See Like Me

Open Lab for Business

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:25:00 -0600

Saty & Pratha shoot seven peach-fuzzed boys for the new issue of Open Lab magazine, an NYC based biannual. Styled by TJ Gustave in what I consider wardrobe staples, they lounge around providing snippets to Virginia Jackson-Reed. Featuring our very own (well, not really) Joe Collier (we’re proud, okay?) among other fresh spuds like Nicklas Kingo, Simonas Pham and Jack Lankford, this story is getting me all babysitter’s club excited. In other news, it’s my birthday tomorrow, so early birthday gift to me.

Jack Lankford
Age: 20
Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri

If you learn nothing else from/about Jack, know that: Kansas City is, “the best place to get away from, the worst place to go to,” his million dollar ideas include converting an apartment building into a vertically integrated urban farm, and a “lawnmower helicopter”, and that her fully intends to “change the world”.

Nicklas Kingo
Age: 22
Hometown: Copenhagen, Denmark

Nicklas is still adjusting to the ups and downs of modeling. He describes “comedowns” and “empty” feelings after big shows like Louis Vuitton (which was streamed live worldwide). He’s boarding a plane in a few hours, and it seems he’s counting the minutes-he tells me he’s craving shawarmas, missing his mum. Though, protest as he may, he secretly loves being on the road: “I know two weeks later, I’ll wanna get out again.”

Joe Collier
Age: 20
Hometown: Manchester, England

Joe’s not one for plans-it’s not really how they do things in Manchester. So when asked if he has a “five-year plan” he assures me, “Not even a five day plan.” After all, the golfer-turned-model never would have imagined a catwalk career, or that he’d be asked to shoot a “model diary” during the coming runway season in Milan and Paris. “The modeling thing came out of the blue. The best things are opportunities that present themselves”.

Simonas Pham
Age: 20
Hometown: Vilnius, Lithuania

When Simonas tagged along with a friend to a casting, he had no idea that he’d end up getting signed. And despite modeling temporarily derailing his studies, his intentions are to “finish [his] studies and become a lawyer.”

Louis Galloway
Age: 21
Hometown: Glasgow, Scotland

“My dad’s a carpenter, so it was more about the making than the designing… I enjoy the making a bit more,” he tells me of his studies of Furniture and Product design, which he’s continued on and off since being signed. Though art school can be grueling, he’s quick to tell me, “It didn’t feel like hard work ‘cause I enjoy it,” and his sentiments towards modeling are the same: “I only wanna do stuff I enjoy.”

Satoshi Toda
Age: 24
Homeland: Japan

When a scout asked if he modeled, Satoshi replied, “Uh, no, what are you talking about?”-Which is telling. Fortunately, he now takes modeling as seriously as his dancing (he’s presently between “crews”). His only pet peeve? Casting directors expecting his everyday look to be more high fashion than “hip-hop”. Still, judging by his résumé (he was a Prada exclusive), it seems they like him a bit more than he thinks.

Fresh off the Runway

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 12:01:00 -0700

With every new season comes new beginnings. True to that, the new Menswear Fashion Week F/W ‘13 has brought us a ton of new faces to look out for. Here is a list of our top boys who have manged to steal the season.

Almantas Petkunas As predicted, this Lithuatian bloke made a brilliant entrance this season. He debuted in London, opening for the controversial J.W. Anderson show. This was then followed by other blue chip shows in Milan and Paris such as Jil Sander, Burberry, Louis Vuitton and Dries van Noten. We told you he was going to be big.

Botond Cseke With his hypnotic eyes and sharp angular features, this Hungarian was surely able to catch the attention of tons of casting directors. With a total of 11 shows including opening for John Galliano and closing for John Lawrence Sullivan and Christian Lacroix, impressive might even be an understatement.

Conor Doherty After winning the Elite Model Look, good things had been coming Conor’s way. He had a total of 12 shows which includes top fashion houses Burberry, Valentino and Dries van Noten. With his adorable boy next door look, what’s there not to love?

Justin Sterling Good timing is key to success. After starting in the industry for a year, Justin finally got his break as he made an outstanding debut for the season. Opening for Kris van Assche and bagging a total of 13 shows, he is a living proof that good things come to those who wait.

