the interview.
THE IMPACT OF PERSONAL STYLE ON THE SUCCESS OF A MODELS CAREER
Craig: Can a models sense of style positively impact her career?
Sarah: I definitely think it can positively impact her career. It's got to be simple but the point about that question is, that if they have absolutely no style and they go out just not looking great, they're wearing very unflattering clothes and things like that, then it's definitely going to have a negative impact.
Craig: really?
Sarah: Oh god yes, there's no question. I'm obsessed with finding British girls. It's my big thing....and it's hard to get them to the point of going out to do shows...I know that once they hit that international circuit, and they're sitting in a Paris agency and seeing those Parisian clients, if they don't look the part...you know they're wearing some kind of scraggy old t-shirt...(sighs)..they don't have to go and spend a great deal of money, but style is really important, very simple. So I think it is important.
Craig: so the lack of style can definitely negatively impact
Sarah: Impact. There's no doubt that lack of style can negatively impact. I'm not talking about wearing Balenciaga, but very simple High Street stuff. That elongates your legs and is just flattering.
STORM AGENCY TAKES ACTIONS TO IMPROVE A MODELS STYLE
Craig: do you guys tell models how to dress here?
Sarah: yeah
Craig: for castings?
Sarah: yes
Craig: So if you don't mind me asking in what? just jeans...stuff that shows their body?....is that what they're supposed to wear?
Sarah: I think if they walked around in a great big smock it would be a bit a problem for a client and I'm not suggesting that they look provocatively, you know wearing sexy stuff but certainly stuff that shows the length of their body and that they're slim. You can get somebody with the most fantastic figure and they come in here and may be in a dress like this (motions wide with hands) the client would say, "well I wonder what's going on there....have you put on weight?"...They can look at their book but they don't really know...so it's advisable to dress in something that can really see, you know show your shape. That's what I think.
Craig: so the key for style...there's not many options if you're having to wear skinny jeans and t-shirts??
Sarah: well you can wear leggings, they are back in fashion. You can still layer up. You can wear a really nice cardi with a longer tightish dress with leggings. There are lots of options. You can wear a short skirt with leggings. With boots. Again with layers. But just not, you can't walk around in sort of voluminous clothes as the clients are going to say "Hey whats going on under there? Maybe she's pregnant?"
Craig: So you do intervene then? On occasion, when it comes to a girl's style?
Sarah: Well I sit at the booking table. I do all the time. I like everybody to be autonomous in their job here and do their thing. I don't want to look over peoples shoulder. I hate that kind of thing because I work at the booking table with everybody and I don't have an office. You know, I'm just one of them, I'm not the boss or any such thing.
But yeah I do because I know its going to have a negative impact if they go out looking like that. And they appreciate it. You can say it in a really nice way. You don't have to say, "listen you have terrible style. We need to completely change you." You just have to say, "now listen, when you go out I want you to look great."
GREAT PERSONAL STYLE CREATES MORE SALES VALUE FOR BOOKING AGENTS
Sarah: You know they go into a French agency or a New York agency, the bookers are looking at them for the first time and at the end of the day we have to be realistic about this job: they are selling a product, those booking agents. So they have to believe in it when they see it. So they have to see somebody looking -- great. The book can look fantastic. But you know what? You need to believe to sell something, of course you do. You can't make any bones about it. It's a human business. And I really like these girls or I wouldn't do it. But we are selling something. So you must look good.
THE IMPACT OF PRESS ON A MODELS BOOKING VALUE
Craig: regarding press as opposed to runway shows, advertising campaigns and editorials, press like a girl gets her photo taken and she's in the New York Times...or interviews...like this is a form of press (I pointed to 1 of 4 of my Teen Vogue solo pages)
Sarah: does it have their names?
Craig: it does
Sarah: Exactly, that's very important. Years ago nobody knew who models were. Apart from those famous models, they were never given credit in a magazine or anything so there were was no credits given. So that was one thing that people were quite anonymous. And i think press is huge and I think it's really important.
We started with PR in 89 or 90. Because I just thought it was hugely important and Richard Branson was my partner for many years and he was like, "Sarah" we know he likes the press...he was like "it's really important"
I think it's important. Kate Moss is the first one that we did it with. And I build press books and I've done it on all my models. Whether it be Sophie Dahl, Lily Cole, Devon Aoki, Jourdan Dunn, Behati Prinsloo, Liberty Ross....
Craig: one thing that really gets me about press is, yeah it's cool because the model gets her name circulated in the public, but how does that impact the booking value of a model?
