Rejoice.

Never knock down a newcomer as a one-trick one-season wonder before she's debuted in print. Ever. This is the lesson whirlind of a model Arizona Muse has learned me and I'm willing to stick by it so I won't be missing out on watching the evolution of another up-and-comer of her caliber (if any) any time soon. I assume I don't need to go about typing down Arizona's resume ; other blogs have and will better than I ever could. In a nutshell she's been working for three years but has only started burning up the fashion industry this season, and... she's got a baby. Chill out, I'm not heading down mundane debates lane (isn't she too young? irresponsible? selfish?), nor am I willing to expound upon her personal life, but being cognizant that she hasn't left everything behind so as to get her face plastered all over Vogue Italia is a thought I deem comforting - not to mention it takes someone who has a good head on their shoulder to be fully aware of the fickleness of the fashion industry and not to get invested into it at all costs.

To a certain extent, knowing that insignificant bit lulls me into thinking Arizona doesn't fall into the category of girls ready to write off their off-duty lives so as to keep the pace with the industry they happen to work in and God know there's nothing more miserable than self-dismissive, obsessively aspiring demeanors (at least to me). I've earned this repulsion through witnessing countless wannabes trying to make it into any industry whatsoever undergoing ludicrous make-overs so as to stay relevant, but at the end of the day it felt so like self-denial that it took away all the authentic freshness they had embodied at some point. Here's to hoping Arizona never gets tempted into changing drastically basically, for it would truly affect my love for her and her work. She stands out to me because she is so malleable as a model and yet so genuinely and unassumingly herself. She can be the vehicle by which photographers convey their vision and remain recognizable by means of her infectious smile, her sophisticated stance, and her risky posing above all.

Poses happen to impart much more significance to the way we look at the clothes than we realize. When clothes just hang down a body we're kind of bullied into seeing them but all in all we're so bombarded with different aesthetics and cuts and patterns that there's nothing left to do but gloss over the whole without absorbing anything at all. When a model dares to try out eccentric poses, not only can she cancel out the staidness of studio photography and the one-note goal it strives for, but she also draws your eyes into concentrating away from the garments upon the lines of her body and the intricacy of its angles first, then back upon the fashion and all its subjacent details per se. Not to mention a mannequin who has no setting to work off of and who still gets to do the clothing a favour solely within the limitation of her body commands respect, doesn't she? And well, correct me if I'm wrong but I think Arizona is slowly yet firmly entrenching herself within the model who masters the art of posing type. Her postures give off such a determined fortitude, an unwavering dominance, that even poses that could look contrived at first cursory glance come across as bluntly immanent to her body language. Only a model who's well-versed in her own body can carry this off.

I'm finally starting to comprehend the why of the Arizona Muse phenomenon. I couldn't wrap my head around her sudden blow-up in the first place, but I've gradually grown to see the wow-factor that was overshadowed by her unpolished runway appeal. Sometimes - no, often, success in modelling doesn't boil down to looks. I know it would sound paradoxical to anyone not dissecting the fashion industry, as well as I'm certain mannequin connoisseurs will grasp my point. You know a model is great when you can peel away the prettiness - or look past the absence of that for that matter - and still get enough fodder to chew on and ramble about. Blatant beauty can be irksomely depthless and unexciting, while presence... presence is an unexplainable and complex power that pulls you in and keeps your level of fascination up. Being a talented model, it's being versatile enough to be capable of taking on a myriad of characters all the while being detached from this all enough to cling to your individuality and let your idiosyncratic presence pierce through the layers of artifice. I do reckon presence and consequently personality win out over beauty. Arizona perfectly exemplifies it.

source : scanned by push @ tFS

Ahead of the curve.

