The Rise Of Older Models

The fashion industry is over its obsession with youth. Suddenly, the hottest models are 40-plus.

It has been said, that, when  you reach a certain age where you start to become invisible. It's an odd sensation, as if someone has thrown a Potterish invisibility cloak over you. It's a sort of inversion of the old joke of sticking a Post-it note with a daft message to your back, the joke now being that people on the street look straight through you. It has little to do with aesthetics; it's more chemical than that. It is just that women, more than men, occupy space in the world's consciousness in correlation with youth.

In the space of the last year, a curious thing has happened. Older women have become increasingly visible in the arena in which, above all others, nubile youth has long trumped all else: fashion. Of all the spheres of influence in which youth and beauty could be relied upon to rule with an iron grip, fashion has long been the most ruthless. (Best ever fashion-world horror story for pure terrifying evilness – I'm assuming it's apocryphal – is about the parties held by Rachel Zoe's mini-me starlets in LA at the height of the size-zero obsession, where the guest list consisted of a pair of weighing scales at the door, and no girls weighing more than 100lbs were allowed in.) Yet next season's Dolce & Gabbana advertising campaign, unveiled last week, stars Madonna (51). Hot label of the moment Celine – the campaign every model must have wanted this season – has chosen a veteran face from the 1990s superwaif era, Emma Balfour (40). Balenciaga stars Stella Tennant (39); Louis Vuitton, whose new collection was dubbed "And God Created Woman" by designer Marc Jacobs, featured Elle Macpherson (47) on the catwalk and stars Christy Turlington (41) in its latest print campaign. Glossy magazines at both ends of the style spectrum have chosen older models for their latest issues: Macpherson is on the cover of the new Tatler, while Dazed features Kristen McMenamy (46) as the newstand face of an issue dedicated to "iconic models" on sale tomorrow.

Madonna for Dolce&Gabbana

Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin are a Dutch photographic duo who have been working together for two decades. They recently shot a new campaign for Yves Saint Laurent starring 26-year-old Daria Werbowy. Until not long ago, 26 was very much past one's prime, as a model, but Lamsweerde and Matadin recently told vogue.com that "models like Kate [Moss] and Daria are mature, they've grown up, they're women who have had a life and experience. For about five or six years now we haven't shot anyone under 18 for that reason, but also for the fact that, we feel the modelling business should not promote girls working under this age. They're not out of school – their bodies haven't developed yet and they don't have a sense of self. Sometimes they haven't had sex yet. It's hard to project all these things on someone who hasn't had that experience."

Such common sense is completely revolutionary. Until recently, few in the industry would acknowledge that there was something a teensy bit shallow and moronic and possibly even dubious about taking a 16-year-old model with a head full of Justin Bieber daydreams and GCSE revision notes and dressing her up as a sophisticated femme fatale, arranging her supine on an unmade hotel bed, while dripping with diamond bracelets and thousand-pound handbags and wearing a bored-of-it-all expression. Extreme youth was part and parcel of the fantasy of fashion.

The new visibility of older models is part of a shift in fashion from fantasy to wearability. For the past 10 years, one adjective has reigned supreme above others in fashion. If it was good – whether it was a model, a dress, a handbag, a cocktail – it was "fabulous". Fabulous, in the Oxford English Dictionary, has two meanings: extraordinary, and also "having no basis in reality; mythical". Our obsession with fabulousness was always very much about a yearning for the impossible, a boomtime obsession with pushing boundaries. The word feels, now, like a compliment from another era.

The age of austerity dawned in fashion months before George Osborne got his hands on the keys to No 11. In March, the Paris catwalks were full of grown-up clothes in sensible, wearable colours. Even before the bloodbath budget, fashion had a new buzzword to replace fabulousness – "believability". Easy-to-do ponytails and walkable-heeled shoes are hot topics in fashion right now. The issue of whether the women who can afford these clothes can also wear them without looking absurd is deemed relevant again.

Francisco Costa, designer of Calvin Klein, cast Kristen McMenamy and Stella Tennant for his most recent catwalk show in New York. "I wanted a cast that really represented a customer I design for, and that's not really a 16-year-old," he said after the show. "The woman who puts my clothes on needs a certain level of sophistication. We wanted to acknowledge the women who have always worn our clothes: women who have their own identities, have full lives, have kids."