Sarah: Huge, because you know you've got a model "Ann Smith" who doesn't get any press, who is a great looking girl, and works alot. And you've got somebody else, say "Paula Reed" who gets press, is out in the public domain, if you went and asked somebody in the street do you know who this is? They'd say yes. Well that's what market research is. So then you get a big company going, "I want a name." So you put this beautiful girl up who hasn't got press and you put this one up who has got press. Who are they going to choose? Does the general public know this person? So they sell masses and her value is much higher than this one's is. Way higher.
ALL THINGS EQUAL, THE MODEL WITH MORE PRESS GETS MORE OPPORTUNITIES
Craig: so everything else being equal, they both walked the same amount of runway shows, they both did the same advertising campaigns and editorials, but one just got the press, that one is going to be the more valuable one then?
Sarah: yes, much more. Look at our magazines. Look at the campaigns. They're all celebrities. Actresses. Somebody well known, they take up what, 80-90% of fabulous campaigns. You know that's because that's the power of somebody whose got a name....
But if you're in the business. If you see your chance that somebody can go that route and if they want to, you've got to take it because it's going to be a huge benefit financially to them and it's going to be a benefit to the agency...it feeds on itself. As soon as you do some press, it's unbelievable. You get so many opportunities open. People are calling. It opens doors.
Craig: so being that press is so important, do you train models in self-publicizing?
Sarah: There are definite pitfalls. Of course you say to them "look, don't open up too much about your private life, or things you don't want to say." You have to learn how to talk to press, but you need to keep it professional but you still need to keep it real. They need to be interested in you as a person. At the end of the day you've got to understand that you can just chat away and end up saying something that you wish you hadn't said. So you do have to be guarded. Open but guarded...Paula would sit in if it was somebody young. Like when Jourdan had done press. She would sit in....
PRESS MUST INCLUDE A MODELS NAME TO BE IMPACTFUL
Craig: Regarding press, it's valuable as long as it includes the models name?
Sarah: Oh it has to. It has to be all about her.
Craig: So just a photo without the name isn't necessarily valuable?
Sarah: nobody would know who you were....if they don't have the name, then the general public just don't know. It's interesting now when people ring and they say they, "Ah, I want somebody well known." Well it's not easy. Not that many models are well known anymore. They're just not -- for the general public. For our world, we know who they are, but the man walking down the street doesn't. They have to constantly see the image of a person and interviews on her, with her name, with her name, constantly for it to get into their head and they suddenly say, "Oh I know who this person is"
WORDS OF WISDOM TO THE COMMERCIAL MODEL
Craig:....commercial versus high fashion...who makes more money in the short-term?
Sarah: the commercial girls make a fortune
Craig: they make tons
Sarah: they make tons!
Craig: why is it then that every girl aspires to the high fashion?
Sarah: because we all want to be driving a Ferrari don't we?
Craig: but you don't necessarily make as much money do you if you go the high fashion route?
Sarah: no, You know you always get these girls that make a load of money. You know they're fantastic looking girls and they're doing brilliantly. And they're like, "you know what, I'm going to cut all my hair off. I'm going to go seriously edgy. I want you to get me into...." And I'm like "You're taking a massive risk. You're going to ruin your market in the short-term" And it happens. It does happen. I can mention lots of girls who it has happened....I always think, "You should be glad for what you've got. I understand wanting to aspire to better and greater things. But, you could in the short term lose your whole market "
Craig: so a girl can start off as a commercial model and then go the high fashion route?
Sarah: it happens
Craig: does it really?
Sarah: yeah
THE MONETARY VALUE OF OPENING AND CLOSING A SHOW
Craig: when a model opens and closes a show, do they get paid extra?
Sarah: well I don't know that they get paid extra per se, but if a model is good enough to open and close, she may well be on a much higher rate than somebody else. I mean it's negotiated. It's all negotiated.
NEW MAGAZINES NEED GREAT PHOTOGRAPHERS WITH A GREAT TEAM TO BOOK TOP MODELS
Craig: I've got another question for you. A new magazine, a start up magazine in London calls you up and they say "we want your top girl" What are the credentials that someone has to bring for a new magazine?
Sarah: They'd have to bring an amazing photographer, stylist, hair and make up...all the jazz.
Craig: What if they don't have a famous photographer?
Sarah: You would have to be very careful with the top talent. Because you don't really know what it's going to look like. You'd ask for a dummy copy. And this that and the other but you wouldn't give top talent.