Sung Jin Park Coming from a solid debut season in New York, with a Marc by Marc exclusive tucked safely under his belt, his first menswear season did not fail to impress. He finished the season with 10 shows including closing for Miharayasuhiro.

Runway Roundup

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 13:07:04 -0700

With London fashion week transpiring Monday, we collectively went through our favourite new faces that will be sure to leave footprints on many a runway. This isn’t a countdown, but rather, a haughty (see: hottie) prediction. We haven’t been this excited since cryogenic Tupac was unfroze for the Coachella show. Our eyes will be glued to the runway, if only to see these boys stomp up a storm. Casting directors? Take note. Readers hereabouts? Drool.

Vic van der Well @ FORD
Angular in appearance, this Dutch newcomer has already done a stint on the Lanvin S/S 2013 catwalk with a Parisian season already under his belt. A slew of editorials later and we think Vic is finally ready to blossom.

Marton Dorfler @ WHY NOT
This October-born Libra has the balanced features that booked him the Balenciaga campaign. Now all we have to do is sit back and wait. Hailing from Hungary, land of hard-to-pronounce-names, he was scouted on the street doing capoeira moves. With a unique look destined for editorials, we just hope he can do a roundabout on the catwalk.

Almantas Petkunas @ SUCCESS
Bastiaan van Gaalen is the Kevin Bacon of the modelling world. Every model seems to somehow resemble him (though none can touch him). So his is the scale against which we measure most talent. This Lithuanian looker takes a page out of the BvG volume with his high forehead and strong jawline. He’s fresh out the runway, as they say, and we think he’ll be a great addition to any catwalk this season.

Artem Shabalov @ NATHALIE
Classical beauty Artem Shabalov was meant for the runway. Nothing too distracting about him, but pleasing on the eye… We’ll be seeing a lot of this boy. You’d never guess that he was Belarusian (because you’d never guess that country, it’s logic). Scouted by Andy Fiord models, this vodka slinger—with his approachable look and relatable stare—is one to look out for. Watch him stare at the camera in this video.

Adrien Jacques @ NEW MADISON
Following a powerhouse of bookable French men (Baptiste Radufe, Clément Chabernaud, Adrien Sahores, Arthur Gosse et al.), Adrien Jacques has those feline features that get paper (read: make money). Meowza! A bit of the boy next door (if the boy next door were remarkably gorgeous) gives Adrien Jacques a whole damn lot of potential. A pretty winning formula, if you ask me (don’t ask me). Here he is, in living colour, for your pleasure. Those ~~nips~~ lips are going to be pouting all the way to the bank.

Nick Heymann Dances Gangnam Style

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 13:30:00 -0700

The world didn’t end, but it’s about to. Nick Heymann, the Jil Sander prince, the German wunderkind scouted by a school friend Louisa, does the Gangnam Style dance exclusively for See Like Me. Fitting, since the video’s inception into billionth-view territory. Nick loves Oreos, Christmas pillows, and loathes creepy dates and moving boxes. He is lensed by Veronika Faustmann, to whom we owe ein bier…

Nic Johnson

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 17:33:23 -0700

Perfect for whistling at other arresting models, Nic Johnson has a lockdown on his party trick. Brit Brit’s Toxic is his specialty—the only song she won a Grammy for, FYI. Sam Moukhaiber, Canada’s resident A-list photographer, shoots Nic in all his wit and self-deprecating charm exclusively for your eyes only. Kidding, share this with all your friends. Nic Johnson is repped by Mode Models.

Thore Heinrichs

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 10:30:13 -0700

Thore came to my attention more or less when I made this post. So while being not the newest Deutscher (pronounced doucher…actually, I don’t know) on the block, he’s still pretty fresh on the international scene. Thore spends his free time tossing around a large hammer (we wish). He also has a brother, Eric, at the same agency, TIAD. Shot by Leon Reindl, Thore tells us a bit about Peter Pan shadow stalkers, being scouted by a friend of Eva Goedl, and body surfing on the coast of France.

Jordan Burman

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:40:00 -0600

We had a chance to ask Jordan Burman @ Select about his favourite chat-up lines in an exclusive photoshoot by Marek Chorzepa. Scouted on Oxford Street, the charming lad is quite soft spoken. Maybe after a few strong drinks… Jordan moonlights as a DJ with aspirations of a permanent spot on the Ibiza roster. Wearing the likes of Prada, Raf Simons x Fred Perry, NIKE, and Frank Turner, Jordan turns pensive. Styling and video by Joonatan Allandi. Make-up and hair by Daisy Harris d’Andel. Full credits below.