Current industry rumour has it that the cover girls for the American giants run as follows: Julia Roberts for Elle, Halle Berry for Vogue, and Jennifer Aniston for Harpers Bazaar. If this is true, Aniston – at 41 – will be the youngest cover girl of the big three. If older women can reappear in fashion, then anything is possible. There may even be hope in Hollywood.

Malgorzata Dudek: Poland's Answer to McQueen?

For those who haven’t heard of Malgorzata Dudek, you’re in for a visual treat. Her Spring 2012  collection flirts with insanity and edges towards mad creative genius, sometimes doing so in an explosion of flower-like ruffles, other times clouding over into black, fringed darkness.

Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger was the inspiration behind this particular collection. Anyone familiar with Giger’s work will instantly recognise the alienous baby heads imprinted on some of Dudek’s gowns. Other pieces were inspired by Giger’s airbrushing techniques. The beauty of Dudek’s pieces, however, is in the transformation of Giger’s work into something entirely different: it’s inspired, but not literal.

Malgorzata Dudek: S/S 2011

 "My desire with this collection is to honor to H.R. Giger, pay him tribute, and show how his influence resonates in the world of fashion. When I started sketching this collection and planning the fabrics, I couldn’t see it complete without elements of H.R. Giger’s artwork.

And what better way for me, as a designer, to honor a man who’s Biomechanical vision has massively influenced architecture, film, music, tattoo art, fashion and industrial design. Last February, I sent sketches to H.R. Giger through his agent and to my surprise, I heard back almost immediately and was given creative freedom to incorporate a jointly agreed upon selection of Giger’s art"

You don’t have to be a Giger fan to appreciate the craftsmanship of Malgorzata Dudek’s gowns. If British creativity found its apotheosis in Alexander McQueen, then perhaps Dudek is set to be the Polish equivalent. 

Kate Moss' Little Sister: First Modelling Pictures

It’s with some restraint that I’m going to spare you the fashion-related puns about shoes to fill and modelling being in the genes. After all, the more Lottie Moss’ face is spread across magazine pages and the tangled web of the internet, the more those pun-filled headlines will pop up like wild mushrooms after the autumn rain. And if this debut photo shoot is anything to go by Lottie has plenty of career potential, so it’s a face we'll see more of.

Though half-sister to the world famous supermodel, it’s clear that Kate Moss and Lottie both inherited doe eyes, a small frame, and an uncanny ability to sustain deliberately dishevelled bed hair. With a head start down a modelling path paved in gold by her half-sister before her, it shouldn’t be difficult for Lottie to see the contracts rolling in. It just depends on whether she choses to pursue them or not.

Rooney Mara Gets Vogue Makeover

Back in January Rooney Mara debuted a radical new look for her role as Lisbeth Salander in the movie adaptation of Stieg Larrson's Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

And now the actress, 26, is pulling another style 180, showing off her feminine side on the cover of Vogue's November issue.

Inside the magazine, Mara poses in stunning gowns by Marchesa and Vera Wang, against an enchanted fairy tale background.

Rooney Mara For Vogue

"Before, I dressed much girlier," she told Vogue of her physical transformation for the flick. "A lot of blush-colored things. Now I literally roll out of bed and put on whatever is there. I have really enjoyed being a boy this last year."

To achieve her look in the film, Rooney had to cut off all of her hair and dye it black as well as bleach her eyebrows. She also received several piercings in one day.

"The eyebrows were the biggest shock because that really changed my face, and I didn't recognize myself. But I was fine because I knew it was going to be really helpful for getting into character."

Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, which also stars Daniel Craig, hits theaters December 21.

Interview With Rory Lewis Portraiture Photographer On Tricks Of The Trade.

Portraiture is all about the face, the model, the muse.

The best models I have worked in the past have been confident actors. Actors who are able to work through a series of poses following the photographer’s descriptive direction or example imagery; whilst having the confidence of adding there own thoughts and felling’s and ideas. In essence being on the same wavelength of the photographer almost psychically.

“A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.” – Edward Steichen

Model: Sam

When a photographer and model are on the same wavelength great things happen. This has occurs often in my portraiture photography. The capturing of a perfect portrait moment a split second when the model and photographer connect. You can only achieve this with the right model. As noted actor Allan Walsh says: Modelling is just another branch of acting.