New Face to Watch: Erjona Ala (FORD, NY) exits Costume National
A lot of modeling agencies are stuck in the Print Era Paradigm--pre-internet thinking in which the Old School hierarchy of exclusivity dominated the management of models visibility. While this system may still warrant merit, the general lack of adaptability with regards to original content via the internet is appalling. Some agencies are kidding themselves if they think republishing editorial, campaign, or runway shots online will generate a sustainable presence. The editors of today may visit an agency site to get a models stats, but the editors of tomorrow will have grown up learning models names through tumblr, blogspot, and other social media. Modeling Agencies that fail to adapt now to the Internet Era Paradigm and it's vast plethora of opportunity will be still be riding horse and buggy while their competitors speed it out in Maybachs. The internet revolution is here and it's happening in Real Time.
I can't think of single better agency to team up with for the fashion season besides FORD models. Have a click on the previous link to see what I've been up to. They get it. In the same way Henry Ford said he'd belt the earth with his cars before the highways and roads for the cars even existed, FORD models is doing the same online. They dare to venture where other agencies fail to tread. They understand the Bookings Editor's of tomorrow are the teens of today on tumblr and iphones. Agencies which reproduce Print Era thinking online as their sole source of internet presence may as well have a horse tug a Model-T chained to it's back when they could just make their own car to begin with.
Even the fashion industry which for so long tried to protect it's exclusivity has gone on the record about the power of the internet many times. In her Interview Magazine article with Joseph Altuzarra, Anna Dello Russo remarked:
ANNA DELLO RUSSO: You’ve only done four collections and already you’re more popular than Tom Ford. How do you think that happened?
JOSEPH ALTUZARRA: [laughs] I think it’s because of the Internet. You can build a brand very fast now, especially with bloggers and how fast images can get out—the message just goes out faster and stronger than ever before.
And in similar fashion at the IFB Conference in 2011, Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler remarked, "Blogs posting things about us, going viral, spreading throughout the interent...it has an extraordinary impact on the business"
With the speed at which images travel online now, a models off duty image is half the battle. Her sense of style and fashion can rapidly propel her press image online. Some within the modeling industry "get it" like Casting Director Jennifer Starr who was quoted by New York Magazine recently:
"Model street style has blown up significantly in the past few years, what do you make of it?
There is no doubt in my mind that if you have authentic personal style, it will help you as a model. Look at models like Erin Wasson, Abbey Lee, Freja Beha, and Daria Webowy, all of whom have great style. Personal style indicates to me that you have a great sense of self. The key is having authentic style. You must feel comfortable with the image you're projecting; otherwise, it's obvious you're trying too hard."
And in an interview I conducted with Sarah Doukas, the founder of STORM models who discovered Kate Moss in JFK airport:
"Craig: Can a models sense of style positively impact her career?
Sarah: I definitely think it can positively impact her career. It's got to be simple but the point about that question is, that if they have absolutely no style and they go out just not looking great, they're wearing very unflattering clothes and things like that, then it's definitely going to have a negative impact."
Every home has a computer, but not every home has a copy of American Vogue or Paris Vogue. A new generation is growing up with the internet literally at their fingertips. And I can't think of an agency that I'd be more proud to work with at this moment in time than FORD models. If you haven't checked out the site, go now.
Anne Christensen on Sixth Avenue outside of the tents during fashion week. The movement of the person in the background suggests how challening it was to weave through people at New York Fashion Week, let alone get a clear picture.
I found Carine Roitfeld fun and really cooperative with my requests. Instead of shooting a full body picture of her, this close-up picture of her wearing a hoodie with the wind blowing her hair was captivating. Notice the cab driver in the background.
This is Brian Ermanski and this is not his kid, nor is it mine. This little boy curiously walked in on the photo wanting to see what was going on. A delightful moment in time caught on camera for years to come.
The editorial style pose in this picture still rivets my attention. You might be able to notice the guy in background looking back, wondering what was going on.
I was walking across Lafayette Street when I heard the putter coming from the engine on this man's moped. Not only are the different historical references in his outfit mesmerizing, but the fact that the foreground is juxtaposed against a background of people and buildings from 2007, give this photo a paradoxical feel.
This is Sato. I like his absolutely couture approach to avant-garde style.
This is one of the first photos I took at London Fashion Week. Not only did I think her outfit was superb, but I deliberately left the street sign in the composition in the background for added visual impact.
Androgyny fascinates me when it is artfully expressed. The perfect hairline on this girl, her still facial expression, and the curved lines which lead to the dual decker bus in London in the background made for an intersting shot.
I always admire people who defy modern fashion in favor of retro-style couture. Notice the leading lines of the row of homes, leading off into the far distance, where you can see Londoners going about their daily business.
