The Last Days of the First Decade
We love rock and roll. Music is already loud in the gallery,
firecrackers outside too. People can't wait for midnight, we can't wait
for Monday. New year is coming fast, new vibe is welcome. Our gallerist
in chief is cooking the meal for tonight and we're cooking some
surprises. For you, next year. Hold on, it's sooner than ever now.
While waiting, we thought we should do a little list of the striking
facts of 2009. Our striking facts, what caught our eyes and attention,
what made our days and night during one year. Call them new trends or
just high hopes for a near future but they are what they are - our
reality, at least. Agencies, models, magazines... it was a random idea
a few days ago only and it became what kept us alive during holidays
that took too long for the workaholics we are.
Nikole Ivanova @ 2B Models, Ford 
Elizaveta Vishnyakova @ Image Discovery
Oana Timerman @ Mandarina
Camilla @ Nisch
Stasya Izyumova @ Avant
Agencies. Or better talk about image, the keyword of the year when it comes to (more or less) new mother agencies. They are Nisch Management in Sweden, Image Discovery in Ukraine and, of course, Mandarina Models
in Romania. Wether you consider them as major players already or rising
stars in the business, their moves in 2009 were hard to overlook.
Nisch opened it's doors in Spring as a conceptual boutique
located in Stockholm with a huge focus on image. Aesthetics pushed to
the extremes from the way they take their polaroids to the kind of
faces they sign. Successful on the boys side (unfortunately it's not
our speciality), their women's board is growing day after day, adding
girls with unusual and precious looks. Going out of the beaten tracks
to find those who'll stand out from the crowd ? Perhaps the only way to
survive when you're a swedish agent.
Image Discovery is the wild child of the ukrainian modeling
scene. A fearless good eye covering the whole country to discover
hidden jewels where they are and how they are (raw). It's not even a
concept, it's a little revolution in the way it works. And results
might be the best proof of its efficiency: who wasn't smitten by
Elizaveta, Inni or Nastya ? 2009 was definitely about image... and
discovery.
Last but not least and maybe the agency we cooperated most during the last six or seven months, Mandarina Models.
Reinventing the role of the local mother agency, launcheing their
models with the complete package. Not only good digitals and decent
training. The skilled young ladies from Mandarina usually don't leave
their home without having worked with A-list photographers (Lukas
Dvorak, Jordan Doner and a couple talented local newcomers) and their
polaroid-sheets are loaded with experimental shots cooked by the agency
itself. But we agree, good development only comes second after
scouting. Girls like Marina Serbul, Xenia Micsanchi, Alexandrina
Turcan, Olga Savina or Oana Timerman (the list could go on and on) can
testify the model-radar is definitely on at Mandarina. With precious
newbies to come soon.
Special mentions to 2B Models in Riga for the quality of the Ford SMOW contest last November and to Avant Models
in Moscow, most featured agency in 2008 who kept the results on the
same good slope this year. Ranya confirmed, Stasya and Ursula caught
our eyes and hearts while Sveta gets ready to go.
Lindsey Wixson @ Marilyn
Romana Umrianova @ Elite Bratislava, Supreme
Jenny Sinkaberg @ IMG
Nastasia Ohl @ DNA, Viva
Sedene Blake @ NY Models
Julia Kosheleva @ LMA, Women Direct, Women Milan
Hind Sahli @ DNA
Lyndsey Scott @ Click
Melodie Dagault @ Marilyn NY, Elite Paris
Ludmilla Dom Perignon @ Silent, d'Management
Valerija Kelava @ Next
Jacquelyn Jablonski @ Ford 
Janete Friedrich @ One
Faces. Models truth is our truth. Faces to remember are faces,
in the most exact meaning of the word. We're certainly not talking
about the so-called back-to-classic recession-look but about those who
definitely stood out, daring to be different. Lindsay Wixson
might be the first two words coming in mind and not only for opening
Prada last September. Lindsay's best asset is her playful attitude on
glossy paper and her true editorial abilities. Pouty lips (or moody
pout) and sparkle in her eyes became a trademark right after her first
polaroids were done at Marilyn New York. The rest is already history,
sorry for being that epic.
Second model we couldn't not include in these review is Valerija Kelava.
Next's wildcard of the season didn't only catch our own eyes, she did a
flawless job on the runway booking the most precious shows in each
city. Then came editorial quickly after and she clearly doesn't have to
blush seeing her portfolio: Dazed & Confused is what we'd call the
ultimate start in magazines.
French girls and french scouts are also in our personal limelight (and
not only ours) this year. Everybody is aware of Elite's successful
frenchies like Constance and Charlotte, everybody fell in love with
Mathilde's impish looks backstage but we'd like to pay more attention
to the outsiders. As always ? A litte bit, we're not going to change
that much. Discovered by Johann Mapaga (the french scout with talent and
vision) and already known as a favorite from Martin Margiela's
castings, Ludmilla Dom Perignon has certainly already caught your eyes for her curly hair or hard-to-describe/hard-to-forget beauty
type. Still too rare on runways, she already made some
remarkable steps into the editorial world including a few pages of our beloved
Amica.
