MODEL PROFILES: MADISON HEADRICK

Born in South Carolina in 1994, Madison Headrick was scouted by Vision agency at the age of 16. Squeezing assignments in and around school commitments, as Madison neared graduation she had a choice to make. 

Asked by her dad if she wanted to take modelling more seriously (but only after graduating from school), Madison was given the option of graduating a semester early, finishing high school in January 2012. Travelling to New York to sign up with modelling agency Marilyn, the plan was for Madison to ground herself in the basics such as casting, runway, and familiarising herself with the fashion landscape including photographers, editors and important designers.

However, modelling boot camp was put on hold. Interest in Madison was immediate, and she was asked to attend a casting session for the Prada runway show. Meeting Ashley Brokaw in Milan – a casting director who also works for Balenciaga, Miu Miu and Proenza Schouler – the South Carolina girl flat-out impressed. She was not only booked for the show, but booked as an exclusive. Headrick’s booking made headlines in the fashion industry. With her all-American looks, and Prada usually going for European, directional faces, Madison was a left-field choice for the label. 

Prada’s long-held reputation for spotting new talent remains unchallenged in the industry: previous models that have started their careers as Prada exclusives include Lara Mullen, Patricia van der Vliet, Nimue Smit and Iselin Steiro. Left-field or not, this phenomenal start put Madison on the editorial fast-track, with bookings from Interview, Dazed & Confused, Numero and British Vogue. Working with Caroline Brasch Nielsen in Numero, ‘The Trainer’ was a daring S&M-themed shoot with both Caroline and Madison working tailored glamour. Given the edgy Numero treatment, this type of editorial can push established models: but here Madison is sleek, darkly glamorous and in control.

In August, she appeared in British Vogue’s editorial ‘Best in Show’. Playing on the British love of animals, this shoot featured models posing with a pedigree pooch. With the editorial tone firmly tongue-in-cheek, Madison gets it absolutely spot on, exuding charm and refusing to be upstaged by her co-star. Mastering these types of editorial is essential: despite rumours to the contrary, fashion definitely has a sense of humour. Character editorials, like ‘Best in Show’ are particularly popular with high-fashion magazines as they give the creative team (including the model) room to explore and develop ideas within an existing framework of reference. We all get the reference of a dog show; British Vogue just took it to its high-fashion conclusion to create a fun and memorable editorial. 

Madison then channelled the Eighties in an August shoot for Oyster magazine. ‘Working Girl’ (taking its name from the famous 1988 film) saw Madison transform into a high-fashion interpretation of leading lady Melanie Griffith: coiffed, preened and styled to Eighties perfection. Book-ending the summer with appearances in resort look-books for Donna Karan and Altuzarra, Madison returned to the runway in the autumn, walking for Jill Stuart, Rag & Bone and Edun. 

In September, Madison made her debut for V magazine. ‘The New Girls’, photographed by Terry Tsiolis, was a clutch of simple black and white portraits. Modelling with Julia Frauche, Lena Hardt, Moa Aberg and Susannah Liguori, it is a beautiful editorial, with every model earning her place at the ‘new girl’ table. But in looking at Headrick’s photos, what becomes apparent is her gift for translating glamour into something fresh and modern. 

But Madison’s star-making moment came when it was announced that she would appear in the new Prada Autumn / Winter campaign. Photographed by Steven Meisel, Madison joined a raft of established talent including Iselin Steiro and Magdalena Frackowiak, plus Vanessa Axente and Versace campaign favourite, Elza Luijendijk. With their 1950’s inspired campaign in Spring being a huge hit on YouTube with nearly 500,000 hits, Prada had a lot to live up to. The collection itself was not only hugely popular but it made a star of out of models like Katryn Kruger. With Miuccia Prada putting black back at the core of the colour palette, the campaign focused on the retro mosaic print trouser-suits, studded with jewel accents. Worn cropped at the ankle with Mary-Jane shoes, this collection was quintessential Prada, transforming what we normally think of as ‘awkward’ and ‘ugly’ into a thing of beauty. 

The campaign deliberately avoided the heady qualities of the Spring campaign, opting for a quieter feel. Subtly choreographed, the campaign gives us the opportunity to look at the clothes in detail – it’s clear that for this season, the clothes (quite literally) take centre stage.

Appearing in a Prada campaign always performs its magic on a model’s career, and Madison, post-Prada, has been no exception. Following the campaign’s release, she was booked for Italian Vogue’s September issue, appearing with Constance Jablonski and Nicola Wincenc.

Rounding out the rest of this season with appearances for Vision China and Bon, Headrick is rapidly becoming an editorial force to be reckoned with. The shoot for Bon sees Madison wearing many of the clothes from the Prada collection, making it clear the bond between model and label. What started out as a chance trip to Milan has become a lasting and meaningful association.