The outfit is inspiring and so is the fact that you can see the words "London Fashion Week" on the car doors in the background.
At the end of the Donna Karen show at New York Fashion Week, the fire department showed up. I'm guessing there was a report that the building had violated some fire code and the excess crowd was causing street congestion. While the lights from the F.D.N.Y. truck in the background were going off, I was able to snap this shot of well know model Irina Kulikova.
With fashion month just around the corner, I thought this interview I did with modeling industry icon Faith Kates would add some balanced insight into the world of modeling.
Faith Kates is a modeling industry legend. She started NEXT Model Management in 1989. Recently, we sat down to talk all things modeling. Needless to say, it was a great learning experience. Enclosed are few snippets from our conversation. And to Faith and the people at NEXT, thank you!
WHY THE SECOND SEASON IN A MODELS CAREER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE FIRST
Faith: Realistically, there's so many girls that have gotten ruined because they come the first season, they're not ready to do those shows and they do them. And the second season they're like, 'but she couldn't walk last season.' You know our job as agents is to prepare these models to get them out there, so that they do their job perfectly. ...we want to get them out there and we want them to know how to walk. I always say if you can get them a couple of good shows so they have some confidence. Think about being young from Latvia...this is the first time you've ever been on airplane and you walk out from behind the stage. You walk out and you're in shoes this high (gestures to a 5" stiletto) and there's a thousand people looking at you with cameras flashing. Think about that very first moment. See that's the story you should start talking to the girls about is, 'What do you fee like?' So it's a lot easier to do that exact thing in a smaller show and then another show and another show and then by the time you get to Prada, you got it.
Craig: So you might not necessarily try and book her for all the big shows?
Faith: Exactly. The first season is important but the second season is more important. Because the first season, lets say you got all the shows. You've got to keep them the second time. It's easy to get the first time. Now you have to do the editorial. Now you have to be out there the whole time. Because your only new once. (pause)
You are only a new girl once.
...you have to really know how to pace it. You have to know what you'll be able to sustain and not sustain.
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EDITORIAL IN A MODELS CAREER
Craig: How important is editorial?
Faith: Very important.
Craig: More important than campaigns?
Faith: It's all about VOGUE. If you are a VOGUE girl you are everywhere. Go into VOGUE magazine. You want to learn something, go in Vogue look at all the girls that are in the well. Go in Anna J, any one of them, Catherine, those are the girls that are doing all the campaigns. Those are girls that are in all the shows.
WHY GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH KEY PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE IMPORTANT
Faith: ...I think that in our world...when a girl starts, if you have one of the three or 4 really important photographers behind you, that's the girls that are making it. So if you have Steven Meisel, you have Mario Testino, you have a Craig McDean, you have a David Sims... you have one of those guys behind you, you're in.
Craig: So that's the goal then?
Faith: That's the goal.
Craig: Is that how you view your goal, moreso the photographer?
Faith: It is. You could walk in 1 show. I could get you to walk in Prada, you can walk in Gucci, you can walk in 1 show. But you didn't do good in that show. Or you know. You had the exclusive for the good show. I've seen girls have an exclusive to Prada and you never see them again. They weren't so great in the show. But at least if you are in a picture, it's out there. and it's out there for at least a couple of months and people keep seeing it. It's different. It's on the shelf its always there...with magazines while they're sitting out there, people are able to take them home and they keep looking and looking and looking at them....
Craig: The photographers are the key then?
Faith: The photographers and the magazines have all the power. Designers are important, don't get me wrong. They are very important. But I think it goes first with if you can get to the photographer. There are some girls that are really photographers girls.
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF A MODEL LIKING CLOTHES AND FASHION AS A NECESSITY TO SUCCEED
Craig: Does a girl with a genuine appreciation for fashion and clothing fare better in this industry?
Faith: You don't have to care about clothes...I don't think you have to love clothes. I don't think you have to dislike clothes. I just think you have to know how to wear clothes and know what feels good and right on you.
Craig: But like a girl who can get in touch with the artistic aesthetic of a Yohji Yamamoto because she's interested in style?
Faith: I don't think that matters.
Craig: It doesn't matter?
Faith: Not at all. I don't think it matters at all. I think that girl understands better what, and appreciate more what she's wearing but I don't think that that makes her a better model or makes her any better at what she does because she understands the dress
ON TWO TYPES OF FAME FOR A MODEL
Craig: How important is press as opposed to campaigns, editorials in magazines, and runways to a models career?
