MODEL PROFILES: MACKENZIE DRAZAN

Born in Woodside, California, on the 10^th August 1995, Mackenzie was discovered at the age of 14. A year later, she had been named a newcomer to watch by www.models.com ,  signing up with Elite Models. 

In July 2010, a month shy of her 15^th birthday, Drazan debuted at the Autumn / Winter show for Valentino Couture. Mackenzie then took a brief 6-month break from modelling, returning in February 2011. Drazan made her ready-to-wear debut, including appearances for Jil Sander, Calvin Klein and Louis Vuitton.

Drazan’s early start at the very highest levels of catwalk modelling marked her out as a casting must-have.  Returning to the catwalk again that September, Mackenzie added Alexander McQueen, Celine and Balenciaga to her growing list of credits. Finishing the year with appearances in the pre-fall lookbook for Narciso Rodriguez and the pre-fall collection show for Calvin Klein, Drazan was already becoming a favourite with some of the world’s biggest labels. 

Her growing list of credits certainly got Mackenzie noticed, and in February 2012, she had her first blockbuster ready-to-wear season, walking in over 65 shows. The Autumn / Winter 2012 season saw bolder, more expressive designs making all the right moves, and the return of certain trends, such as outsize and head-to-toe print, seen at Jil Sander and Prada respectively, was tailor-made for a taller model like Drazan.  This season was an important one for the still-teenage model, and her stock soared as a result.

Mackenzie’s next assignment saw Drazan book an editorial for Italian Vogue. Photographed by Emma Summerton for the beauty supplement cover, Drazan worked the avant-garde look with total confidence. Italian Vogue’s enthusiasm for editorial make-up has become a micro-trend, with the looks that are accompanying this season’s fashion definitely moving into braver territory. The traditional smoky eye has been transformed into a multi-coloured, peacock eye, mimicking the explosion of colour that has been seen on the catwalks. Follow that with the incredible growth in nail art: not only in terms of colour but design and texture, and Italian Vogue’s take on beauty is right on the pulse. Avant-garde looks are no longer the preserve of magazine editorials, but real-life achievable.  As our fashion choices get a little riskier, make-up had no choice but to step up its game.

Drazan’s incredible run of catwalk success continued into the summer, with appearances at the resort shows including Alberta Ferretti, Bottega Veneta, Salvatore Ferragamo and Valentino. But Mackenzie’s biggest career moment was just around the corner. 

In July, Mackenzie made the cover of Italian Vogue. Photographed by Steven Meisel, this was the autumn / winter preview issue. Sharing the cover itself with Vanessa Axente, the fold-out, multi-model cover also featured Lida Fox, Elena Bartels, Julia Nobis and Erjona Ala. Channelling gothic glamour in the gowns from the Gucci collection, this was a new vision of how glamour should look for the upcoming season. Dark, moody but achingly covetable, this cover made everyone sit up and take notice.

Any appearance in Italian Vogue represents a huge turning point in a model’s career, as the magazine often champions new modelling talent, with fashion’s edgiest and most exciting faces often making their editorial debut within those pages. By getting onto the actual cover, Mackenzie had not only staked her claim to be one of those new, exciting faces, but to be one of the future leading faces in the modelling industry.

Drazan returned to catwalk duty again in July, this time heading to Paris for the couture shows. Walking in shows for Chanel, Elie Saab, Giambattista Valli and Valentino, Mackenzie also appeared in Raf Simons’ inaugural show for Dior. 

Mackenzie’s summer was filled with editorial commitments, starting with a spread for Dazed & Confused. Following that with an appearance in British Vogue, ‘Best in Show’ (photographed by Daniel Jackson), saw Mackenzie working the textured trouser-suit, and Mackenzie’s debut for W (‘Natural Selection’) saw her model the season’s texture theme with Laura Kampman, Ondria Hardin, Ophelie Rupp and Franzi Mueller.

Even with that heavy workload, Mackenzie continued to be in high demand, being booked for 55 shows in September. Including Marc Jacobs, Chanel, Givenchy, Versus, Dries Van Noten and Proenza Schouler, Mackenzie’s mix of blue-blood delicacy and ambiguous androgyny has made her a perfect runway model. The sheer range of design sensibilities that Drazan has modelled to date is dizzying: her portfolio takes us from the full-on sex appeal of Versus, to the cerebral chic of Dries Van Noten.

Following her success in the very best of editorial and runway, Drazan took her career to the next logical step this autumn with a campaign signing. However, as typical of the rest of her career, Mackenzie did not start small. She was booked for the Louis Vuitton Autumn / Winter campaign. An opinion divider, the Louis Vuitton campaign goes for broke with the amount of modelling talent on display. Working both in small teams and as part of a larger narrative, the models had their work cut out for them. The challenge was to perform as individuals but to impress as a collective. With something going on in every corner of the frame, each image created by campaign photographer Steven Meisel, is fascinating. Whether you liked the collection or not, the campaign demands you take a second look.

