Born on the
10th June 1992, Michigan-based model Kate Upton signed with Elite
Models in 2009. Just a year later, Upton made the pivotal decision to switch
agencies, moving to IMG in 2010. The decision to sign with this uber-agency,
that not only manages models, but works with stars from the worlds of music and
sport, was the key change Upton needed. IMG is an agency that specialises in
self-branding, tailoring their management strategies to an individual client’s
strengths and weaknesses. It is entirely plausible to attribute Upton’s current
success – and huge popularity – down to smart branding.
Upton
started in the sectors of the fashion industry where she would be
well-received. Her first campaign booking was with Guess Jeans. Becoming the
face of the brand at the age of 18, she stayed with Guess for two years. Also undertaking some modelling for the 2011
Victoria’s Secret catalogue, this was a classic case of Upton playing to her
strengths.
Then came
her big break. After appearing in the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue,
she was invited back in January 2012 – to be their cover girl. An American
institution, this annual cover can be a star-making deal – recent cover girls
include Bar Refaeli and Brooklyn Decker.
It is not
just the preserve of swimwear / lingerie models either: Tyra Banks famously
graced the cover in 1996, during the height of her high-fashion career. Like
Victoria’s Secret, this magazine offers huge cross-over potential, and Kate’s
appearance on this year’s issue had the desired effect: she became a star overnight.
With Upton
now on everyone’s radar, a new phase of her career kicked in: in early 2012,
she appeared on the Spring / Summer cover of Muse magazine. Photographed by
Sebastian Faena for both the cover and accompanying editorial, ‘Blonde
Bombshell’, this was Kate’s first foray into the world of high-fashion and she
proved herself more than capable of stepping up.
Upton also
appeared in the Spring / Summer issue of V. This was a crucial booking for
Kate, as V is an ultra-edgy, highly influential magazine. For Kate to appear in
this magazine indicated that, while popular opinion was still locked into
Upton’s triumphant turn for Sports Illustrated, the fashion industry was
already starting to look ahead and see a different kind of potential.
In May, Kate
appeared on two magazine covers: Esquire and Harper’s Bazaar. The latter was
photographed by Terry Richardson, along with the prophetically-titled editorial
‘The Shape of Things to Come’. Kate worked Hermes and other old-school labels,
channelling full-on glamour. Richardson proved to be an inspired choice of
photographer, being someone who is very comfortable at producing
highly-sexualised fashion images. Richardson’s photographs may provoke, but they
are always grounded in the world of high-fashion.
Upton’s
affiliation with Richardson continued into July, when they created the cover
for GQ magazine. Treading the line between appealing to men and adding that
all-important high fashion gloss, Richardson’s gift for translating sexuality
on film is self-evident here. The cover feels fun and spontaneous, a tricky
balance but Upton and Richardson get the tone just right.
July was
also the month that Upton made her inaugural appearance in American Vogue.
‘Bringing Sexy Back’, an editorial photographed by Sebastian Kim, profiled
Kate’s career to date and her newly-unleashed charm offensive on the fashion
world. It was a significant nod to Upton: American Vogue’s success rate at
spotting the next big thing is unsurpassed.
In a busy
month, Upton also appeared in the UK’s Sunday Times Style magazine. A
supplement that has become both influential and highly significant (editorials
were once presided over by stylist Isabella Blow), Upton is here sold as
America’s latest pin-up. She models traditionally ‘sexy’ clothes, but it is
styled sharply and cleanly – no sleaze, just fashion.
Kate’s final
booking for the summer was with Spanish Vogue. In ‘Fuego en el Cuerpo’ (Body
Heat), Upton gives a master-class in how to model swimwear. It is an
undervalued area of modelling, despite its profitability. To model swimwear requires
not just energy but focus; an awareness of angles and negative space. These
tend to be highly technical shoots, replying on just the right angle to create
that perfect shot. It is testament to what Upton has learnt in a short space of
time, in that she makes the job of modelling swimwear look unnervingly easy.