Faith: It depends upon the model. So there's a "high fashion model" lets call her that's doing all the campaigns and doing Vogue and doing all the shows. It doesn't matter. Because for her, her bible is the editorial, the Vogues of the world, and doing runway.
Then there's a whole other group of girls that, they are famous because of the press. They probably were not really famous models. But they became famous because they dated somebody that was famous, they were in the right place at the right time, they dated a basketball player, there was something about them that made them famous.
...There's 2 different kinds of famous. There's fashion famous which is what every model, I hate to say it , aspires to. They aspire to being in the well of American Vogue, they aspire to being photographed by Craig McDean, and David Sims, Steven Meisel, photographers Bruce Weber, like that.
And then there are girls that you know that their dream was to be in Sports Illustrated or to be in Victoria's Secret. Its a very different kind of famous and its a different kind of fashion. So its completely different. So there's two types of fame.
ON THE INTERNET AND PRINT
Craig: ...how important is the internet going to be to a models career as opposed to print publications?
Faith: I think we've all been struggling through it for the last 7 or 8 years. I don't see the print magazine or the newspaper or even the written book going away. As hard as I try to read and kindle it was the same as turning the pages. I think the internet becomes important because every day you can change it.
I do believe that the print magazine never goes away. I don't think VOGUE ever goes. I think that they are going to do business a bit differently.
AND FINALLY: THE BIGGEST NAMES NEXT HAS DEVELOPED FROM SCRATCH
Craig: The biggest names you've developed from scratch?
Faith: Milla Jovovich, Molly Sims, Joy Bryant, Diane Kruger (the actress), Angie Everhart, Anja Rubick, Anna Jagodzinka, Catherine McNeil, and Jessica Miller.
Tavi Williams, Style Rookie, 13 the cover of the new POP magazine, under the editorial leadership of Dasha Zhukova
4 pages in the 2d edition of LOVE a photo in style.com's Front-Row Faces
In the middle The Glamourai, on the sides The Owls Are Not What They Seem
Fashion is Poison, The Fashion Void that is DC, Fashion Pirates, Style Rookie
"Abbey Road meets Mercer Street" blogger style
A few months Jessica Schroeder from Weardrobe.com and I chatted over coffee about Jessica's dream to hold a blogger convention in New York before fashion week started. It didn't come as a suprise to find that Jessica transformed this vision into reality by bringing to New York 21 bloggers from around the country within the short time span of just a couple of months of work.
All I can say is that it was an amazing experience meeting all these girls and I'm half envious of the good time they had: a hotel room overlooking Gramercy Park, free meals in Soho where the food was shaped like tiny sculptures, DIY projects, new shoes, new bags...yet another way for serious fashion bloggers to make their presence heard in the world. Glamour.com, Seventeen Magazine, and a few other notable news outlets were there to report on the event that left this group of 21 girls turning more than a few heads on the streets of New York.
Arizona Muse (Next, NY) exiting Balenciaga in Paris
Arizona Muse was arguably the new phenomena to watch this last show season. She captured the hearts of a wide set of Casting Directors from London's Russell Marsh to New York's James Scully. She's from New Mexico in case you are wondering and her show credits include opening and closing both Prada and Miu Miu, opening Chloé and closing YSL. I'm sure the Faith Kates team at Next NY will generate some amazing off season action for this new wonder.
Bo Don (Marilyn, NY) exiting Roberto Cavalli in Milan
Dutch wonder Bo Don first debuted on the runways at the Fall/Winter 2010 PARIS shows, but this Spring/Summer 2018 season marked her first full circuit of shows. Her appearence in Balenciaga marked two consecutive seasons in the show and her walks in the most directional shows like Cavalli, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs and Chanel point to what is surely going to be a colorful career to manage for the team over at Marilyn.
Britt Maren (Women, NY) exits Isabel Marant in Paris
Can you say "Hej Britt!" That's Swedish for you guys out there who want to show love by speaking in Britt's homeland language. I'm sure she'll get lots more love from the Women Model NY team lead by agency head Louie Chaban (the genius behind Agyness Deyn). With appearances in the most directional shows cast by a wide set of influential casting directors this season from opening Alexander Wang (Anita Bitton) to Balmain, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs (Michelle Lee) and Donna Karen (John Pfeiffer), I'm sure the editors at the worlds leading magazines will be taking note of her as well....perhaps Steven Meisel soon too?