Remember these moments are STAGED the model in my opinion has to be a gifted actor. This can’t be emphasised enough. Lets not forget studio portraiture is photographed in an artificial atmosphere with a specific theme and when everything slots together, the results can be stunning.

Model: India

Professional models must have character and a photogenic consciousness, realising what looks good on camera and what does not. Whilst knowing how to use both in accordance with the direction of the photographer. As a photographer I don’t see or think like a normal person someone with good facial bone structure and looks is NOT necessarily a good model. Photographers must see everything creatively and search for models with character and confidence.

Take the time out to find your Muse your Model someone who has charisma, somebody who is confidant who can take direction and in doing so come up with their own ideas.

I teach a great deal of  one to one sessions and  workshops  with photographers who are just starting out and find that their work is let down by one key factor, the face of the person they are photographing. Don’t get me wrong no one is perfect yet, this can severally affect the shots they are trying to achieve. If photographers are looking to achieve a high standard of studio work they must not only think about lighting and makeup, but the models they are shooting.

The question you must be asking is where can I find good models? And you are probably expecting me to say a good model agency. Well you may be right but you may be surprised. There are a number of creative social networking sites on the web where models and photographers can collaborate, so signup. Ive also found models in unusual places from bus stops to bistros, keep alert and don’t be frightened to ask if you even spot someone in the street, the worst they can say is no.

Model: Kristie

In terms of model agencies take the time out to contact your local model agency. You may be amazed as agencies have a great number of new faces in need of shots. You may not be paid, but you will have the opportunity to learn with models that have experience, confidence, acting skills and good characteristics. If you take the time to find a good model the level of work you are trying to achieve will improve ten fold.

How Do Models Annoy Photographers?

It seems inevitable that when photographers have tons of experience working with models, they’re going to form some strong opinions about the things models can do right and wrong over the course of a shoot. In search of some good stories, we asked several pros, “What are your biggest pet peeves when it comes to working with models?” (In fairness, stay tuned for part two, where we’ll ask models the same question about photographers!)

Arriving In a “Bad” State

“If the model partied the night before and is tired, grumpy, looks bad and has low energy, that can really affect a shoot, as you can imagine. Makeup will only hide certain things, but generally if the model has low energy in her eyes, and is too tired or hungover from a hard work week or party, then that really can deflate the shoot.” Peter Koval

“He or she doesn’t take care of him or herself. Unless we are shooting an ‘art’ project, for most commercial work it usually involves making the models look good. So coming in looking like you haven’t slept in 3 days or heavily intoxicated is generally not recommended. There is also the distinction between being fashionably thin and starving yourself to death. Hint: The latter defeats the purpose. I have literally stopped a shoot mid-way and asked a model to rest and eat something because she was obviously starving.” Tommy Zablan

That said…Showing Up Late Or Not At All

“One of my biggest pet peeves that models can do to make the shoot more difficult is to be late. If the whole crew shows up at a call time and everyone is waiting on the model, it kinda takes a lot of steam out of the momentum and energy for the shoot.” Peter Koval

“Being really late for a shoot or cancelling a booking last minute. While there are perfectly reasonable situations when these things happen, a model can also make a reasonable effort to avoid having to do this. Nobody wants to re-schedule an entire crew or location.” Tommy Zablan

“When you’re working you’re working. Don’t leave in the middle of a session because you have to go somewhere. And show up on time.” Bernhard Kristinn.

Big Egos

“Being Italian, I cannot imagine having to deal with my business without food. It can sound odd but food is part of my culture, it is a symbol of happiness, and when I shoot in studio I want to share the same feeling with the team, starting with the model. If you cannot enjoy food and smile at it, how you can smile for my camera? But sometimes I do not choose the model and she comes from the agency. When this happens I always have a bit of fear…The face of the model, when I offer her some sweets, a bit of wine, becomes terrible and she looks at me like I was trying to kill and destroy her career! Pure fear of food and pure fear of happiness! That make me crazy and the shooting never goes as it has to be.” Massi Tiberi

“I find a lot of models don’t seem to realize there is a lot more to it then just looking good. Most of them don’t practice posing, facial expressions and conveying emotions. Time and time again I see models who have one look. They learn how to pose their body from pictures in magazines but they forget to look at the details in the facial expressions that tie everything together. There is a major difference between someone who looks good and someone who looks good and photographs well. I remember shooting a guy for his portfolio, he had all these poses but the same facial expressions. No matter how hard we tried we couldn’t get him to emote any other look but this same facial expressions over and over again. So we ended up with a set of photos that pretty much looked the same. To make matters worse he thought it would be best to tell me how to setup the lighting, so maybe models should keep their egos in check as well.” Tristan Jud.