As Drazan moves in ever more impressive circles, her success is down to the fact that she is an American model with major cross-continent appeal. Her looks, old-school beauty with a touch of the modern, make her a natural ‘fit’ for most editorials, runways and covers. 

Drazan’s success is also down to timing: during the 1980’s, American models were historically locked into the commercial arena of the fashion industry. Blockbuster names like Cindy Crawford were as well known by the public as fashion insiders. The wide-ranging appeal of those faces hard-wired that look into our minds: to be American was to, by extension, be commercial. 

This continued long into the Nineties and it wasn’t until recently that we learned to appreciate a whole new kind of American beauty. Faces like Karlie Kloss, Charlotte Free, Chanel Iman and Lindsey Wixson have tackled, head-on, the perception that Americans can’t do hard-core editorial. Wixson, with her unusual features, has radically challenged the idea that American models are commercial by definition. Wixson, currently the face of Mulberry and Chanel, is spiky, bold and adaptable, covering cute and whimsical through to ultra high-fashion.

Where Mackenzie fits is somewhere between Wixson’s edginess and Karlie Kloss’ all-rounder appeal. Drazan’s success on the catwalk most closely aligns her with Kloss – a model that rose to the top by clocking up a serious amount of runway hours. Kloss succeeded by being visible, and this strategy appears to be working for Drazan too.

But whereas Kloss has re-defined the term ‘all-American’, Drazan differs by offering something more elusive. She may be a California girl, but looking at Mackenzie, you can imagine her being a native of almost anywhere.  Her lack of definability is what has propelled Mackenzie to the top of the industry at break-neck speed, explaining why she is as comfortable in Valentino Couture as Balenciaga’s ready-to-wear. There is a phrase that to be a jack of all trades is to be master of none, but this is certainly not true of modelling: a face that can lend itself to any look is one that will undoubtedly prosper. 

Already a favourite with fashion’s most influential designers, Mackenzie Drazan is set to become America’s most exciting modelling prospect in years. Once again challenging us to re-shape our ideas of what an American model looks like, Drazan is the next stage in America’s endeavour to become world-class at sourcing the best editorial talent. With Drazan already on the rise, this may be a case of mission accomplished.

HELEN TOPE

MODEL PROFILES - JULIA SANER

Born on the 19^th February 1992, Swiss model Julia Saner entered the Elite Model contest in 2009. Winning first place, Julia signed with Elite’s agency in Paris that same year.

Her catwalk debut took place in September 2010, with Saner debuting at both Milan and Paris Fashion Week. She opened the Valentino show, and appeared in shows for Fendi, Roberto Cavalli, Alexander McQueen, Givenchy and Chanel.

Julia’s impact on the runway was immediate. At 5’11”, Saner was ideal catwalk material. Her win at Elite brought her to the attention of designers, but award or not, Saner still had to prove her abilities on the runway just like every other new model. Luckily for Julia, she and the runway appeared to be the perfect match.

In January 2011, she appeared in her first couture season, closing the Valentino show and walking in the Elie Saab, Chanel, Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier shows. Valentino’s infatuation with the new model was rubber-stamped in when it was announced that she would become the face of its newest campaign, along with Caroline Brasch Nielsen and Freja Beha Erichsen.

The revamp of the Italian label meant hiring fresh, new faces – faces that could lend themselves to the uber-feminine designs of the ready-to-wear line as well as the more challenging silhouettes of the couture collection. Julia proved to be particularly useful for Valentino, with strong features handling the camera beautifully, her memorable face making her both avant-garde and reassuringly classic.

Her runway success translated into editorial work, with spreads in Numero and American Vogue in February. Saner showed off her high-fashion skills in ‘Labyrinthe’, a typical Numero shoot with complex angles and challenging poses. It was a very technical shoot – photographing high-fashion this way can lean towards parody if care isn’t taken. The result was an editorial packed with bold ideas, but performed with subtlety. It was just right.

Her second editorial that month was the Spring / Summer preview in American Vogue. The ‘Gangs of New York’ spread featured every model of note, and Julia got the title page, a huge honour for any model, let alone one who had only been working for six months. With her first cover in March (Italian Marie Claire), Julia also scored another career high with an editorial for Italian Vogue, called ‘Wasted Luxury’.

The editorial saw Julia working with models Saskia de Brauw and Milou Van Groesen. Photographed by Steven Meisel, this editorial was a brilliant reminder of why everyone in the fashion industry looks to Italian Vogue.