Looking at these latest photos of Madison, it becomes clear what Prada saw in her last year: her talent for making glamour feel fresh and youthful is no simple task. Of all fashion’s greatest ideas, glamour is the one most heavily laden with ghosts of faces and images from the past. We all have an idea of what constitutes glamour and it takes someone unique to make room in that crowded concept for something new. 

Prada, as always, may have been ahead of the pack in hiring Headrick. After years of us getting comfortable with detail being the story, glamour is finally making a comeback: big, bold and out there. This autumn, the wealth of brocade and velvet alone tells us that this season is playing a very different game. The subtle sparkle; embedded on a cardigan sleeve or on a heel of a boot, has made way for a much more obvious look. Glamour isn’t hiding anymore, but on display for all to see. What’s new about this re-interpretation of glamour is that the glitz element is restrained: the excess is not in sequins, but in the textures being used: this is glamour you can feel.

This is why Prada’s selection of Madison was an act of genius: still at the beginning of her career in real terms, she has an opportunity to become the face of this glamour movement just as it’s taking off. This modern take on glamour needs a new face to represent it: an entirely fresh approach is required if glamour is to convince us to ditch our love of casual, and get dressed up again. We’ve had hits of glamour in recent years, but the crucial difference here is that this season isn’t locked into a previous era or decade. You can’t boil it down to a Great Gatsby influence or the Mad Men power-chic. This is glamour not leaning on its laurels, but attempting to persuade us of its own value, for its own sake. Embracing the personal and the individual, glamour is set to make a whole new impression. For a concept so heavily weighed down with other people’s ideas, this is a chance to refresh our notions of what glamour can mean; to make it relevant, make it new.

Now about to celebrate her first year in the modelling industry, Headrick is not just the latest American face to dazzle the fashion world. She has a chance to become that rarity: a fashion icon. Prada very rarely gets it wrong, and to place such a model in their show is a statement not only of what’s to come for that season, but a prediction that aims much further ahead. The face of fashion’s future, Madison is glamour made modern.

HELEN TOPE

MODEL PROFILES: MAGDALENA FRACKOWIAK

Polish-born Magdalena Frackowiak has built a career on making the fine art of editorial look easy.

A multi-tasker extraordinaire, Magdalena’s body of work spans the complete breadth of modelling experience from campaigns for French Connection to high-edge editorials in Viktor and Rolf.

Born 6th October 1984, Magdalena began her career by winning the ‘Waterproof Model Search’ in 1999. Her career took off in 2006, when she landed the covers of Polish Elle and Italian Glamour.

In October 2006, she got her big break when she was picked to open the YSL show in Paris. Also appearing for designers like Alexander McQueen, Marchesa and Valentino, Magdalena was featured as the Top Model of the S/S 2007 season by http://www.style.com/.

2007 started with a bang for Frackowiak when it was announced that she would become one of the new faces for legendary label Ralph Lauren.

Sandwiching in editorial work for Chinese and German Vogue, Magdalena also landed a campaign for Dior Lingerie. Shot by Craig McDean, this was Magdalena’s toughest challenge to date. On a lingerie shoot there is (quite literally) nowhere to hide. Being photographed in underwear is the least of your problems: keeping the feel of the shoot high-fashion is the real issue. Factor in a photographer like McDean who specialises in sultry shoots and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Lingerie modelling may seem like the soft option, but at this level, nothing could be further from the truth.

Magdalena’s hard work paid off in August 2007 when she got the cover of Italian Vogue. Modelling alongside Maryna Linchuk, and photographed by Steven Meisel, this was a watershed moment.

2008 saw Magdalena become the face of Alessandro Dell’Acqua, in addition to renewing her contract with Ralph Lauren. Magdalena walked in the January couture season, making appearances for Armani Prive, Chanel, Dior, Givenchy and Valentino. Her excellent show record continued with a RTW season that included opening spots for Thakoon, Viktor & Rolf plus Alessandro Dell’Acqua.

For the rest of the year, Magdalena clocked up several noteworthy appearances; an Italian Vogue editorial photographed by Patrick Demarchelier; an i-D editorial in March; an Allure editorial in May and the summer cover of 10 magazine.

This rapidly-growing CV also included a feature in French Vogue, where the magazine that can make (or break) a career named Frackowiak a ‘top model’. Magdalena’s flair for editorial continued, with a spread for Interview magazine that primarily focused on Gucci. Pairing the Polish bombshell with the iconic Italian brand was inspired casting. Frackowiak had already proved she could do high-fashion, but she could also bring sex appeal, perfect for an editorial that required equal measure of both.

Magdalena’s standing in the fashion community soared when it was time to announce who had scooped the prestigious A/W campaigns. Magdalena had not only landed a spot with one designer: she had three. Shooting for Oscar de la Renta, Alessandro Dell’Acqua and Ralph Lauren, Magdalena’s pulling power in front of the lens was becoming an undeniable force for fashion good.