Bambi Northwood-Blyth (Elite, NY) exits Balenciaga in Paris
Do you come from the land down under? Bambi does and somehow I think her booking value will be up and over the top in the off season. She's got a famous boyfriend (Ksubi co-founder Dan Single), plays in the social scene (maximizes her exposure), caught the eye of Casting Director Ashley Brokaw when she walked Balenciaga, channeled some Lagerfeld Love at Chanel, and apparently is a favorite of LOVE Editor-In-Chief Katie Grand enough to exclusively walk shows Katie styled in London.
Jessica Clarke (DNA, NY) exits Elie Saab
New Zealand hits the radar! Jessica debuted by walking a Calvin Klein exclusive. Scoring a Calvin Klein exclusive is like winning a New York Fashion Week MVP award. Past Calvin Klein runway exclusives have included Karlie Kloss (SS08), Natalia Vodianova (SS07), and Lara Stone (SS07). Jessica walked a tiny selection of other shows this season too, cherry picked from the best London, Milan, and Paris had to offer.
The first batch of photos of the girl in this post was taken here.
Now you can see where the second batch of pictures were taken. This is the angle that Benjamin chose for the final picture.
On Sunday afternoon, I had the pleasure of meeting one of Europe's most well known Street Fashion photographers -- Benjamin from Stil in Berlin. If you haven't already checked out their site, I recommend clicking around a bit when you do. They have some really amazing pictures.
Naturally I jumped at the chance to pick Ben's brain and being the patient gentleman that he is, Benjamin answered with aplomb and honesty:
How has Stil in Berlin evolved differently than where you originally thought it would go back when you first started it?
When Mary first asked me to join up with her to hit the streets of Berlin, she already had a plan of how Stil in Berlin could be. Of course having some advertisements connected to fashion was a thought, but we wanted to be the blog as clean as possible. So we just started out going into the city for an hour a week.
But the traffic on our site grew, especially after an article on slate.com (http://www.slate.com/id/2146220/?nav=navoa), so we just had to put more time into the site. Because knowing that people are curious about your photos really gives you a boost and motivates you to put more time and energy into the site. Since then we did several interviews for online as well as print magazines, an exibhition (collaboration the Style-scouts organized by Style Scout from London. This really helped Stil in Berlin to be known and from then on people asked us the be involved in different projects. We made streetstyle videos for current-tv and we provide a major two monthly Berlin magazine with streetstyle articles.
A couple of weeks ago we even were invited by Chanel for a trip to Paris to check out their new campaign on the Coco Mademoiselle campaign. So right now things are going very well, I never would have dreamed of how Stil in Berlin would grow, and our website is still very clean.
When someone says "no" to having their picture taken, do you persist or do you walk away?
Well Germans are people that normally say what's on their mind. So if someone says "no" in most cases it will not turn into a "yes". To convince them we do tell him/her that their outfit is magnificent and that it will be only a matter of a minute. But gladly not a lot of people turned us down. And if they do the main reason is that they have to be at some appointment.
It was a pleasure meeting Benjamin and look forward to meeting the both of you in Berlin soon!
Last night was Fashion Night Out all over the world and the streets of New York City were shoulder-to-shoulder with people shopping, partying, and drinking pretty much everything in site. It's a wonder the city still functioned everyone was having so much fun.
Crossing paths with Yulia who is always a pleasure to see, was one highlight.
loafers -- Miu Miu pants -- BCBG top -- Gucci
One thing we did talk about briefly was Casting Director Jennifer Starr's statement in her recent interview with New York Magazine, ""Model street style has blown up significantly in the past few years, what do you make of it?There is no doubt in my mind that if you have authentic personal style, it will help you as a model. Look at models like Erin Wasson, Abbey Lee, Freja Beha, and Daria Webowy, all of whom have great style. Personal style indicates to me that you have a great sense of self. The key is having authentic style. You must feel comfortable with the image you're projecting; otherwise, it's obvious you're trying too hard."
First off, I wanted to wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year. I thought I'd pay homage to the year by quickly sharing with you some of my favorite shots from 2008. With two new fashion months coming up this year and undoubtedly more press too, 2009 stands to be an amazing year with startling photos and inspiration to share. So without further ado, I bring you:
Capturing Agyness Deyn with the sunset background and ensuing bokeh back in June. This was an exclusive shot of Agyness and is special since the Jean Paul Gaultier dress is atypical of her usual style.
Capturing Marc Jacobs and Rachel Zoe together back in spring. This was arguably, the first time the two had been photographed together since the media debacle back in Feb. when Rachel couldn't get into Marc's show. When I saw him again on the corner of Sixth and Bleecker, he said "thanks for that."