Heavily ornate, eccentrically styled with kooky accessories and clashing prints, this was hyper-fashion at its best. It was all in the execution: with Meisel behind the lens, the shoot was kept restrained but purposeful. Looking at the images, you can’t help but rest on details: gold-leaf embossed on a pair of trousers, metallic pleated collars.

The focus is on the beauty of the individual pieces, making this editorial far more user-friendly than you might expect. This isn’t eccentricity for its own sake, but exploring ways of presenting beautiful things. Italian Vogue actively strives to find new solutions to this oldest of problems – keeping the desire alive for brave new fashion. The path more travelled can often seem like a lot less hassle. But it’s the job of Italian Vogue to keep us interested in what’s next; asking us to change our perceptions of what is fashionable and beautiful. No easy task, but when it comes to sartorial persuasion, no-one does it better than Italian Vogue.

With appearances in German and Japanese Vogue in May, Julia appeared in June’s Turkish Vogue, in an editorial named ‘Disniz Dan Biri’. Exuding colour and texture, Julia takes to the street markets to shoot a fashion travelogue that evokes the excitement and unfamiliarity of experiencing different cultures.

It is interesting to note just how many fashion shoots take place on location. It’s not just making the clothes look even better against a stunning backdrop: like travel, fashion broadens the mind. Seen from a fresh perspective, editorials push us to see fashion differently too, encouraging us to try a new shape, a new colour. Fashion has a habit of surprising us, but these editorials offer up the idea that sometimes we should take control, and surprise ourselves.

Julia’s career continues to go from strength to strength in the final months of 2011, with three campaign signings. The first, with Mulberry, sees Julia join forces with Taitana Cotliar in a series of typically bohemian and eccentric images. A success already, the bright leather satchels and pleated skirts featured are visibly making an impact on our buying habits for this autumn.

Mulberry remains one of the most influential labels working today. The ‘Alexa’ satchel saw copies spring up across the high street. Its success in re-defining vintage shapes has made Mulberry a highly competitive force in today’s fashion market. Its brand identity has rocketed in recent years, with the campaigns becoming the label’s calling card.

This season, Mulberry celebrates the British countryside with a series of images that are bold, quirky and unmistakable. Julia’s inclusion in this campaign has already raised her profile in the industry, taking her from runway favourite to campaign star.

Her next signing is with one of fashion’s newest – and hottest – names. Prabal Gurung has already been making waves, becoming a red-carpet must for stars who like their fashion served with an edge.

The last, with high-street chain Karen Millen, shows Julia’s ability to cross boundaries and defy definition. It’s an important asset for a model, but crucial for one who plans to become a fixture on the modern campaign circuit. Mulberry, Gurung and Millen represent three very different campaigns, but together they point to the career Julia will develop.

With a body that can handle the highest of high-fashion and a face built for mass appeal, Saner finds herself well-placed to offer the fashion industry the best of both worlds. She possesses a face that can make high-fashion look approachable, steering it to a new generation, but still satisfies the old-school, avant-garde leanings of the most edgy designers.

The idea that you can tailor a modelling approach to an individual brand or label is nothing new, but what is becoming clear is that it’s by no means set and dried as to which brand requires which approach. It’s not guaranteed that a high-street favourite will need a bright and breezy commercial face, no more than a high-fashion brand will require someone with serious fashion credentials.

With the gap closing between high-fashion and high-street, editorial and commercial modelling have come together to form a third approach, to answer a desire for a new level of sophistication that celebrates our growing fashion knowledge. Look at any of the large high-street stores, and their campaign images, dotted around the store and in the front window, are all using this new approach to create and generate sales.

H&M do minimal sophistication, keeping the clothes centre-stage; Topshop use fashion’s brightest new modelling talents to showcase their latest looks and Zara’s campaigns are a master-class in marketing, owing a debt to designers such as Jil Sander who work on the principle of keeping it simple.

What these brands have gained in sophistication they haven’t lost in populist appeal – many of them are more successful than ever. This shift isn’t just restricted to the British high street either: many high-fashion labels have been revising how they reach out to their customers. Mulberry’s campaigns have piqued mainstream interest, making their products as familiar as any high-street hit. Julia as the Mulberry girl is undeniably high-fashion, but there is an approachability in her performance that helps explain the label’s continuing success while its competitors falter.

While some labels thrive on the unfamiliar, and change their approach every season (such as Balenciaga), others have decided to stick to a formula that develops a sense of cohesion. Labels such as Chloe have streamlined their campaigns, making their dreamy, vintage-inspired images a trademark of their brand.

The idea of not taking yourself too seriously is also a winner for many brands, and has recently been adopted by French label Lanvin. With a campaign video available online, models Raquel Zimmermann and Karen Elson demonstrate some seriously camp dance moves, and the coup de theatre is Alber Elbaz himself joining in the fun. If Lanvin could ever be accused of being too serious, this video goes a long way to redressing the balance.