Kate
returned to American Vogue in September, appearing in ‘The Vogue 120’. Shot by
legendary photographer Norman Jean Roy, this mega-editorial featured every
current designer and model of note. Working in groups, Upton modelled with
Candice Swanepoel and Chanel Iman. Placed side by side, the two ‘glamour’
models meet Iman’s high-fashion experience head-on: there is no weak link in
this shot.
This month,
Upton goes from cover girl to superstar. Coming of age in a Steven Meisel shoot
for American Vogue, Kate, as ‘The New Girl’, models sports-luxe inspired fashion
from some American greats: Calvin Klein,
Ralph Lauren, Jason Wu and Donna Karan. The editorial, aiming to sell Upton as
the new American sweetheart, directly draws a line between Kate, Jayne
Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe.
As daunting
as this proclamation is, Upton’s giddy ascent to stardom does beg comparisons
to Mansfield and Monroe. But Upton’s own image is far from that of the ‘doomed
blonde’. Depicted as a youthful force of nature, Upton’s appeal is rooted in a
girl-next-door philosophy. Upton’s success stems from the fact that she is a
girl from Michigan who was smart about grabbing the opportunities that would
further her career. Her July cover for
GQ keenly lays out the reason for Upton’s popularity: along with her beauty is
an air of accessibility. This cover works because it never takes itself too
seriously. It may also be the reason for Kate’s success.
This
November has seen Kate upgrade from swimwear and catalogue work to fashion’s
Holy Grail: the cover of Italian Vogue. Photographed by Steven Meisel, the
cover titled ‘Seductive’ has made headlines around the world. Styled as an 80’s
glamour girl, the magazine plays on old ideas of ‘sexy’ and ‘seduction’ by
presenting them with a new face. The cover has not received all positive press,
with lots of fashion fans being very vocal in their disapproval despite Kate’s stellar
performance. Never afraid to court controversy, Italian Vogue has hit a home
run with this cover.
Also
appearing in the leading editorial of November’s Italian Vogue, ‘Miss Kate
Upton’ is given the full Vogue Italia treatment. Kate works every angle here –
her previous experience working swimwear and lingerie proves the perfect base
for a shoot like this. Upton knows instinctively what works and what doesn’t:
‘Seduction’ may be a mind game, but Kate plays the game like a master. It is,
without doubt, one of the most extraordinary transformations the fashion
industry has seen. To go from modelling lingerie to the pages of Vogue in the
space of a year is incredible progress.
Upton’s next
challenge will be to keep the momentum going. As Kate has been accepted by the
flagship publications of the industry, it will be interesting to see if she
makes the next step from editorial to runway. While Upton has proved herself in
print, runway is notably missing from her CV. Although a catwalk-friendly 5’
10”, Upton has no high-fashion runway experience to date.
Right now,
the odds of Kate making that leap are not in her favour. Upton’s curves would
have placed her in good company during the Supermodel period – it is easy to
imagine Upton modelling with the likes of Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen.
But for the moment, the emphasis is on tall, lean girls who can handle
fashion’s rapidly changing and increasingly-bold silhouettes.
It all hangs
on what will emerge from the collections next February. Prada’s curve-hugging
collection from Autumn 2010 is a great example of fashion doing the unexpected:
Miuccia Prada’s work begged for a different shape, and models such as Doutzen
Kroes and Lara Stone were hired to (literally) do the leg-work. All it takes is
another collection like this, or a trend that requires curves to do it justice,
and Kate could find herself a runway star as well.
For now,
Kate must end 2012 with a huge sense of accomplishment. She started the year as
the cover girl for Sports Illustrated, and finished it as a cover star for Italian
Vogue. The fashion world was under no obligation to take to her the way they
did, but her versatility and ability to grow is what makes Kate that one in a
million. Whatever direction her career takes in 2013, Kate really is the shape
of things to come.
HELEN TOPE
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