Albeit French models such as Sigrid Agren or Constance Jablonski have become forces to be reckoned with within the industry, France has hardly asserted itself as a topmodel-maker country over the most recent years. It's about time the tide turned if you ask me, and I am keen to believe that amongst the girls my terre d'origine holds in store for us, some of them will most certainly make this change happen once they burst onto the fashion scene. Amidst the few names popping into my head, the most recurring one has to Aymeline Valade's. Mediterranean-looking marvel is demurely self-confident, softly manly, aloofly entrancing, all rolled up into one ; a multi-edged talent for sure, who's actually been revolving around the modelling sphere for years without carving out a prolific high-end career. After getting stuck in the commercial field for several seasons, Aymeline seems to have (finally!) branched out and made her stamp on the high-fashion avenue, walking for Balenciaga last season and having two stories out in the new Wonderland issue. Yes, because however compelling these digitals above are, they don't even begin to do her malleability justice. Reeking of staying power and personality ; capable of swinging back and forth between sultriness and androgyny, elegance and toughness, glamour and affability with as much comfort as possible ; Mrs Valade has never been readier to transition away from low-key works into top-notch bookings and cement her status as France's uprising modelling sensation... grant her license to do so and her career will skyrocket.

source : womenmanagement.com

Naominspired.

Anyone who needs to be given the proof that models aren't necessarily ditsy clothes hangers should look out for the 19 years old Argentinian, Naomi Preizler.

I was literally astounded when I first found out about her - and I ain't overstating. What wowed me? The mix of bubbly liveliness and rough edginess that pretty much sums up Naomi's appeal. What keeps me spellbound? Her inspirational personality.

Having a knack for coming up with off-beat - this not equating to contrived - outfits, Naomi has managed to embrace a saucy style matching her personality and different from the either-praised-or-despised models uniform. It might sound secondary, but I reckon that remaining genuine style-wise while working in an industry where generic trends dominate is the testament of an undoubtedly bold creativity.

On top of that, the young but nonetheless ingenuous Argentinian draws. She draws relevant fashion celebrities, such as Natalia Vodianova. Nevertheless, her skills don't boil down to duplicating pictures of them published in magazines ; Naomi sketches everyday-faces as well, captures and portrays a huge palette of expressions, and lets her imagination unfold through her paintings. In that, she could be said to resemble her model mate Sasha Pivovarova, but I won't even dare the comparison ; Naomi is her own breed!

Source : COACD via Ghostwerld and Carla-A @ tFS ; this-is-simes via Karolina. @ tFS
All images linked courtesy of Naomi Preizler via her blog.

Under a curse.

Miuccia Prada's chouchoutes are sadly renowned for being one-season standouts ending up dropping off the radars - though Lindsey Wixson seems to have made her way out of the so-called curse thus far. I always prefer making up my own opinions rather than mindlessly claiming things based on rumors and whispers, but the Curse Theory has been bugging me since... the Fall / Winter Givenchy campaign came out.

Malgosia Bela, MariaCarla Boscono, Catherine McNeil, Joan Smalls and Lea T. are featured in the ad, alongside Mengyao Ming Xi and Dafne Cejas, both Riccardo Tisci's latest infatuations. I've been keeping my eye on those two rising stars for months and seeing them landing such a remarkable A-Class campaign obviously sends me into the stratosphere, nevertheless don't mind me comparing this very campaign to that of Fall / Winter 2009.

Turning up next to the predatory MariaCarla, Adriana and Iris (whose career has been slowing down but is starting to bounce back) : Ranya Mordanova, a newcomer who had recently been introduced to the modelling industry. Considering that being a favorite of Riccardo's is admittedly an achievement, I got fooled into thinking that she would become one of the most successful models over a five years period. Contrary to my expectations, her career reached a worrisome state not too long ago (in spite of a few appearances runway and editorial-wise) - especially taking into account that she's no longer backed up by Mr. Tisci.

Ranya's lack of work more or less accounts for my strong uncertainty about what's ahead of Dafne and Ming's careers : while a strong part of me wants to reckon that snatching up such high fashion work is positive, I remain doubtful and would highly recommend my girls not taking anything for granted... because all in all, the most in demand models at the moment are also the most workaholic ones.

Source : wwd via Flashbang @ tFS ; zinio via cul8tr @ tFS ; scanned by fearless123 @ tFS