Just five years ago, these about-turns for such established labels would have seemed unthinkable, but in ensuring their survival, each brand is looking again at how it presents itself to the world. High-street and high-fashion are learning from each other, creating surprises and delights along the way.

What remains steadfast though, is the idea that a good campaign does the leg-work in developing a brand. It’s why designers and companies spend so much in creating that perfect first impression. Right now, fashion needs not just multi-taskers, but faces that go beyond trends; avant-garde, commercial and everything in-between. Breaking the rules in staging campaigns has resulted in a playing field where, quite frankly, anything is possible.

With a career still in its infancy, Julia has already demonstrated she can be that new kind of model that fashion so desperately needs. Her ability to cross boundaries is what will continue to define her career as fashion strives to prove it hasn’t lost its way, but is merely treading new ground. The path less travelled has never seemed so much fun.

HELEN TOPE

MODEL PROFILES: CAROLINE BRASCH NIELSEN

Born in Denmark, 17-year-old Caroline Brasch Nielsen began her career in 2010, signing with Elite, one of the largest modelling agencies in the world.

Despite having a career that has yet to hit the two-year mark, Nielsen is a model who has already learned to think big. Debuting in Paris Fashion Week, she opened the Autumn / Winter 2010 show for Valentino, also walking for Balenciaga, Chanel, Givenchy, Miu Miu and YSL. Unsurprisingly, her impressive catwalk CV caught the eye of website www.models.com that featured her as a Top 10 Newcomer.

Two months later, Caroline was shooting an editorial for Italian Vogue. Working with photographer Steven Meisel, as far as modelling rites of passage go, this is the classic, star-making ritual. With Meisel’s ability to cherry-pick modelling talent, Caroline starting her editorial career with Italian Vogue was to prove a highly significant move.

A magazine also with a reputation for spotting great model potential, Nielsen’s next assignment was with French Vogue. Shooting ‘Country Club’, Nielsen experienced first-hand the magazine’s penchant for launching new models into the deep end of the editorial experience.

Her ability to remain cool under pressure placed her at an advantage when she undertook her first couture season in July. Closing the show for Valentino, Nielsen also appeared for Elie Saab and Chanel.

Caroline’s developing links with Valentino couldn’t have been better timed. After Valentino himself retired in 2008, its re-launch under new creative direction began somewhat shakily, but finally found its feet with Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli at the helm.

No-one has done glamour more perfectly than Valentino, and the handing over of the reins meant a rethink of the whole brand. Maria and Pier kept the sophistication, but brought in a girlish softness that has scored highly with young Hollywood. In previous years, Valentino was perceived a red-carpet label strictly for grown-ups. You rarely saw anyone under 30 wearing the gowns. If the label was to progress, it needed to address this oversight.

Valentino’s enthusiasm for Caroline is not accidental. Her delicate, fresh modernity makes her a perfect fit for the brand’s new look. Still catering to the glamour crowd, the label invites younger fashion fans to participate in the Valentino experience. Light-as-air tulle replaces silk-satin, polka dots instead of sequins; the intelligent application of modernity combined with a respect for the legacy Valentino created, has ensured that this label doesn’t become lost to a new generation of fashion-savvy girls.

Caroline’s affinity with luxury labels continued when she was selected to appear in the A/W Balenciaga ad campaign along with Meghan Collison, Mirte Maas, Stella Tennant and Karen Elson. The quietly-directional series of images is made all the more astonishing when you consider that up to this point, Caroline had been modelling for a period of months, not years.

In September, Nielsen got dual editorial honours for Russian Vogue and Dazed & Confused. With an eponymously-titled editorial in the mix, Caroline was hitting every standard required to make it from good model to great. That same month, she experienced her busiest season to date, clocking up appearances in 60 shows.

These were not just ordinary appearances, but Nielsen managed to open shows for Narciso Rodriguez, Thakoon, Alberta Ferretti and Nina Ricci. Closing the show for Herve Leger, Giambattista Valli, The Row and Valentino, Caroline’s runway celebrity has been well and truly established.

Nielsen walked in every show of note, including Marc Jacobs’ technicolour homage to Seventies New York, and Prada’s show of swirls and stripes that came to define the season. Nielsen’s start in the modelling industry wasn’t just about hype – her ability to command attention was rapidly becoming a highly-valued commodity. Caroline wasn’t only adapting at will, transforming into the perfect Prada girl, but she was immersing herself in every runway look and editorial. It is this quality that has taken Caroline so quickly from ingénue to star. The good model gets there too, but the model with potential for greatness, makes the transition at break-neck pace.

