Modeling Journey

Gisele Bundchen poses for Patrick Demarchelier in a gorgeous editorial for Vogue Brasil's August 2011 edition. Looking better than ever, Bundchen is a vision of loveliness wearing designs by Brazil's top designers inspired by pioneers of Brazilian fashion. Bundchen is one of the current generation's top models who is recognisable on a first name basis and continues to deliver the trademark Brazilian sex appeal that made her a household name.

During a recent trip to New York, I almost put my back out lugging home hand luggage brimming full of fashion magazines and coffee table books. One of the books that I picked up along the way was Roberto Cavalli's book celebrating his 40th year in fashion. The book photographed by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott features 84 decadent images of some of modelling's biggest names including Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen, Karolina Kurkova, Carolyn Murphy, Angela Lindvall, Heidi Klum, Maria Carla Boscono, Natasha Poly, Joan Smalls, Liu Wen, Lara Stone and Daria Werbowry. The retrospective of classic, rich Cavalli signature looks get the midas touch by stylist Marie-Amelie Sauve with art direction by Fabien Baron. In his foreword, Cavalli sums up the book's motif, "It is a journey into my world, and my way of seeing women. Women, for me, are undisputedly the focus of beauty and sensuality."

I have every edition of American Vogue dating back to Anna Wintour's premiere issue as Editor-in-chief in November 1988. I fondly recall spending a large part of my adolescence pouring over the pages of American Vogue, searching for the names of the models, make up artists, stylists and photographers. The late Eighties and Nineties were a magical period. Each month I would hunt down the latest issue of American Vogue at news stands all over my hometown in Sydney Australia, anxiously anticipating who would be that month's cover model. 

An appearance on the cover of American Vogue was and still is, the very highest accolade that a model can achieve throughout her modelling career. It was during this period that photographers such as Arthur Elgort, Peter Lindbergh, Patrick Demarchelier, Herb Ritts and Steven Meisel collaborated with a select group of young women including Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz and Linda Evangelista. Many of the images that would appear on the cover and within the pages of American Vogue are now iconic and at the time set a new standard for fashion photography.

With the advent of the internet and the cult of celebrity, models now seldom appear on the cover of American Vogue. Models have since been replaced by actresses as cover subjects and unfortunately the covers of US Vogue have become banal and predictable, with an endless stream of covers featuring the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman. I miss the spontaneity, grace and astounding beauty that models bring to the fore as cover subjects and now find myself pouring over newsstands in Berlin where I now reside, searching for the latest edition of Paris Vogue and Vogue Italia. Below is a selection of my all-time favourite American Vogue covers.

Born on 22nd March 1989 in Santa Catarina, Brazil, Aline comes from a country fiercely proud of its success in providing the fashion industry with some of its brightest stars. Aline’s start began in 2004 when she was featured as the Model of the Week by www.models.com. Aged 15, this was a huge honour for a model still considered a new face.

In 2005, she scored her first cover, appearing in the autumn special for British magazine ‘Dazed & Confused’. From 2006 to 2008, Weber built up a series of credits including a catwalk appearance for Comme des Garcons and editorials for Italian Elle and Brazilian Vogue. But, as with every success story, there came a moment when her career took her from ordinary model to industry player. For Aline, this moment was in February 2008. She did the rounds for the coveted runway spots in Fashion Week, and soon discovered that hers was the name everyone wanted. She got three opening spots – Daks, Requiem and Balenciaga – and appeared in a staggering roll-call of design talent including Burberry, Chloe, Dries Van Noten, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs and YSL. Making a massive impact across all the major shows, Aline was featured as a Top 10 Newcomer by both www.models.com and http://www.style.com/.

June ’08 saw Aline take another step forward with two editorials for French Vogue, both shot by Patrick Demarchelier. ‘Le Chant des Sirenes’ saw Aline modelling with Lara Stone. French Vogue is known for its love of the avant-garde side of fashion, but where the magazine excels is in making creative decisions that are not high-fashion for high-fashion’s sake. It marries editorial excellence with images that make you stop in your tracks. A high-fashion image can be dreamy, exhilarating or provocative, but it has to be arresting. This is a lot to ask any model, but google the images and it’s clear that Aline and Lara work together in perfect synchronicity.

Aline’s winning streak at scoring blue-chip bookings was cemented by her signing for a D&G campaign, plus editorials for Harper’s Bazaar, Chinese Vogue and Italian Vogue. In September, Weber’s runway profile soared with the news she would be the closer for the Marc Jacobs show. To appear in a Marc Jacobs show is a stellar moment in any model’s CV. To appear as the headliner, or even the last girl standing, is an indication that your look most closely matches the designer’s vision for that season. For Spring 2009, Aline was the Jacobs’ girl.

