Amanda of AusNTM on BCBG Max Azria SS 2012

I was looking at the first batch of collections of New York Fashion Week, and as always BCBG Max Azria was one of the first labels to present. I read on Altamira that for models the BCBG Max Azria runway is a good indicator of their success for the entire season.

But today when I looked at the photos of its collection (also see the video here), I was more entranced by the amazing dresses than the models themselves. Suddenly I spotted a familiar face, that of Amanda Ware, who won the sixth cycle of Australia's next top model.

Isn't it exciting that she's walking with the likes of Arizona Muse, Fei Fei Sun, Ruby Aldridge, and Sara Blomqvist?

Amanda is a good model, a favorite of mine early into the competition. Her win was however overshadowed by the horrid mistake of the host in announcing on live TV the winning model of that season. So I am pleasantly surprised that Amanda is making a name for her self on the modeling scene despite that rather awkward launching.

A quick look at Amanda's Wikipedia entry showed that she in fact debuted during the 2011 fall-winter shows, appearing on Philip Lim and L'Wren Scott, among a few other brands. Seems like AusNTM has another successful model in the making, following Alice Burdeu's reign on the world's major catwalks a few years back.

I'm watching the current season of AusNTM, and really the quality of its contestants is astounding. Picking just one favorite is very challenging. Each girl is unique and simply mind-blowing. It helps of course that they are young, on average about 18 years old, so they are mostly fresh-looking.

On the contrary, ANTM has ceased to become a modeling competition; and especially with the launching of ANTM All Stars (premiering later this month), it's more of a bitch fest for aging has-been (even barely) models. 

What Will Tyra Say?

I've almost totally freed my self from watching TV, especially TV series, which can be quite addicting. For instance, I watched a couple of episodes of Glee a few months back and I was on the brink of downloading every episode of the show until I realized it could very well be the start of a relapse and on towards a full TV addiction yet again (I used to base my routine around the schedule of Oprah for instance... go on, cringe).

Currently, I watch TV for just about thirty minutes a day. During breakfast, I switch between CNN, BBC, and Chic Channel (the local Fashion TV).

Not that I don't watch TV shows. I'm now following three reality shows.

I watch the new season (is it 16?) of The Amazing Race on AXN. No one can make me leave the house on a Monday evening for fear of missing my still favorite TV show for many years now. I would absolutely drop everything in my life if I could just join this show, even its crappy Asian counterpart (but 80% of their contestants are celebrities so I would not even bother to send an audition tape... but wait, I'm a celebrity, chai mai?).

The current season is already down to its final six pairs. I don't have a favorite team yet, although I'm consistently amused with the cowboys. But then, I don't really watch the show for the participants; I'm rather always looking forward to where they're going to next.

The last episode was shot in Seychelles and practically all of the teams (except for the smart and uber chica lesbian couple) could not pronounce the country's name, much less know where it is on the map. The beauty of The Amazing Race is how it educates people on geography and culture, and largely it encourages us to explore more of the world.

Also mid-season is Project Runway, which is already on its seventh season. Guess what, Heidi is pregnant yet again in this season! If Seal is my husband, I'd be forever pregnant myself!

Anyway, back to Project Runway... there's no remarkable personalities this season (except perhaps for Anthony, who was eliminated in the last episode, unfortunately). Given the lack of distraction, we should be able to focus more on the designs. But the creativity of this season's contestant is nothing groundbreaking. Also, there are way too many sponsored episodes, such as some stupid Garnier, L'Oreal, or HP challenge. Damn, that show has sold itself to the corporations.

There's still of course judges Nina Garcia and Michael Kors, although their acerbic criticisms have become a bit all too familiar, hence, losing their novelty. But that's me.

For the first time, there's Filipino contestant. Jay, from what I remember, is from Hawaii. He has won about two challenges now but lately he had been quite erratic in his outputs, even landing in the bottom two a couple of episodes ago.

I checked the final collections on the internet (which they showed during the latest Fashion Week in Bryant Park), and my guess is Jay is one of the top three contestants. The other, two are Emilio and Seth Aron. In as much as I want Jay to win, my money's on Seth Aron's well-constructed garments and coherent point of view.

Lastly, I'm also watching America's Next Top Model. Who'd have known that Tyra Banks could get away with fourteen seasons of this mindless crap, which, to my knowledge has not produced anything close to a top model yet.

But damn, this is really one of my guilty pleasures and you can kill me now.

This is how you SMIZE, bitches...

Well, what is there to say about this new season... Really, nothing much. It's the same old bitchy girls who are nowhere near becoming supermodels. Half of them do not know what they're doing, aside from a lot of finger wagging and yelling inside the model house. Ahhh, I watch ANTM for those.

And the photoshoots are as mediocre, even as inane, as the previous seasons... exactly the reason why I keep on coming back too!