2010 ended with Nielsen emerging as one of the faces to watch. Still only 9 months into her career, Caroline had become one of fashion’s most bookable girls. Entering 2011, it was announced that Nielsen would be fronting campaigns for both Marc Jacobs and Valentino. The Marc Jacobs campaign represented a spectacular coup for Nielsen: it was one of the seminal looks of the Spring / Summer season, and Marc’s ‘Seventies Show’ was awash with tropical colour played out on an urban scale. It was flirty, playful, evocative and hard to miss.

In January, she scored more couture appearances, working in Paris for Elie Saab, Valentino, Dior and Chanel. It is not hard to figure why the couture houses took to Nielsen. Her adeptness at interpreting a look made her a natural at modelling couture. If ready-to-wear is all about the hard sell, what really counts in Paris is how couture makes you feel. Without that act of seduction on the runway, the collection will fail to have an impact on changing our dressing habits, whether it’s a new hem-length or a bold new colour.

Caroline took those lessons from couture and applied them to one of the most demanding shoots in the fashion repertoire: the beauty close-up. Shooting ‘A Vision of Colour’ for the March edition of Japanese Vogue, this was a postmodern exploration of summer brights. Modelling extreme beauty is a tricky business, as you run the risk of being overwhelmed by the sheer level of artistry involved. Caroline excelled in this editorial, bringing a depth to a subject that could very easily tip over into sugary confection. With no diversionary tactics in play, Caroline’s performance tempers the sweetness, making this shoot a multi-colour feast for the eyes.

Nielsen’s ability at handling challenging work was utilised throughout the year with editorials for W, Numero, Russian Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Each one was a test of Caroline’s skills, from W’s ‘Against Nature’ shoot to Harper Bazaar’s youthful, punky spin on ladylike pastels.

Her August shoot for Numero, ‘Cap d’Antibes’, saw Caroline take her interpretative skills to the next level. Moody, strong and sultry – the shoot is a potential game-changer for Nielsen, showing future clients that she is ready and willing to handle fashion’s darker hues. Followed by an editorial for i-d magazine, Caroline is capping the year as she started it: with high-profile campaigns.

Signed again for Valentino’s A/W ad, the campaign showcases texture from the snakeskin boots to the blurred camera tricks, giving the resulting images a dreamy, otherworldly quality. Bridging Valentino’s gift for elegance with modern production values, the label sells us exquisite fashion that is both timeless and contemporary.

As Nielsen’s affiliation with Valentino continues, her ability to exist in two camps, classic and editorial, endows her with that elusive quality; being all things to all designers. Whereas some models are blessed with genetics that place them squarely in one sector, Caroline joins the select list of models who work without limits.

Appearing in ads for fashion houses as diverse as Valentino and Balenciaga, Caroline’s talent for booking campaigns, good ones, at this early stage of her career, marks her out as a very modern money girl. The term refers to any model capable of transforming a label’s fortunes simply by association. If you can raise a brand’s profile from also-ran to must-have, you’re definitely a money girl.

Many of the money girls of the past have been some of modelling’s biggest names: Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss and Gisele Bundchen count among the industry’s most influential models: financially, artistically and globally.

The campaign faces of today – Arizona Muse, Raquel Zimmermann – may not be household names like Schiffer or Crawford, but the ‘money girl’ isn’t being phased out, just re-assessed for the 21st century. The persuasive selling techniques are just the same, but the sell isn’t about celebrity, but high-fashion prestige.

The campaign draws you in by stealth. The latest ads for Mulberry, for example, don't trade on big names, but the anonymity of the models make it much easier (and inviting) to imagine yourself in the gloriously eccentric world of Mulberry. They may not have fame on their side, but these new money girls definitely have the x-factor. Rather than relying on star draws, the latest campaigns are putting the fashion first. The model is, in the nicest possible sense, a placeholder for us, the consumer.

It makes our connection with high-fashion much more immediate. At a time where every sale counts, breaking down the barriers people feel when it comes to purchasing a big-ticket item is crucial. How the campaign does this is to remind us what makes the luxury brand so special: the design, the craftsmanship, the feeling that you own an original. That feeling of exclusivity is still high-fashion’s ace up its expertly-stitched sleeve. We are powerless to resist.

Driving this desire for uniqueness are models like Caroline, who will go on to join the raft of new money girls transforming the way high-fashion is sold. With these girls in charge, buying high-fashion becomes an inclusive experience, not a daunting one. It will be an investment that will keep you, and the fashion industry, coming back for more.

HELEN TOPE

MODEL PROFILES: DREE HEMINGWAY

Born on 4th December 1987, Dree Hemingway signed with Ford Models at the age of 14. Making her editorial debut in August 2004, she appeared in Teen Vogue, photographed by Alex Hoemer. Four years later, Hemingway made the move from Ford to Elite Models, with the signing creating media interest. Seminal fashion website www.models.com featured Dree as a rising star of the industry.