2009 started with Aline making her debut for the French Vogue calendar and featuring on the cover of Brazilian Vogue. Aline’s reputation as a Vogue favourite, continued with editorials for Japanese Vogue in March and April. Weber’s potential to be that classic, bookable model hit a high note in August when she appeared for American Vogue’s now-famous editorial, ‘After Hours: Fashion’s Night Out’. Like their 2007 cover naming their picks for future top models, this spread was a mega-model gathering, with every model of note asked to take part. It was an impressive logistical feat, but the emerging photos were a snapshot of fashion’s best new and established faces. The editorial charted talent from across the globe, with Aline one of many representing Brazil.

Modelling took a temporary hiatus when Aline’s career took an unusual turn in December ’09. Asked to make a cameo appearance in Tom Ford’s film ‘A Single Man’, Weber got a small role in Ford’s directorial debut. Starring Colin Firth, the film demanded restraint from every performer: any jarring note would have picked up immediately, but Aline’s appearance as one of Colin’s students, was cool, calm and collected. Perfect for the film, and a perfect debut.

2010 took Aline’s career up another notch with the January cover for Spanish Vogue and an editorial for Russian Vogue. Appearing the next month in RTW shows for Alexander Wang, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton and Stella McCartney, Aline’s runway CV was shaping up to be one of the strongest among models working today.

Aline’s ability to work unfazed was put to the test in July when she got booked for her first couture season. It was the final hurdle in winning her fashion stripes. Proving yourself at couture level can take years: Aline’s steady accumulation of runway and editorial work more than proved her ability to take on fashion’s greatest challenge.

In August, Weber scored another major editorial, working again for French Vogue. ‘L’hiver avant l’hiver’ was a 65-page odyssey through the coming season’s fashion. These editions are especially important, as they set the sartorial standard for the next 6 months. Being asked to feature in these editorials is more than being a face that fits: it’s a sign that your look matches what’s being produced for the next season and can be very good news when you’re looking for that next booking.

Sure enough, Aline’s runway total for the S/S 2011 season reached a mammoth 46 shows. Her look was paired with every major designer from Chanel, Marc Jacobs and Stella McCartney. Six years after being nominated ‘Model of the Week’ by www.models.com, Aline has become a favourite with every notable designer; more in demand than ever, at a time when most models are considering their next move.

Modelling is, by its nature, brief, but with Aline’s latest move to Next Models, her career is far from losing momentum. Despite being from the same stable as models Isabeli Fontana and Gisele Bundchen, Aline is a model who is proud to be different. Weber’s fashion-perfect frame and trademark cheekbones have made her a high-fashion favourite, with her work in editorials securing her a reputation with the best magazines in the world.

Brazil has given us the ultimate fashion-meets-bombshell moments with Gisele Bundchen, and Victoria’s Secret superstars, Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio. Aline’s career may be decidedly different from theirs, but it is no less impressive for it. She is a fashion girl through and through – her appeal spans Milan, New York and Paris, with multiple bookings from designers who adore Weber’s ability to transform at will.

Being exclusively high-fashion, and making it pay, is a tough business. The opportunities are few and far between, and the lucrative campaigns are especially rare. Aline’s continuing success since 2004 is evidence of a model who can handle the difficult, nuanced work required by magazines such as French Vogue, and headline shows for Balenciaga, D&G and Marc Jacobs. Aline’s accomplishments shouldn’t be underestimated. To not only get bookings, but those of the very highest quality, after six years in circulation, is an astonishing feat, and one that is seldom rivalled.

What Aline represents is the softer side of Brazil’s wealth of modelling talent. Weber may not be a big-bucks name like Gisele, but she has done sterling work in promoting Brazil’s ability to produce editorial talent. Brazil’s proven that it can supply models that smoulder and strut their way to the top, but to seriously compete at the highest levels of the fashion industry, Brazil needed a model that was an editorial thoroughbred.

This is what Aline delivers time after time: she has managed to stay relevant in an industry where the pace is dizzying. She is still one of the most requested and photographed faces, competing successfully among an ever-growing carousel of new faces. Fashion always needs the ‘money girls’, the models who turn selling sportswear and lingerie into an art form. But fashion’s tastes for editorial are complex and ever-changing: the model who meets them is far from ordinary.

In fashion, success rests on reputation. Aline’s extraordinary career has made her country one of the best-known producers of modelling talent in the world. From top-drawer glamour to cutting-edge editorial, Brazil has given fashion some of its most recognisable faces. In an industry where excellence is defined by the quality of work, rather than quantity, Aline’s incredible CV has taken her country’s reputation from sizzle to substance.

HELEN TOPE

American Vogue assembles an impressive cast of the industry's leading models for its annual "Shape Issue". Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott capture the incandescent beauty of a diverse group of models including Daria Werbowry, Lara Stone, Natalia Vodianova, Gisele Bundchen, Raquel Zimmerman and Joan Smalls. Each model's uniqueness and individual allure is showcased in a series of understated and elegant portraits. Styled by Tonne Goodman, the editorial features body conscious fashions in bold fire engine red and black set against a stark grey background. Seasoned veterans Werbowry, Zimmermann, Vodianova and Bundchen show why they are still at the top of their game after more than ten years in the game, whilst rising stars Stone and Smalls sparkle.