I wonder why Andre Leon Talley is willing to lend this show his esteemed name, but then, he is not helpful in judging either. If anything, the panel just became yet another circus of personalities.

And Tyra, oh Tyra... what shall we do with you? I just LOVE hating you.

 

All-Asian Models in Daniel Vosovic Presentation for F/W 2010-2011

It's fashion week once again, ladies, with the sad news of Alexander McQueen's death throwing a sad blanket over the shows this season.

I'm not particularly keen on "covering" the FW collections as more credible fashion bloggers are going to do exactly do that. I'd rather observe really until I saw this collection...

Former Project Runway finalist, Daniel Vosovic, showed his 15-piece FW 2010-2011 presentation with an all-Asian cast of models. Pretty cool, eh? And he's not showing the current top Asian models, like Liu Wen and Shu Pei, instead he chose the relatively unknown faces.

(Although one of them, in that black outfit, looks like that Filipina model who's the sister of Bim Something-something, and who also happened to appear in Project Runway and The Fashion Show. Can someone please confirm this?)

Top List, 2009 Edition

I swear I had this list in my head since September and I planned to come out with my annual "top list" (for lack of a better term) last December. Obviously I did not get to do that coz I was marooned in Surigao.

I contemplated whether I should still come out with the list, after all it's already January and by now most bloggers have already released their respective lists of whatever achuchu and eklavoo.

But then I thought I should still capture my mood for 2009 in some way or another and coming out with a "top list" partly does that.

It will be an abridged list though. Whereas I used to mention my top three of this and that, I'd just go directly to my top choice for each category coz damn I'm the laziest bitch on this bank of the Chao Phraya.

Gosh, enough of the preliminaries...

Top Model: Karlie Kloss

Top Book (non-fiction): The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order (1996)
by Samuel Huntington

Top Book (fiction): Never Let Me Go (2005)
by Kazuo Ishiguro

Top Film (documentary): Burma VJ

Top Film (feature): Revolutionary Road

Top Dance Track: Single Ladies by Beyonce
(sorry Laddy Gaga, but you're a close second anyway)

Top Album: 19 by Adele

Top Trip: Las Islas Filipinas (June 2009)

Top Inspiration: Bangkok (it still is!)

Role Model: Eniko and Guinevere

So you think only uber skinny girls can become models?

How then do you explain my girl Lara Stone, aber? Well even Coco Rocha is rather bulky lately, no?

Despite being relatively plump compared to the current crop of beautifully cadaverous models (hello, Siri Tollerod and Olga Sherer!) Lara Stone is no doubt one of the world's top models. Go ask Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld.

I still like my models emaciated like hell though. I'd marry Kinga Rajzak, Magdalena Frackowiak, or Amanda Laine anytime... and the list of these girls go on and on, I even have an altar for them in my bedroom.

But I don't mind those girls with, well... rounder arms, wider hips, and heavier bosoms landing in some fashion magazine or walking down the catwalk.

God knows I worship two of the, I don't want to say this... uhm, the fatter (there!) girls in the modeling world. They are absolutely two of the biggest names around and lo and behold they're not exactly as gaunt as the other mannequins.

In fact, their round figures have given them a special niche coz (1) there are very few of them and (2) they can do nudes much better than those girls with bones poking out of their hips. Besides, they always deliver some of the most inspiring fashion editorials and campaigns.

Eniko Mihalik, 21, is best known not only for her curvaceous body - she is size 4 (gasp!) - but also for her amazing face framed by two of the most astounding cheekbones on earth.

After winning the Hungarian Elite Model Look in 2002, she had her debut in 2006 at the Chanel couture show. She is currently under Elite (Milan and Paris), Marilyn Agency (NY), and Storm (London).

In 2008, world-famous photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vindooh Matadin put Eniko on an exclusive six-month contract.

She has appeared on the covers of Numero France, Vogue Nippon, W Korea, i-D, and V and has snagged countless editorials in such fashion bibles as Elle, Italian Vogue, and Vogue Paris. Among her campaigns are Gucci, MaxMara, Nicole Farhi, and H&M. Eniko is also in the 2010 Pirelli Calendar.

You can read more about Eniko on her Model Manual profile and her FMD entry.

Next is model veteran Guinevere van Seenus, 33, who is size 4 (oh dear!). The American's mother agency is IMG Models New York.

Her very long list of magazine covers starts with W in March 1996 followed by a cover on i-D in May of the same year. Since then she had landed on the covers of some of the biggest magazines in the world, including Numero France, Italian Vogue, i-D, Dazed and Confused (both UK and US), and L'Uomo Vogue.

In the spring of 1996 she also appeared as the face of Chanel and Jil Sander, thus starting an extremely successful career in ad campaigns with such brands as Bottega Veneta, Dolce and Gabbana, DKNY, Gap, Kenzo, Marc Jacobs, Nars, Moschino, and Versace under her belt.