But Dree’s true breakthrough moment didn’t emerge until March 2009 when she was featured in both Interview and American Vogue. Her family connection (Dree is the great-granddaughter of literary icon Ernest Hemingway) may have sparked some initial interest, but it was no guarantee of quick – or easy – success. From her first agency signing in 2004, it took Dree five years to make it on an international level.

In March 2009, she debuted at the A/W Givenchy show as an exclusive. Just as it would do for Joan Smalls a year later, the Givenchy booking gave Dree’s career an instant boost. The domino effect on Hemingway’s career was striking. In April, she appeared in editorials for W and French Vogue; German Vogue in May; British Vogue in July and American Vogue in August.

Dree’s star factor rose further when her personal style was profiled in Russia’s Harper’s Bazaar and Teen Vogue. As Kate Moss has shown us, having a sense of personal style not only shows the fashion industry that you have good instincts, but also shows you’re paying attention. Being surrounded by the world’s most accomplished photographers and stylists, and not soaking up that creativity would suggest a model who’s not into fashion as much as they should be. The models that are at the top of their game almost are invariably models who love fashion. They have succeeded because that love makes the tough parts of modelling (the travel, long hours) that much easier to bear.

Hemingway’s glorious start to 2009 just kept rolling as she was signed on to appear in the Gucci Autumn / Winter campaign. Gucci does everything on a grander scale, and this campaign had everyone from Natasha Poly, Anja Rubik, Jamie Bochert, to Jacquetta Wheeler and Myf Shepherd. Dree joined fellow newbie Abbey Lee Kershaw to form an unforgettable campaign. Dark, edgy and sexy, it was the perfect summation of everything designer Tom Ford had done to refresh the brand.

Dree’s appearance in this blockbuster of a campaign ensured that her profile was unmissable. Hemingway opened the S/S 2010 show for Topshop, also walking for Karl Lagerfeld, Giles, Chanel, Twenty8Twelve and Rue du Mail.

The designers who signed Hemingway were an indication of how Dree’s own style was influencing the kind of work she was getting. Finishing off 2009 with editorial and cover work for V Man, i-D and Revue de Modes, All three are ultra high-fashion, left-field publications. This section of the fashion press is usually the hardest to impress, and Dree had already won them over.

In 2010, Dree’s career stepped up another notch when it was announced that she would be appearing in campaigns for Jean Paul Gaultier, Gianfranco Ferre and Valentino. This resulted in three very different campaigns for Dree to master. Gaultier went with military chic, Valentino required Dree to headline in black lace and pink hair and Ferre asked for classic Italian feminine. Injecting her own brand of cool into every shot, she lifts each campaign. Valentino goes from red-carpet to after-party and Gaultier has a layer of smouldering sex appeal added to its usual sense of avant-garde fun.

But Dree’s ability to work an editorial was also put to the test, with Hemingway appearing in nearly 20 during the course of the year. 2010 started off with a prestigious signing with French Vogue, appearing in a season preview. Dree transforms into a Parisian lady of leisure along with Lara Stone and Freja Beha, their headscarves and sunglasses off-set by quirky prints from Miu Miu. The key to getting a group shot is working together, but not fading into the background. Working with Stone and Beha, Hemingway fits in seamlessly.

Dree’s success in Europe was compounded by her Autumn / Winter runway season in February, walking for Isabel Marant, Karl Lagerfeld, MaxMara and Vivienne Westwood. For someone with a heritage that’s resolutely all-American, Dree has done a sterling job in appealing to designers from across the globe.

This worldwide appeal saw Dree land her first editorial for Chinese Vogue in July. Shot by Ellen von Unwerth, the beauty piece chronicled Dree’s ability to handle those demanding close-ups. Having been seen in edgy, complex shoots, even when modelling a high-end beauty look, Hemingway projected a softness that hinted at further versatility.

The next high point of 2010, with Dree racking up editorial-duty with magazines from every continent, was in November when she landed three in one month: French, British and Italian Vogue.

Her first shoot for Italian Vogue was named ‘Glitter’, a fun look at theatricality with Dree modelling the Philip Treacy lobster headpiece made famous by Lady Gaga. Wearing fashion that verged on costume, Dree’s challenge was to push through the extravagant designs and make the experience of wearing them believable. The shoot was pure Italian Vogue; couture worn like art.

Her November shoot with British Vogue, however, took Hemingway back to her roots. ‘My Own Private Idaho’, partly a pun on Dree’s place of birth, showed the model in a series of photos that explored the solitary, outdoorsy American that is part and parcel of the country’s cultural heritage. The resulting editorial draws inescapable parallels with her own background, and Dree’s performance creates a set of images that are haunting as they are moving.