Sam Muir

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 10:03:20 -0600

Sam Muir thugs it out in an exclusive editorial by Zachary Handley, styled by Anna Santangelo. Sam plays up the /chav/ stereotype of the streetwear sporting, oppressive bracket mostly found in the now defunct USSR. According to Wikipedia, chavvy means youth, and there is also apparently a derogatory term for females, too: chavette. No exclusion here. For full credits see below.

CREDITS:

[1] Boiler suit by Zambesi, Long sleeve shirt NIKE
[2] [3] : Boiler suit by Zambesi, beanie by Adidas, necklace stylist’s own (worn throughout)
[4] [5] [6]: Jacket by Zambesi, skivvy by Pageant, mesh top by Jun Takahashi, shorts by Saucony, gloves stylist’s own (worn throughout)
[7] : Polo (worn underneath) by Polo Ralph Lauren, wool top by Robe de Chambre Comme des Garçons, jacket (worn as skirt) by Cheap Monday
[8] [9]: Scarf and pants by Zambesi, top by Pageant
[10]: Jumper by Pageant, pants by Orri Henrisson, socks by NIKE, slides by Adidas
[11]: Leather jacket and wind cheater from Grandma Takes A Trip, top by Bassike, pants by Pageant
[12]: Jumper by NIKE, shirt (tied around waist) by Pageant, pants by Helmut Lang

Alex Staudal Interview

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 10:24:27 -0600

The Danes are coming, and after a fresh spring bathe you can bet they’re rearing to get to the top of the pack. Alex Staudal, new face at Mix Model Management, gave us a little talking to in an exclusive interview and photoshoot by Zak Krevitt. Mix is a brand new agency headed by Wayne Sterling, who we profiled last month. Alex warns us about shallow diving, why he’s not into blind dates, and how he’s keeping it real…

Meet Joe Collier

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 10:27:00 -0600

That was a play on the film name Meet Joe Black (1998), except here NY Models new face Joe Collier takes to the streets wearing Comme des Garçons, Patrik Ervell, COMUNE, Richard Chai, and Band of Outsiders. Styled by Drew Van Diest and lensed by Ryan Kibler, we’re seeing streetwear come back in a big way. See full credits for each look below.

CREDITS: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Photography: Ryan Kibler // Stylist: Drew Van Diest // Hair Stylist: Dallin James // Makeup Artist: Kristian Bankston // Fashion Assistant: Christopher Legaspi

LN-CC A/W 2012

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 19:12:00 -0600

You know that scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey where we float through time in a steady stream of technicolour? Well, sprinkle in brands like Damir Doma, Jil Sander, and Yohji Yamamoto and you’ve got the new LN-CC campaign. Taking cues from Kubrik, photographer Rory van Millingen lenses the A/W offering in a giant grey honeycomb. Reminds me of the Y-3 S/S 2013 show with another dazzling honeycomb wall. Maybe honeycomb is trending.

By the way, have you taken a tour of the store yet? It’s a space odyssey all on its own. Shop A/W 12 now and get free worldwide shipping at LN-CC.

MIX Model Management

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 11:27:00 -0600

MIX Model Management recently opened its boutique doors after Neal Hamil, former head of Elite Model Management for all of North America, convinced one Wayne Sterling—cofounder of models.com—that this would be a good idea. Thus, a reputable agency became the birth-child of two figureheads in the industry, and this time, they were going to do it right. Wayne Sterling took the time out of his day to give me an exclusive interview about this new endeavour, and revealed some insight behind doors that are too often closed and yelled behind. Images courtesy MIX.

Trey Taylor: So you’ll be pretty busy come the end of August?

Wayne Sterling: Yeah, exactly. The world is on vacation but it’s like 14-16 hour days here already.

TT: Well, I guess that’s what you take on with a new agency.

WS: Exactly. It’s fine. It’s a challenge, but I like that.

TT: I know you had a bit of apprehension when Neal [Hamil] kept asking you to start this agency with him. I was wondering if you could tell the story of how he approached you with the idea for MIX.

