Modeling Journey

Dazed & Confused delivers a 60-plus page visual smorgasbord for its September issue featuring a genius mix of established models, new faces and kids discovered at street castings. Kacper Kasprzyk photographs the cast of nearly 40 models including Joan Smalls, Liu Wen, Emily Didonato, Marloes Horst, Aymeline Valade, Hanna Ben Abdesslem and Ajak Deng in a series of moody black and white and colour shots with blue lit backdrops. The editorial showcases looks from the Fall/Winter 2011 collections with styling by Katie Shillingford, Karen Langley and Robbie Spencer. An element of surprise is gleaned with each turn of the page thanks to the eclectic mix of high fashion faces, commercial models and unknowns.

Vogue China's September issue makes a bold statement with its group cover shot of modelling's finest Asian talent. Photographers Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin bring new meaning to the word sublime with their cover image featuring Sui He, Liu Wen, Ming Xi, Fei Fei Sun, Shu Pei Qin and veteran model Du Juan. It's no secret that I love seeing models brought together for the purposes of a cover shoot and Vogue China's most recent effort delivers with impeccable styling, breathtakingly beautiful models and a clear celebration of all things beautiful. This incredible assembly of established and up-and-coming Asian models affirms the notion that ethnicity in modelling need not be a passing fad. 

Lane Crawford, Hong Kong's premier specialist store enlists an impressive cast of top tier Asian models for its Fall/Winter 2011 campaign. Shot by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, the cast includes Liu Wen, Shu Pei Qin, Fei Fei Sun, Ming Xi and Xiao Wen Ju. Stylist Marie-Amélie Sauvé decks out the Asian beauties in luxury looks from Haider Ackermann, Azzedine Alaia, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Celine, Alexander McQueen and more. What I find most refreshing about this campaign is that the models are not depicted in a way which fetishises their ethnicity. Sauvé deserves major kudos for presenting Liu Wen et al. instead as modern day beauties with mass market appeal.

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.

Multi-girl casts appear to be all the rage with Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton, all opting for a diverse line-up of models with maximum market appeal for their Fall/Winter 2011 campaigns. Jourdan Dunn, Cara Delevigne, Molly Smith, Amber Anderson and actress Felicity Jones front up for Burberry's Fall campaign under the ever-reliable lens of Mario Testino. 

V Magazine's Asia issue is due to hit newsstands on the 12th of May with Lady Gaga appearing on the cover photographed by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. Ten percent of the proceeds of sales will go towards the Japan relief effort. The issue features a stunning editorial with the modelling's top Asian talent. Liu Wen, Fei Fei Sun, Shu Pei Qin and Tao Okamoto transform into modern day vixens under the masterful lens of Terry Tsiolis. Newcomers Ming Xi, Sui He and Bonnie Chen also appear in editorials shot by Nick Knight, Glen Luchford and Sebastien Faena respectively. It is truly amazing to see so many top models of Asian descent showcased in one issue. Let's hope that the recent smattering of editorials featuring all-Black and all-Asian casts is not just a gimmick and that models of colour become the norm rather than the exception in the higher echelons of the modelling world.

Givenchy's Spring 2011 Haute Couture presentation featured a cast of solely Asian models. Designer Riccardo Tisci's cast of beauties featured ten of the most prominent Asian models hailing from China, Japan and Korea. Veterans Ai Tominaga and Du Juan joined Liu Wen, Shu Pei Qin, Ming Xi, Fei Fei Sun, Hye Park, Jiang Xiao Yi, Tao Okamoto and So Young Kang in an intimate presentation of the collection inspired by Japanese robot toys and legendary Japanese dancer Kazuo Ohno. Tisci's influence in the modelling world is fast becoming folklore with many a model's career skyrocketing following an appearance in a Givenchy show. The question now is which of these Asian warrior beauties will dominate the upcoming Fall/Winter 2011 shows.