Top Models of 2008

This nearly gave me a heart attack, I swear. Until I had to make this list, I didn't realize how difficult the task would be with soooo many stunning models nowadays.

I could actually have twenty girls on this list and even that is not enough to accommodate every fierce model I admire. They are just so different from each other and the diversity of looks and attitudes is simply sensational.

So when I was making the list in my head I was totally overwhelmed with the idea that I have to limit the list to three. I sort of came up with a criteria but I reckoned, well, just put in the top three models who INSPIRE you.

The three girls below are those who take my breath away when I see them on the runway. These are the girls who stop me in my tracks when I see them on a magazine cover. These are the girls who would make me drool when I check them on a fashion editorial.

In short, these three define FIERCENESS.

Second runner-up: Anja Rubik (Poland)

Anja debuted in the runway for F/F 2000 and had since conquered the fashion world with her easy confidence and had grabbed advertising contracts from Emanuel Ungaro and Armani. In 2007 she signed a fragrance deal with Estee Lauder Beautiful face for Chloe.

Her most remarkable move to date was cutting her hair short in 2007 that sent shock waves in the industry and catapulted her to supermodel-dom. She was the cover of V magazine in September 2008. Her official website is found here.

First runner-up: Natasha Poly (Russia)

Natasha is definitely the most sought-after catwalker right now, having reigned the runways since her debut in S/S 2003 in Paris. The following season, she walked 54 shows in all the fashion capitals in the world. Five years later, Natasha continues to stomp the runways, opening and closing the most prestigious shows.

In March 2007 she was on the cover of French Vogue and had her fifth French Vogue cover in September 2007, perhaps making her the envy of every model who knows how coveted that prestige is.

And the winner is...

Lara Stone
(The Netherlands)

Gawdness, Lara, Lara, Lara of my dreams.

This girl came out of nowhere, for my list at least. When I first saw her I noticed the gap in her front teeth, her big boobs and curvy hips (as opposed to the majority of rail thin models), and her wobbly walk on the runways. I detested her.

But then she is the girl who grew on me. I started noticing her on the fashion editorials mostly partially clothed and even totally unclothed. She eventually came to be known as the least clothed model around. But that's Lara for you.

She had her debut at the fall Givenchy couture show in Paris in January of 2006. The following year, Carine Roitfeld supposedly said about Lara, "Sometimes a girl just touches you". And yeah, we can tell that she is Carine's fave having first appeared on the cover of French Vogue in May 2004 and had since then landed on the cover of the same magazine four more times (I think).

Some of the campaigns she bagged include Calvin Klein Make-up, Calvin Klein Jeans, Calvin Klein, DKNY Jeans, and five consecutive seasons for Givenchy.

Lara is my top model for 2008 because she goes against the grain of how a typical model should look like. Also, she is very daring and dark at the same time, and has that lusty, moody rage that surfaces really well on the fashion editorials. For her irreverence, Lara is an inspiration to me.