WS: The idea was around for almost the entire time I’ve known Neal, which is 10 years, because he was running Ford. That’s when he first made the offer, which I very quickly declined because in my mind, I thought, “I don’t think I would make a very good agent.” Then when he went over to Elite as the director of North America he repeated the offer, and I processed it and I was just—you know, that’s not my gift. But the turn around for me was last summer when we were having lunch and specifically he said, “I’m looking to buy a small agency. A small pre-existing agency in New York, and then just reimage it and revamp it and turn it into a really amazing boutique.” For some reason I found myself saying hey! Okay, now that I would partner with you on. I think the resistance, in my mind, was the idea of being in this big machine of this big pre-existing brand and I think subliminally, what Neil [Hamill] was saying the third time around was that it would be a new brand; or it would be a rebranding of something small and that was a lot more exciting to me.

TT: Where did he get the idea from? Do you know what his motives were with this?

WS: I couldn’t speak entirely for Neal but insofar as I know him, this is in his blood stream. I joke and we always say, “You’re a modelling industry blue body.” He’s been doing it for 30 years in some form or the other. So he’s just like one of those people who lives it: eats, sleeps, breathes… He stepped off the plate for about three years and we would talk weekly and I would update him about what was going on in the industry and the market and what clients were doing. It’s his lifelong passion, definitely.

TT: Can you explain a bit what you were doing before taking on the idea of Mix?

WS: I was editorial director of models.com which is a company I cofounded with Stephan Moskovic. That was eleven and a half years ago. You have to realize at the time when models.com went up, ‘dot-com’ was almost like a dirty word, meaning relative to print publishing—which was the prestige arena—working at a dot-com you were this unfashionable tech geek. So it’s sort of ironic. Basically, the Internet revolutionized the way we perceive and consume and process fashion and it wasn’t planned; it was just being in the right place at the right time. I left the print world somewhere around 2000-2001 and I remember everyone telling me I was an idiot for switching over to the Internet. I just had a sense that—you know what? It’s a new medium and a new medium that has endless possibilities. I’m very lucky. I’m very proud of everything models.com achieved, almost beyond my expectations.

Over the course of that ten or eleven years I also did a lot of consultancies. I still work a lot in Japan. I have a column in a Japanese magazine. I’ve done casting consultancies for cosmetics companies there. I have The Imagist, of course. That’s pretty much been the framework for the past ten years.

TT: In regards to becoming an agent, what were you nervous about? I know you had a bit of apprehension at the start.

WS: I think specifically what I was worried about—that I saw happen to great friends of mine who were some of the best agents in the business—was, with such a demanding industry, there was a high burnout rate.

TT: People would quit because it was too much to handle?

WS: They didn’t necessarily quit, but the intensity of the pressure would really make people short-tempered. There are high levels of anxiety in this business. It’s high pressure, high stress. People are very emotional; people yell on the phone. You get yelled at; you yell at people. That’s not my style. You know? That’s not my thing.

Then, something clicked in my mind because I remember very frequently being unhappy as a client as to how I was being treated by a modelling agency. You can say anything you need to say to me in a calm way because I’m a rational human being. There’s a way of doing this that’s disciplined, calm, focused. It just occurred to me that a management company or modelling agency—whether you’re talking about a prestige agency in New York or a massive talent agency like CAA or William Morris Endeavour—ultimately, you’re in the service business. If you’re going to render a service, why not try to do that as well as possible? I mean, everything else should be subsidiary, like your ego.

Or your need to feel important or to impress other people. At the end of the day, it’s the service industry. One of the things that I said to Neil was, “Why can’t a modelling agency give me the experience that I get when I go into a great store like Hermès? Or Tiffany’s where everyone is trained to accommodate the customer, to understand the customer, and to service the customer? Why do I have to have arguments with agents wherein 75% of the argument is just them trying to make a point about how fabulous they are? So really the big turnaround for me was like, would it be possible to create the kind of agency that I would love to call? Why don’t you create your ideal agency and put it on the market and see what happens?

TT: We definitely take for granted being treated well.

WS: Exactly. It’s not that I’m saying that being a model manager is not important. If you do it well, it’s quintessential; but you have to put it in perspective. At the end of the day, the model has to be the star of the show. I feel like we’re coming off this era of these superstar bookers and that was one of the things that started to turn me off about my job at models.com. I felt like I was servicing the egos of these megalomaniac managers. I wasn’t really processing the possibilities of the models anymore. Somehow, the models got lost in the story.