“I’m not a therapist–don’t get in front of my lens and tell me how much weight you have gained, or you have a turkey neck, double or triple chin. I’m there to make great photos of you. And don’t force me to flirt with you. If you tell me you are bad looking or pictures of you look terrible, I’m forced to tell you the opposite.” Bernhard Kristinn

Messing With the Photographer’s Work

“My pet peeve is models walking all over my seamless backdrop. I know it is easy to fix in Photoshop, but when you are doing 50 looks for a catalog, you just start adding up the minutes of your life that are going down the drain if you have to correct it 50 times. Now, I know it annoys me, so I start by bringing the model over nicely and explaining the retouching predicament. I point to the exact spot and ask if she can take one big step to get there. I am not sure why this next thing happens. Maybe it is wolves marking their territory. But, 1 in 4 models somehow still seem to enter from the side and take six steps to get there. My beautiful white background with the first of many traces of grey.” Michael Creagh.

“Don’t put on the Zoolander lips. I too often get the ‘blue steel’ or ‘magnum’ look, and it’s terrible.” Bernhard Kristinn

“The thing that drives me crazy is when models are skeptical. Maybe it is that they don’t quite trust your creative process or some incorrect bias on how they think the direction of their portfolio should be, but it is a recipe for disaster. Years ago, I had a young woman who loved my work and the way I made people look. But when it came to her, she micro managed everything to death. I was so frustrated with all the wrong choices from background to lighting, that in the end she actually got me to concede and hold a mirror next to the camera lens. The shoot was horrible. Why did I do it? By the time I held that mirror, I was in so deep that I would have done anything to get that shoot to end. It was funny when she came back a few days later to go over the shots. I was editing another shoot, and she was like, ‘Wow that is great. Why didn’t we do that?’ I guess it is because she hadn’t thought of it.” Michael Creagh

Episode Fashion Management : An Interview With Grace Coddington

At the Ann Demeulemeester show for Paris Fashion Week, where Ann Chapelle showcased her Spring / Summer 2012 collection, we were honoured enough to run into Grace Coddington.

For those of you who are still not aware of the background of this visionary, then, please log off now. Grace shot to fame in the 1960's as a top fashion model, before a car crash caused her to leave the world of modelling. Then,  as chance would have it, she started as an assistant fashion editor for Vogue London. The rest as they say is history.

Recently, Grace shot to fame and became a household name,appearing in the "Fly On The Wall" Vogue documentary  "The September Issue" cataloging her creative genius and tempestuous relationship with Anna Wintour within the confines of American Vogue, heralding her by the team as "The Worlds Greatest Living Stylist".

I am delighted to say Grace comes across just as pleasantly in real life, and she took 1 minute out of her exceptional schedule to pose for a photograph and a quick Interview.

Here is what she said:

Charlie:    
Hi Grace Welcome to Paris, how many years is this you have been coming here now?

Grace:     
As many as I care to remember. Nice Accent, where are you from? And nice blazer.

Charlie:    
I am Scottish, and yes I tried to echo the Gothic theme of the Demeulemeester trend.

Grace:    
Politely nods and said ok.

Charlie:  
So, what did you think of the show?

Grace:    
Very good, lots of drapey long sheer layers, and I loved the wide brimmed hats, and music.

Charlie:  
Yes I loved the movement and the contrast in textures throughout the collection.

Charlie:  
My shoes are all  sand though with the floor finish though.

Grace:   
Laughs. Well I need to be saying good bye.

Charlie: 
Thank you very much for taking the time to agree to this. Please may we have a picture as well?

Grace:   
With pleasure.


She smiled, she posed and before the flash went off, she was off to the next show. What a lady.

Charley McDonald with Grace Coddington