Modeling Journey

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."

You know that a model has the goods when she looks sensational in a simple polaroid shot. The following series of polaroids feature modelling's elite hamming it up for Australian casting director Kannon Rajah. Currently one of fashion's  most influential casting directors, Rajah has assembled model line-ups for Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Oscar de la Renta and Victoria's Secret and certainly knows a thing or two about models. Speaking to smh.com Kannon reveals, "There has to be a freshness and coolness about them. When the right girl comes along, you know. I liken models to athletes. They have to work hard, be dedicated and be mentally and physically focused to do well. It's not just about being a pretty face." 

In an interview with the Australian, Rajah details the process involved for the casting of the Victoria's Secret extravaganza, "This show is the most precise show we have to cast for. It's all about the proportions of the bodies. They're in their underwear so they have to be flawless and perfect. A huge factor is having a huge personality and being able to project that, because this is a fashion show that's primarily made for television." 

I had the arduous task of going through the shots of the 82 models captured by Rajah for a photographic montage entitled "All dressed up with no where to go" in support of the Impossible Project. The 17 polaroids featured below are my personal favourites and as you will see,  personality is not an attribute these models lack.

Viva! Moda pays homage to Peter Lindbergh's iconic American Vogue "Wild at Heart" shoot featuring the original supermodels from the early nineties, in a new editorial celebrating Poland's top models. Anja Rubik, Jac Jagaciak, Anna Jagodzinska, Kasia Struss and Magdalena Frackowiak brave the urban elements for a series of sensational solo and group shots. As with the original Lindbergh editorial, Rubik, Jagaciak et al., look ready to take on the mean streets of New York wearing tiny black mini-dresses paired with leather jackets and strappy heels. Photographer Cameron Krone magically captures the individual beauty and allure of each model whilst bring a contemporary feel to the editorial.   

Stefano Gabbana and Dolce Domenico opt for multiple girl casts for their D&G and Dolce Gabbana Fall/Winter 2011 campaigns. Super photographer Mario Testino shoots an eclectic mix of new faces for D&G's vibrant and youth-oriented campaign starring Tao Okamoto, Aiste Kliveckaite, Marique Schimmel and Melodie Monrose. Shot in a New York subway tunnel, the diversity of the cast of models aptly refects New York's populace.

Continuing on its Fall/Winter 2011 androgynous boy meets girl theme, Dolce Gabbana's campaign lensed by Steven Klein, features Isabeli Fontana, Jac Jagaciak, Liu Wen, Maryna Linchuk, Constance Jablonski and Kate King alternately dressed as men and women. Wen, King and Jagaciak look super cute posing tomboyishly in pants, suspender belts, singlets and bowler hats.