A Woman of a Singular Charm.

Vogue Paris March 2010 - Vogue Paris August 2010 - Vogue Nippon March 2006

I've been feeling dramatically nostalgic today and restlessly enclined to immerse myself in oldies dating back to the very beginning of my infatuation with fashion - 2006, that is. I'll hand it to you that tracking down models who were in the spotlight back then and sank into oblivion almost at once ; trying to dig up editorials who hadn't made their way into your digital archives up until now ; taking a look at stories that had slipped off your mind is not necessarily the most effective way to tear yourself away from nostalgia but then again, having a blast from the past every now and then has never been that harmful. It is actually most informative regarding fashion per se - because after all, when I started paying attention to it I was more of a dilettante than a hardcore follower and overlooked a plethora of things - and caused me to wonder why it grabbed ahold of me at this very moment ; what made me shift from monthly reading Vogue Paris so as to parade about to being genuinely interested in fashion.

Vogue Italia September 2006 - Vogue Italia August 2006 - Vogue Italia December 2010

Among the things that had a strong hand in my introduction to this illusional fantasy (no, Kate Moss and Karl Lagerfeld are nowhere to be found within my list, ha.)? Norwegian mystery Iselin Steiro. Iselin's career pattern is pretty much impeccable, and so is she as a model - the kind of model you can both relate to and look up to - mysteriously laid-back ; different-looking without overshadowing the clothes she displays ; deceptively chameleon-esque, on top of all. At the risk of being repetitive (and I know I already am), versatility should go hand in hand with modelling.

Vogue UK October 2010 - S Magazine #10 - Vogue Paris April 2007

Versatility draws the beholders into questioning their identifying skills ; it takes by surprise and spices the things up ; finally it enables to weed out the models who won't be able to go the distance from the ones who will be. It is no secret that models often tend to get pigeonholed into tight categories and the ones set up for longevity and success are positively those who manage to transcend the barriers we want to shut them in. And that's what Iselin has achieved all throughout her seven years-long career, playing off of her various facets and taking on a different appearance from a story to another... No wonder why she and Freja Beha Erichsen have been paired up so many times and have worked wonders as many times.

Vogue Paris May 2006 - Flair June 2005 - Vogue UK August 2005

source : click through the link under the images.

Modern Supermodel.

I was discussing with an acquaintance the supermodels era and the arbitrary impossibility of using this phrase nowadays ; doesn't make sense to me, as we've been witnessing the evolution of a few outstanding models who've left a deep stamp onto the industry, and who do live up to last decade's supermodels. If anything they aren't as into the mainstream as them - nothing but a bonus point in my opinion - but does it really make them less skilled than Linda Evangelista? Really? I shouldn't be taken aback as it's the fashion industry we're talking about, where publicy makes someone a supermodel. All in all, it all depends on the significance you assign to this concept.

Speaking of supermodels, the first name that crosses my mind is Freja Beha Erichsen (sorry Eva). I know a lot of people would disagree because she's a tomboy, she doesn't put any effort into her outfits, yadda yadda yadda... Regardless, the great Dane's managed to build up her reputation within the fashion world thanks to her work and without any self-denial... unlike a certain Kate Moss, who owes her worldwide popularity to her frasques and sense of style. Anyway - there's no denying Freja has reached a whole new level in her career this year, fronting consequent print-work and working with the most influential / hyped photographers of the moment : Steven Meisel, Terry Richardson, or lastly Hedi Slimane.

I've read plenty of critical comments fretting over his imagery being too repetitive, and one cannot deny his trademark doesn't let room for innovation ; yet, and oddly enough, that's what never fails to appeal to me. No originality involved for the sake of making his photographs remarkable, just a calm rawness and the model's capability of emoting.

I like the idea of Freja's face being hidden under a luster wig, and I'm even more puzzled at the chill, penetrating aura exuded by this set considering the model couldn't even rely on her expressivity to create it. It's all about her demure poise. Not to mention that the overall atmosphere is so intense that the melancholy depicted could unconsciously steal over you and wrap you up in an equal state of nostalgic stillness.

All overstatement apart, I think Freja is among the rare models who could make this straightforwardness work. In spite of the gigantic amount of work she's got over the last months, I inwardly believe we are yet to find out about some unseen facets of hers... Up to her hirers to let her unveil them.

source : scanned by Valentine27 @ tFS

Veuve noire.

It's not commonly admitted, yet Jamie Bochert's features are pictorial. It didn't occur to me at first, but she somehow comes off as a portrait of Modigliani's - the Marguerite resemblance is rather striking, to say the least. This being said, she remains one of a kind ; an all-around talent, who's currently trying her hand at singing ; a model whose work reeks of intelligence ; an arresting presence, a gaze that evokes but never unveils.

It seems like her collaboration (hopefully the first in a long serie) with the master of black and white photography, as known as Hedi Slimane, is a celebration of all that. He drew out an incredible simplicity in her - neither forced expressions nor contrived poses to be seen through the entire set - and captured her essence : the poised serenity she gives off, the hint of determination flashing in her eyes as well as the subtle maturity that keeps her apart from the unexperienced and slightly generic - albeit pretty - faces the industry has kind of been after (naming no names.).

Though it may not jump out at first glance - the pictures display a slight but nonetheless worthy of note contrast between the many-sidedness of the model immortalized and the straightforwardness of the photography... which just goes to show that Hedi Slimane has understood that a plain surrounding along with an epic personality is enough. No need to fill out with loads of patterns and in-your-face colors. Charisma makes it all.

To cap this article off, I'd just like to share an excerpt from the few lines accompanying the editorial : Bochert taught herself the piano and guitar, encouraged by her fiancé, the actor Michael Pitt, also a musician in a band called Pagoda. "It took me five years to learn and I'm still learning, but ballet taught me discipline." Yes, patience and determination pay off ; Jamie is living proof.

Source : scanned by me.

Fashion gets real.

Artists are known for being keen on abusing the thin, blurry, fragile line between beauty and horror, enticement and revulsion. For its August's issue, the Vogue Italia team decided to bring out a topical theme, more dramatic and impact-ful than the portrayal of a putrescent carcasse in that the latter may remain rather abstract in people's mind. Here it has nothing to do with working out a completely contrived concept leaving the mere beholder startled. It's about throwing a crude reality at the reckless readers looking for eye candies, labelled clothing and sylphlike figures.

Troughout the story, beauty gets secondary, hence the choice of Kristen McMenamy as the melancholy mermaid. An outstanding face, a daunting presence, a commanding confidence threatening the standards of classic beauty, turning them to ashes, making them sound incredible... This grossly sums up the supermodel's appeal. There's no dichotomy to be seen within the pictures. No glamourous opulence showing up among the crudeness. It's all about upsetting... and evoking.

Any fashion editor having a newspaper at hands could have envisionned to get inspired by the ecologic drama going on in the Gulf - appearing to die out, at the moment, though the impact on the environment isn't bound to do so. But all in all, which one would have been bold enough to publish shots so saddening and thought-provoking? In an industry where the obsession with making money is omnipresent, and thus where satisfying the buyers is the main purpose to reach, not many editors dare produce fashion stories likely to burst their readers' bubble - fashion stories that go beyond fashion. It seems like Franca Sozzani is the exception to this dismal rule. And only for this she'd deserve to get applaused and praised.

It's down to the reader to interpret this editorial as he wants to. Tribute? Denounciation? Mere whim? Anyhow, if I was to prove that fashion isn't only a matter of glitsy shallowness and ethereal, conceptual beauty, I would grab that issue and show it away.

EDIT : High Quality

Source : dnamodels.com via Omnis @ tFS