TT: When you say a model should be the star, and that’s more of your focus now with MIX, can you talk about what kind of guys and girls you’re on the lookout for? Is there a clear idea yet?

WS: It’s a clear idea. We’re kind of attracting that and people are sending suggestions which—we get these pictures and we’re like, “Well, that’s kind of spooky.” The key word is individualism. We’re totally driven to find models who have a life force as opposed to just being blank and anonymous and disposable. You look for someone not only with a super unique face, because you’re supposed to look for classic beauty but you look for someone who has a really striking face and they’re the only person who has that face. Beyond that, you search for someone with layers. We have one girl, Savannah, who is almost championship level in her high school sport, but is absolutely beautiful. So the combination of that athletic background and the discipline and the fact that she looks like a gorgeous ’70s model makes her compelling for us.

TT: I know you were trying to get back towards a more ‘classic’ face. Is that something that’s important?

WS: Of course. The thing that makes a classic face so compelling is that person also has a life. I can tell you this, Trey: in a month of scouting I’ve discovered there’s no shortage of beautiful girls floating around. I think because of technology and digital media a tall, skinny, beautiful girl cannot walk four blocks on her way from her volleyball practice to her house without somebody pulling a digital camera out to shoot her. There’s this clout of tall, beautiful, skinny guys and girls and you sort of have to put up a filter of, “What will this person bring to a fashion shoot? What will they bring to a runway?”

TT: How closely do you personally work with the models to build them up to be big names?

WS: We’re small and we have the luxury of completely focusing on the different stages you need to get the girls and the guys to the point where they can have some kind of mass appeal. Right now we have four girls in town and the team—we’re 24/7. Anything that’s needed from a haircut to “Can you fix my Blackberry?” to “Can you help me to get from Varick St to 23^rd?” We’re at the point where everyone can kind of close their arms around each girl and guy and give them that push because everybody’s reputation is riding on MIX sending out girls that make an impact on the market.

TT: So the risk is quite large already…

WS: Yeah, but you know what? That doesn’t scare me because it goes back to when I was casting.

I would go home at night and I’d be like, “Well, how do I know who’s a star and who’s not a star and who’s going to be a star?” There’s no handbook. All you have is your gut instinct. Even if no one else likes your choices at least the one thing you can say to yourself is, “This is my honest and passionate choice.”

That’s the principle that we’re using in terms of the casting. It sounds like a pretentious expression when you say you ‘curate’ as opposed to just scout, but it’s being really mindful about who you’re presenting to the market. We all have to super-believe in the guy or super-believe in the girl because I remember when I was a client, I could tell when the agent cared and when the agent did not care. There are no guarantees but at the end of the work day you look at the board and you say, “At least I believe in each and every one of these kids that we’re sourcing.”

TT: Do you ever have second thoughts about somebody after you’ve signed them and work with them a bit more?

WS: Not really because what happens is you will secretly run into challenges and psychologically you really have to address this issue or maybe we need to send her for a new haircut. I never really have a huge regret. It’s the same thing when I was at models.com and you’d do a piece—‘Of the Minute’ or “Top 10 Newcomer’—and you’d say, “Hey! I think this person is a phenomenal model” and then nothing happens. I wouldn’t regret it. I would just say that was my honest instinct. That was my taste at the moment. At least I got one thing right: I was honest. I wasn’t waiting for someone else to tell me what my taste should be. At least I have courage in my conviction.

TT: I know there’s been a lot of talk recently in the industry about the whitewashed runways and the token Asian or token Black model. Do you have a point of view on diversity in the industry? Are you trying to integrate that into your philosophy at MIX?

WS: We’d like to have a board that is diverse and interesting and ethnically a bit more sophisticated than trying to figure out “Who is the one black girl that we should represent?” Of course, it’s super important. Again it goes back to when you start you have the luxury of not having to be trapped in the formulas that have defined this industry for such a long time. The world has changed so much. I remember counting earlier this year the Top 50 on models.com and in terms of nationality the three countries that had the most models on the Top 50 were Holland, America, and China. So the market was sustaining seven or eight Chinese girls because of contracts and Valentino campaigns and Vuitton campaigns so if in the course of scouting we see five incredible Chinese girls then that would be a dream. I’m certainly not going to shy away from it. The world is shifting and as our world becomes more globalized—I’m sure you keep reading about the power of India as an emerging market, and Brazil, and Russia. The BRIC countries. That’s a market that needs to be addressed and that’s going to only drive us to be more rigorous in looking in unusual places for beautiful men and women.