This picture of A Magazine's Fashion Editor Annabel Rivera is special to me because it's not just another picture of someone posing for a photo. There is motion: motion in her hair, motion in her shadow on the street, and the lighting was good too.
This picture was taken at Paris Fashion Week--an onslaught of photographers all leaning in the same direction at the same time to "blitzkrieg" Paris Vogue's Emmanuelle Alt. You should have seen the cloud of dust in the air over their heads as they ran across the Tuileries. Wait till I get a picture of that.
Can you say LONDON?
This picture of Net-a-porter.com's Head Buyer Holli Rogers is special to me for a few reasons. First, the background oozes Paris (it was taken outside the YSL show). Second, it was taken at night without a tripod and still turned out sharp. Third, Holli cooperated with me, despite their being a barrage of other flashes and photographers trying to borrow my "set up"
Cheers to 2009 folks! May we all be held in awe at the good things the world has in store for us!
Kate King (Canada/FORD, NY) walked Wang in her first season ever FW11
New York Fashion Week is here and from within the modeling industry, everyone's eyes are wide open to spot the next big face of the season. BCBG Max Azria on Day 2 will often set a precedent, followed by Alexander Wang on Day 3. The big question about Wang's show is, "Who will open Alexander Wang?" Wang has recently set a precedent with discovering The New Face of the season. I wish I could say it was me (ha) as he (Alexander Wang) often remembers me when I wear my Marc Jacob's silk georgette twill top with built in bow tie (shot his party at Paris Fashion Week wearing that and then a year later he recalled it), but alas reality sets in.
Wang wasn't always the hit wonder for models though. Up until he got the CFDA Top 10 nomination, he was casting more unknown girls. Taking a quick look at the history of who opened Alexander Wang therafter, this is what we get:
Is it any wonder with A-listers like Freja and Raquel opening in the past, that when a new face gets the first impression look in a show chalked full of A-list models and alpha editors now, the new face gains noteworthy public recognition in the modeling industry? Or when a new face walks the show at all for that matter...
Hang with me here for just a couple of more minutes. If you take a look at the other models who get cast for Wang, you will see a lineup full of A-listers. Out of curiosity, I wanted to see who The Real Queen of the Alexander Wang runway was. Which model has walked Alexander Wang MORE than any other model? So I went back in the archives at both style.com and vogue.com till they didn't have any older shows than SS17 and made a mini Runway IQ tracker which you can play with below.
What's the point of all this? Well as the saying goes, you are judged by the company you keep and if you are keeping company in Alexander Wang's line up, a designer celebrated by the CFDA and getting press left and right for his companies sales, you are in good company.
What a great pleasure it was today to meet Copenhagen's landmark to street fashion, Jenny and Soren from Copenhagen Street Style. I met them at the Danish Design Center where they have a special exhibit among other leading fashion insiders in Copenhagen.
I had the privilege of asking a few quesitons. "What do you find most fulfilling about taking street style photographs?" To which they replied, "Challenging the fashion hierarchy" (see top left of first pic). Then when I asked them, "What's important to you about challenging the fashion hierarchy?" they replied, "It provides an alternative to what the mainstream says is 'in'" I hope they keep up the great work for years to come!
First off, I wanted to say THANK YOU to each and everyone of you who took the time to extend your condolences to me. Words really can't do justice to the sincerity with which I say this thanks from the bottom of my heart. May good karma come back to you all in the form of Rick Owens and Marc Jacobs goods!
Now on to some new street style! I am so excited to get my camera out again. We have New York Fashion Week coming up, London Fashion Week...so much to look forward to in the near future that I'm about ready to camp out at Bryant Park starting this weekend. <---kidding On a more serious note, in the first picture you have Andre. Be sure to click the picture to enlarge the photo so you can better see the details: the colored stitching on his lapels, his rings, his cufflinks. In a word, awesome.
In the second picture you see some subtler style as evinced by Patrick. His perfectly scuplted hair inspired by the 50's beatnick and greaser is the primary focus, his epaulettes on his black button down which color coordinate well with his skin a close second.
Again, Thank You to everyone for your words of condolence and patience with waiting for new material to be posted.
Anja Rubik's street style at the March 2010 Paris shows, Anja Rubik's street style at the March 2010 Paris shows again, Anja Rubik's street style at the Feb. 2010 New York Fashion Week shows, Anja Rubik's street style at the October 2009 Paris Fashion Week shows, and exiting the Viktor and Rolf show at Paris Fashion Week in October of 2009
For additional shots of JacJac Jagaciak's street style with Kasia Struss at the July 2010 Paris Couture shows, the story of Jac before and during the Balmain show at the March Paris Fashion Week, Jac Jagaciak's street style at the Feb. 2010 Milan Fashion Week shows, and Jac Jagaciak's street style the October 2009 Milan Fashion Week shows and more!