This year looks set to be Dree’s busiest yet. Already appearing in S/S campaigns for Daks, Lanvin and Margaret Howell, Hemingway has proved herself to be a formidable presence on the campaign circuit. Featuring for Daks and Howell, she may not have been the most obvious choice for these British brands, but Dree performs in each ad like no-one else was ever in the running. Fashion is never purely skin-deep: if you don’t connect with what you’re wearing, it’s a fail on every level.

Dree’s latest venture has seen her appearing in a short film for a solo exhibit by artists Sofia and Mauro. Called ‘The Young Woman and the Sea’, the piece directly references Dree’s great-grandfather’s famous short story ‘The Old Man and the Sea’. Playing on the mythic themes of man versus nature, the film could well signal the future direction of Dree’s career. It may not be a case of putting pen to paper, but it’s clear that Dree’s gift to the modelling industry is story-telling. Her silent performance in the short film brilliantly showcases what she’s learnt from the world of modelling, but also an inherited sense of narrative.

As we move into an age of innovation, first the interactive advert from Burberry and the growing popularity of campaign videos, there is some debate over whether traditional print media has anything left to offer to the fashion industry. After all, can a static image really be any match for developing technology?

The crossroads that fashion finds itself in is being mirrored in many other industries. The worlds of film, fiction and home entertainment are also in a state of flux. Whether you go for 3-D or 2-D, paperback or Kindle, what’s emerging is a two-tier system of technology and tradition. While in some industries, progress is essential, in fashion the addition of technology is more a case of inclusion rather than survival of the fittest.

What fashion’s doing is bringing the best of tradition and technology together to make the most of both, rather than aggressively pushing out one in favour of the other. As an approach to embracing new technologies, it’s revolutionary.

Despite the rapid growth of technology, the classic editorial isn’t losing any of its appeal. Websites that catalogue editorials such as www.fashiongonerogue.com are proving immensely popular, making access to the work of every fashion magazine immediate and democratic.

The reason for the non-demise of the editorial boils down to fashion’s love affair with creating moments. The editorial represents the most permanent means of doing so – a runway show lasts mere minutes and a campaign’s shelf-life is only good for six months. But with an editorial, the moment is there, forever.

Where the editorial continues its hold on our imagination is when it creates moments that both thrill and inspire. To do that, the editorial needs a model who understands how to access those emotions and piece together a narrative. This skill is something that is far beyond the scope of new technologies, and luckily for models, it always will be. Dree’s success – on every platform – indicates that the future of modelling isn’t about innovation, it’s telling stories.

HELEN TOPE

MODEL PROFILES: CONSTANCE JABLONSKI

Continuing the tradition of fashion’s love affair with all things French, Constance Jablonski is the latest model to make a global impact.

Born in Lille on the 29th of October 1990, Constance Jablonski began her modelling career in 2006 when she entered the French Elite Model Look contest. She signed with Elite Models the same year, and had her big break in September 2008.

She had her first run of fashion shows, opening shows for La Perla and Blugirl by Blumarine, plus appearances for Christopher Kane, Diane von Furstenberg, Dries Van Noten, Elie Saab, Gucci, Hermes, Lanvin, Marchesa, Rachel Roy and Versace.
In October, Jablonski shot her first editorial (for Italian Marie Claire), and her first cover in November. In December, the buzz surrounding the new girl was sufficient to land her an editorial in Italian Vogue, photographed by Steven Meisel. Often recognised for his star-spotting ability, for any model getting to work with Meisel is an incredible coup.

In January 2009, Constance did a beauty editorial for Italian Vogue and her first couture season, walking for Givenchy. She also landed her first major campaign, signing up to represent D&G along with Imogen Morris-Clarke and Ariel Meredith.

The campaigns kept coming, with additional work for Topshop and Donna Karan: you couldn’t get two assignments more different, but Constance landed both. Still considered a newcomer, Jablonski was showing huge potential in terms of range. Multi-tasking is an essential in fashion where no trend rules a season, and you have to convince the client that each one is a perfect fit.

Constance proved that she was able to command the attention of the world’s best designers in February when she signed up to take part in 54 shows including Derek Lam, Jason Wu, Louise Goldin, Matthew Williamson, Preen, Richard Nicoll, Twenty8Twelve and Wunderkind. Her booking sheet was a snap-shot of the latest breakthrough talent all vying to work with fashion’s newest kid on the block.