After her debuts at Calvin Klein show last February, we read her name on every lips. Who ? Lyndsey Scott. Cute as button and graceful as a ballerina, she perfectly embodies the outsider who made in big in one click.
Leaving us high hopes for her future and the future of faces in
general. Strong, unique beauties are still in high demand and maybe
higher than ever. Too rare not to care, too remarkable to be
overlooked. Fashion may need its classic mold to make sure there are
enough beautiful troopers on worldwide catwalks, the story takes
another turn when it comes to print. Image and atmosphere still rule.
Need to leave a mark ? They've got their stamp!
Ursula Konina @ FM, Avant 
Marike Le Roux @ Wilhelmina
Anne Sophie Monrad @ Modelwerk, Ford
Elena Ivanova @ Just WM
Alisa @ Ice
Big cities, big moves. Our favorites facts are maybe not the
most obvious, though. Paris, New York, London and Milan... what went on
that caught our attention in 2009 ? Too much to sum up of course but a
couple of agencies really did smart moves blended with interesting
ideas and clever concepts.
Just WM in Paris opened (wide) their doors and got a few
remarkable successes on the most coveted runways in town. Think of
Johanna Kneppers at Balenciaga or Elena Ivanova at Givenchy. And all
their sweet newbies we featured this year. Put your helmet on, it's not
about to stop rocking.
London saw a few nice moves as well, Elite opened and TESS brought a
new concept to the table while Independent closed its model
departement. But our favorite fact from the other side of the Channel
is definitely FM's revamping. New team, new vibe and lots of
new faces. Polaroids galore this fall was among our unforgettable
model-moment of the year with several favorites like Kinga, Svetlana,
Sadie, Laila and, of course, Ursula who made her debuts at Christopher
Kane.
Another town, another revamping. Milan was quite quiet but Ice's
new face (and new faces) captured our attention. Huge efforts on
scouting and aesthetic paid, both on the image and in real life with
Alisa's debuts on the runway.
Still loving a revamped version of an agency with Wilhelmina's
new direction. Once again, facts are speaking for themselves when girls
like Keke Lindgard or Marike Le Roux walked every major show they
could. But as aesthetic has always the biggest place for us, the
creativity used by the new team to enhance their polaroids and packages
appeared as remarkable as their girls' tremendous results on the
runway. Another agency in New York we would really not forget today is Ford.
From the Ford Does It Better feature in September to unforgettable
memories in Riga last month, from Jacquelyn's season to Anne-Sophie's
future.
And as we're talking about Anne-Sophie, would be too bad not to drop a line on Modelwerk
in Hamburg. To keep it on the most positive not, let's just say
intensive blogging and relentless scouting remain a winning formula for
an agency who does both mother agent and representation.
Editorials. Let's the pictures talk and let's the music play. It's a
bit late to discuss the whole topic from January to December but we
guess our selection speaks for itself better than we would have done.
All-time favorites still on tracks, new wunderkinds making their first
steps and loads of thrilling visuals. Our heads are going to explode
soon with the loud music, endless flow of words and photographic
frenzy. Goodbye Mixte (see you in heaven, one day ?) and welcome to all these new photographers who joined our favorite-list this year. Billy Kid, Jonathan Waiter, Jessie Craig, Yorick Nubé, Gilbert François, Bradford Gregory, Natalie Berezina, Christine Gatchalian, Karl Rothenberger, Robert Nethery, Emir Eralp, Alexandre Brunet, Kristiina Wilson (both with a sublime new site) and others joining Chadwick Tyler, Eric Guillemain, Maxim Repin, Jonathan Leder
and Co. among our beloved inspirations. Thanks to all of them who made
our visual dreams become our visual reality. Could daydreaming turn
into a wise strategy for the future ? Let's see. Race to the oysters
now. Well, no oysters actually. Just shrimps, shells and smoked salmon.
And fake champagne if anyone cares. See you next year.
Well, we're already next year now... celebrated too much yesterday night and failed to put the post online before midnight. As we're found guilty of being late, we added our editorial inspirations from 2009. The girls, the aesthetics, the moods. Everything that had a little influence at least on our way to see modeling in general and fashion photography in particular. After the ingredients involved in the processes, it was more than relevant to add a few lines and even more a few pictures to illustrate the results. Where we want the girls we believe in to go, what we consider as pages of portolio to be proud of and to remember. Milestones in a career, moments. Theirs and ours. Happy 2010 to all our friends, readers and partners. Have a good rest and be back on Monday!
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