Ruby just completed her first ever full circuit of fashion shows during the Fall/Winter 2010 season in pristine standing. She opened Marc by Marc Jacobs, walked Marc Jacobs, closed Lanvin and even walked the Christian Dior show. And she's already following up on that amazing first season with equally amazing off season results as well: a major campaign with a major photographer and a new feature on Vogue Italy. <--click link to see
But what I'm sure everyone here will really appreciate is her consistent sense of personal style. Whether in trailblazing the Versace show in Milan or racing out of the Christian Dior show in Paris, Ruby always looked good and always had an amazing attitude. She was always willing to take an extra minute to itemize the clothes she was wearing for the photographers and she never did so impatiently either. In the craziness that pervades everything during fashion week, that says a lot about a person.
We'll be seeing more of her in the future for sure.
Poppy Delevingne (Storm, London) exits the SS17 Burberry show at London Fashion Week
Cara Delevingne (Storm, London) exits the SS17 Burberry show at London Fashion Week
By the way, it's pronounced Bur-brie (as in the cheese) by the Brits and not Bur-berry (as in the fruit). And to think I was like all "American" sounding going Bur-berry all these years!
I think the contrast between the two sisters style as seen in these pics from today is quite interesting, don't you think?
p.s. and in having nothing to do with the Delevingne sisters and everything to do with street style, make sure to hop over to the new L'Oreal Paris Your Style Your Studio for hair site by clicking HERE. It's genius surfing hair styles uploaded by people from around the world.
This is Eric wearing a coat from London's Public Beware. In this second picture, you can get a better view of his sideburns and hair style. I chose the first picture as the pilot picture, since it depicts life on the streets of NYC in addition to Eric's unique sense of style. You can for example, in the background on the left, see that some people are still opting to ride bikes (and brave the road traffic) instead of subways in NYC, despite the recent cold weather.
This is Emilia who is originally from Italy. Naturally, the coat is vintage Italian.
L-Dorothea Barth Jorgensen (Women NY) and R-Anna de Rijk (DNA)
Dorothea was recently shot by Steven Meisel (again) for the Alberta Ferretti S/S 2010 campaign. She was also shot by Craig McDean for a Feb. 2010 W Magazine editorial.
Anna just shot a 10 Magazine editorial for the F/W 2009 issue and completed the Vera Wang S/S 2010 campaign.
L-Vanessa Hegelmaier and R-Amanda Norgaard
Vanessa Hegelmaier just shot an editorial for Vogue Greece and was shot by Nathaniel Goldberg for the DKNY S/S 2010 campaign
Amanda Norgaard walked Prada and Miu Miu last season and since has done editorial work with Interview Magazine and a 15 page editorial with the Feb. 2010 U.S. edition of Harpers Bazaar.
Amanda has a brilliant and fun personality.... Vanessa and I appeared together on German National TV last season on a special RTL segment on me.
Amanda's spunk and style popping for the camera
L-Alla Kostromichova (Women Direct) and R-Irina Vodolazova (Women Direct)
Alla was just appeared in the Jan. issue of Italian Vogue, and finished editorials with British Vogue, ID and 10 magazine.
Irina recently completed an editorial with L'Officiel Russia
Lindsey Wixson (Marilyn NY)
Shot by Mert Alus and Marcus Piggott for the Miu Miu S/S 2010 campaign, shot by Craig McDean for W, shot by Daniel Jackson for ID, featured in POP, and featured in LOVE magazine...I can't wait to see how she fares this runway season.
Lindsey Wixson Street Style: FW10 Paris
Lindsey Wixson Street Style: at the SS17 Milan shows
Lindsey Wixson Street Style: exclusive pre-fashion month photo
After getting back from London Fashion Week, I was impressed with the number of men and women in London that embraced the past in their sense of style. I wondered if we didn't have some of that here in NYC, especially at the tents during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.
I started to search my archived photos and I found this delightful ensemble referenced in the past: the feather in her headpiece, the straight skirt, and the arched heel on her t-strap pumps, and the small bag being immediately apparent examples to me.
![Pierre Balmain Spring/Summer 2012 [Women’s Collection]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7NdgIm-U79s/TosY29hPROI/AAAAAAAAPK8/A9CQlSO1BWE/s1600-rw/pierrebalmainss2012wcqc01.jpg)