Guinevere has also appeared in the Pirelli calendar in 1996 and 2006.

Her Model Manual profile is found here and her FMD entry is found here.

While Guinevere's career is years ahead of Eniko, it can be said that both models were the premiere "round models" in their generations that were largely dominated by girls who don't have hips and boobs to speak of.

I don't want to discuss the dearth of more hefty models these days.

I just hope people realize that models represent an ideal. They personify an aesthetic envisioned by fashion photographers, designers, stylists, and editors. It just so happens that the prevailing aesthetic of the moment is the more fragile, emaciated look.

Regular people (a euphemism for those with a body mass index of more than 20, moi included) are not supposed to refer to these images of perfection for their self-esteem, OK? Now go back to your carbs.

I Heart Joseph Altuzarra

If you're not aware that Fashion Week (yes, in capital letters) has kicked off in New York, then honey, you must've been living inside a cave. Shame on you, bitch.

I mean, what can be more important than Fashion Week, aber?

Anyway, since mid last week my eyes are almost falling out of their sockets from looking at numerous catwalk pictures and watching videos posted all over Style.com, Women's Wear Daily, and New York Magazine.

Gosh, gosh, gosh, I feel like I'm in heaven.

The collections I love so far are Alexander Wang, L.A.M.B., Marc Jacobs, and Carlos Miele. That's really a lopsided assessment coz I simply don't have the time nor the energy to browse through all the collections.

Alexander Wang

L.A.M.B.

Marc Jacobs

Carlos Miele

Besides, there are still dozens and dozens of new models' names and faces I need to memorize before this week ends.

I swear I'm overwhelmed at times. The deluge of information is just too much, I can hardly keep up. And that's just New York! There's still more to come when the Fashion Week coverage moves to London, Milan, and Paris. I can't wait!!!

Thank God for Twitter, I can closely follow insiders' scoops of some of the backstage frenzy, front-row gossip, and the crazy after-parties.

I have to mention that the blog coverage is also pretty comprehensive, thank God. (You can check my links list titled "Blogs with Style" on the right bar.) In fact, I initially planned not to bother writing about Fashion Week this season coz the coverage by bloggers alone is already all over the place.

But then, please allow me to make an exception.

The point of this post is really to introduce you guys to this piece of a man called Joseph Altuzarra, whose New York Magazine video I found on Women Management's blog.

Joseph Altuzarra is an up and coming designer under the label Altuzarra. I think this is only his third season.

It would be a lie if I tell you I've been following him. I have not previously heard of him either, although he seems to have quite a good resume. When I checked his designs, I really like them. Very, very promising.

But no, I'm mainly creaming my silk panties over how gorgeous he is, non? I want to have his babies, pronto.

He is a welcome addition to the crop of uber hot designers like Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Alexander Wang, Zac Posen, Olivier Theyskens, and the duo Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler.

Oh, let's not wait any longer, shall we? Go watch the video below.

You can check his profile on this link from New York Times and his Spring/Summer 2010 collection on Style.com.

Photo Credits: Style.com and WWD.

Wink, Wink

The UK edition of popular hip magazine i-D is coming out with twelve covers for their March 2009 issue and pays tribute to some of the top British models.

The models include the current crop of top Brit models Agyness Deyn, Lily Donaldson, and Jourdan Dunn.

The so-called veterans also get their mileage with the likes of legendary supermodels Stella Tennant, Kate Moss, and of course the divine Naomi Campbell.

Oh, did I also mention that the bestest, super-duper model extraordinaire EVAR also has his own i-D cover?

* Edit *

The cover above was re-worked to perfection by Fuchsiaboy of Khmerlandia to replace the cover I posted yesterday, which was my despicable attempt at Photoshop.

Thanks a lot, bitch.

* Edit *

Well, well, well... look do we have here?

Sky is the langit?

It's not my problem anymore, it's your problem anymore?

Let's burn the bridge when we get there?

I'm sweatening?

Of course... Been there, been that!

Check Fuchsiaboy's version of the i-D cover.

Oh Lara!

Now who landed her 15,000th cover on French Vogue, March 2009?

Carine, ma cheri, you really know how to show your adoration for our dear Lara here, don't you? You dedicate an entire issue to her with editorials by famed photographers Nan Goldin, Steven Klein, Patrick Demarchelier, Peter Lindbergh, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, and Hedi Slimane.

I'm having an orgasm right now.

Merci Carine for keeping us maricones inspired.

And Lara, Lara... you and I should have coffee one day, dahling. The world knows that we are bound to be best friends.

Below are from Peter Lindbergh for an eight-page editorial called "Lara a la Mer".

And these are by Hedi Slimane in an editorial titled "Lara by Night".

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.