In March, she did two editorials for Teen Vogue, following that with editorials for Chinese, Italian, German, French and Japanese Vogue, making her an international hit. The work paid off in September when Jablonski became the most requested model of the season, chalking up an amazing 72 shows. She walked for Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Chloe, Dior, Isabel Marant, Louise Goldin, Marios Schwab, Mary Katrantzou, Proenza Schouler, Stella McCartney, Thakoon and Valentino. It was an eclectic mix of blockbuster brands and cutting-edge talent like Goldin and Katrantzou. Constance was now steadily making her way through the fashion ranks.

At last, the press took note. Constance was named a Top Ten Newcomer by http://www.style.com/, scoring further editorial work with Allure, French and Russian Vogue, and in November, http://www.wmagazine.com/ featured Jablonski as their ‘This Week’s Model’. If anyone was in any doubt, Constance Jablonski had now made the transition from rising star to established model.

2010 is already proving to be the biggest year of Jablonski’s career to date, with two campaigns already out there: a ck by Calvin Klein campaign (photographed by Craig McDean) and the Alberta Ferretti S/S campaign by Steven Meisel, also featuring Kasia Struss, Hanne Gaby Odiele and Dorothea Barth Jorgensen.

Constance had an epic A/W 2010 show season in February, including appearances for Alberta Ferretti, Fendi, Giles Deacon, Louis Vuitton, Nina Ricci, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, Roberto Cavalli and Sportmax. She was not only commanding runway time with the newer designers, but also doing catwalk for the brands that are recognisable in three syllables or less: Hermes, Fendi, Chloe, Vuitton and Ralph Lauren. Making appearances for these labels isn’t a guarantee of future success, but it helps.

But the most exciting development came in April this year when it was announced that Constance would be joining Estee Lauder as a campaign model, becoming the first French model to do so. She will be joining forces with Liu Wen, who also made headlines as the first Chinese model to be signed to the brand.

It’s a marked departure for the cosmetics giant, whose previous signings include Hilary Rhoda, Carolyn Murphy and Gwyneth Paltrow. It’s a seismic shift in Estee Lauder’s marketing strategy and judging by the positive press so far, it’s being widely anticipated for all the right reasons. Between them, Constance and Liu will be representing a more international image of the beauty brand. Despite what the name suggests, the brand is resolutely all-American, and Constance will be fronting that campaign with that aim in mind, but if the brand wanted to be seen as more inclusive, mission accomplished. Globalisation isn’t just for big business anymore: Dior means the same in any language, and that’s what brands are moving towards – an international language of commerce. Sounds dull, but the repercussions (how good models can really clean up in this market) are anything but.

Even a cursory glance at recent fashion magazines tells you one thing: models are in, and celebrity endorsements are on the decline. As a trend, labels are choosing to move towards actively selecting models over celebrities to represent their brand. Just five years ago, things were very different: actresses routinely scored high-profile campaigns for major designers. Their image plus the product equalled big bucks. So what has changed?

With celebrity comes speculation. Gossip may be good for business in Hollywood, but in fashion, designers don’t want their latest handbag or must-have dress tainted by association. All celebrities (even the well-behaved ones) come with baggage (for example, being in ‘that’ film) and designers who are struggling to make their presence known in an already overcrowded marketplace don’t need that extra hill to climb.

The solution? Hire a model. Thanks to the death of the term ‘supermodel’, the latest batch of names rocking the fashion world aren’t necessarily names that the public will be familiar with. As a result, a model in a campaign can absorb the brand and become it completely. It’s what separates them from celebrities – and in this era of fight or flight commerce, those distinctions are important.

The move away from asking ‘names’ to represent labels is part of a wider movement in making brands trans-global. It means no translation necessary: Liu Wen and Constance Jablonski are the new faces of Estee Lauder because they will appeal to the widest demographic possible. With models, there’s no risk of consumers rejecting the brand’s latest product because they didn’t like the spokesmodel’s last single or newest haircut. There’s no front: the model is the image plus the brand, minus the drama. It’s a perfect combination of message and method.

The sheer volume of campaigns this year that have models fronting them is quite extraordinary. It’s the biggest turn-around since the late Nineties, and those models are getting those lucrative signings because they can embody a trend or a mood more completely than a celebrity, however comfortable he or she may be in front of the camera.

It’s all part and parcel of the fashion world reaching out to its consumers. The age of un-innocence; the knowing wink that accompanied many celebrity-endorsed campaigns is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

The newest trend in advertising is story-telling: whether that’s a matador fantasy in Chanel or told simpler, with zesty hits of colour in Balenciaga, adverts are becoming more literal and that’s no bad thing. It doesn’t matter what’s being sold – if it’s a Prada bag or a bag of frozen peas – the message remains the same: keep it simple. It’s advertising that translates across language and culture and it will direct how fashion campaigns will take shape over the next five years.

When Constance makes her debut for Estee Lauder later this year, prepare yourself for a campaign that speaks a truly international language.

HELEN TOPE