In September, Magdalena had the show season befitting a top model, walking in 55 shows. Closing shows for Jil Sander and Proenza Schouler, she also made appearances for Chloe, Chanel, Gareth Pugh, Hermes, Isabel Marant, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs, Missoni, Preen, Stella McCartney and Valentino. It was a blockbuster season, putting Magdalena’s name well and truly on the map.

2009 brought more accolades, with Magdalena adding a campaign for Kenzo to her list of credits. Her A/W season in February 2009 gave Magdalena a bona fide fashion moment. She was selected to open shows for Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, Matthew Williamson, closing shows for Julien MacDonald and Alexander McQueen.

Being the bookend in major headline shows like Lanvin and McQueen, Frackowiak was now playing with the top names in the business. Her editorial and campaign work had propelled her right to the heart of the modelling elite.

Magdalena filled the summer months of 2009 with yet more editorial work, including French, Russian and Japanese Vogue. Magdalena also hit the headlines when she participated in a shoot for the A/W issue of Purple. Posing topless with Eniko Mihalik, Abbey Lee Kershaw and Freja Beha, the photo shoot garnered plenty of attention. Its near-the-knuckle editorial slant begged the question: was this fashion photography at its most daring or just plain pornography?

Terry is famed for blurring the lines, and his preference on sexuality is borrowed straight from the Seventies. Think bold glamour, gloss and very big hair, and you’ve got yourself a Terry Richardson shoot.

In some ways, a photo shoot like this is the perfect foil to Magdalena’s abilities. She can be gentle and soft-focus in designs by Alberta Ferretti and Blumarine, or full-on raunch for designers like Gucci and Roberto Cavalli.

Terry’s work proves that provocative images don’t have to be just for the boys. His genius is making sexuality part of the high-fashion experience. Where couture can sometimes be accused of being a touch cerebral and other-worldly, Richardson, working with models like Magdalena, brings a note of earthy vitality to a shoot or campaign. It’s not sleazy; it’s just another point of view.

2010 has already begun well for Frackowiak, with an Italian Vogue editorial under her belt and covers for Russian Vogue and Dazed and Confused.

She is very much the 21st century follow-on from Fifties and Sixties models like Dovima, Dorian Leigh and Suzy Parker. They wore cutting-edge couture like was a second skin, and that is what Magdalena does so well. The fashion spread for Dazed and Confused was dedicated to Viktor and Rolf’s latest collection. More avant-garde than ready-to-wear, the ultra-edgy designs in both the cover and editorial have one thing in common: you see the model first, and then you see the dress. It only registers in a second glance that the dress is pushing boundaries and then some. On Magdalena, what is a challenge to wear becomes soft, romantic and even covetous.

When modelling the tougher, more avant-garde designs, it pays to be fearless. This is what Magdalena has picked up from the tough-as-boots models of the 50’s and 60’s. They may have looked the epitome of elegance and grace, but there was no chance of any dress overwhelming them. It’s a tough balancing act because fashion’s built around the see-saw of hard and soft, masculine and feminine. Trying to blend the two and make it believable is the really tricky part. Magdalena’s work with photographer Terry Richardson is a brilliant example of the importance of balance. It’s all about visual semantics: lighting, styling, even the tilt of the model’s chin - in fashion, the tiniest detail often makes the biggest difference.

Look at Magdalena’s runway track record. Note how many designers have kept her on as a runway fixture every season. Alexander McQueen was booking Magdalena in 2006 and still doing so in his last (completed) show in September 2009. Loyalty is hard-won in the fashion world: an incredibly versatile clothes-horse, Magdalena has mastered campaigns and editorials that would make more experienced models quake. It is that quality of fearlessness that makes her such a compelling presence.

With depth and intelligence, Magdalena is merging the point where ‘sexy’ and ‘editorial’ meet. In a post-recession age where many hard and fast rules are having to be re-written, Magdalena provides a very modern take on fashion’s newest (and boldest) identity.

It’s a lesson taken straight from fashion history. After the Second World War, the fashion world had two options: to give up, or reinvent. Christian Dior went with the second, and gave us the New Look. It reignited the industry, and ever since, it’s been the inspiration when times are tough; revitalise and renew.

Models like Magdalena aren’t just along for the ride: they’re changing what we see as beautiful and fashionable. Editorial fashion isn’t about wilful provocation; it’s about moving forwards in order to survive. The models that do editorial best make it look easy: because they’ve worked so hard, you can no longer see the join where work ends and inspiration begins.

Fashion’s latest reinvention is not for the faint of heart, but it’s about more than hemlines. The new look for the 21st century is taking fashion into its next phase. It will be daring, difficult and thought-provoking – but it’s pushing all the right buttons.

HELEN TOPE