TT: How do you scout outside of New York? Do you have a team of scouts or do you depend on the mother agencies?

WS: It’s a mix, if you’ll mind the pun. There’s a traditional model agency structure where—we’re in an interesting position because everything is so much about networks. There are a lot of big brand agencies and they’re all networks. There’s a big need for an independent boutique agency in New York that doesn’t have pre-existing alliances. What I’ve learned very quickly—in like 6 weeks—is a lot of the model agencies have been burnt in the past. They’re a little bit shy of placing a girl in New York because they might lose that girl. So as the new kid on the block, one of the things I’m really grateful for is a lot of the mother agencies are giving us a chance to be that kind of ‘clean’ destination that’s not a conflict for them.

TT: Because you can focus more on them?

WS: One: we can focus more on them. But when it comes to, “Where is this model going to be placed in Paris?” it’s not automatic. So for instance, if you were placed with IMG or Ford or Next, you tend to get grated into their London, Milan, and Paris offices. Meanwhile this allows us to assess the teams in different cities like, “Okay, what’s the best agency to place this girl with in London? What’s the best agency to place her in Milan?” It’s not a prepackaged thing. That’s really in our favour. I find that the ten years at models.com—I think my name got a lot more exposed than I realized. I’ve been receiving a lot of emails, a lot of very supportive people just sending polaroids of these great kids. All I can say is thank you! It’s a digital revolution.

TT: And as an early adopter that probably helped out…

WS: Exactly. Look at the context of this conversation. We only know each other through social media, more or less. I appreciate the fact that you’ve reached out and given me the support. When models.com started who would’ve known you could build relationships off a computer?

TT: I have one last question I’d like to ask. We’re heading in a new direction here to focus on men’s new faces. I was wondering if you had any standouts on your men’s board that you’d like us to know about.

WS: Yes, but this is hard! What’s on the website in terms of the men we represent, is more the personalities/celebrities. I’ve got nine guys who will be on by the middle of the month and I can talk a little bit about one boy we found, in of all places, Ohio. His name is Bolt Brown. Bolt is really fantastic. Then from the Danish market, there are these two great guys. One is Alex. The other is Rene. I would say those are the three who walk into the office and they go, “Who’s that?” It goes back to the first thing I had said which was, “Let’s find people who are super individual, unique.” And when they walk into a casting, or they’re standing there they’re actually giving the designer something other than just this random, anonymous beauty that you can just dispose of next season. It’s all about the long-distance runner.

TT: We’re done with the blips now, aren’t we?

WS: [laughs] You have no control over whom the market will embrace or whom the market will snub. Again, building the idea of MIX and Neal with his experience really helps me with this. It’s like—I’m really so disoriented and I’m thinking from a client’s point of view. It’s less about my ego, or Neal’s ego, and it’s about—I remember when I was a client what I needed was a model who could engage me and could talk to me and when I was fitting the clothes on him—could talk to me about what those clothes felt like and represented the world of now, the youth market. You know? Someone who brought something into the room.

Sam Sud Interview

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:27:57 -0600

Photographer Yann Faucher got down to business with Select’s new face Sam Sud for an exclusive interview and photoshoot for See Like Me. The “top bloke” is newly 17 years old, and was scouted outside of Boots (that’s the UK equivalent of Rite-Aid FYI). Since, he’s shot for Dazed Digital, USED and Sleek magazine, and he’s creating quite the tidal wave. I mean, how can you resist such boyish charm?

Photo

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 18:09:13 -0600

Aymeline Valade

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:25:27 -0600

I’ve only ever given credit to Sasha “Chameleon” Pivovarova for versatile editorial performance. I would cite Coco but c’mon this video is just a headache. There isn’t even sound and I’m reaching for Tylenol. Aymeline Valade has been around since ‘09 when she debuted at Blumarine. Since then, the French femme has been making the circuits (especially recently) which is why she’s held a solid position as #16 on MDC’s Top 50 and is in the running for a versatility award. She’s like an Adele album, because Adele’s been on Billboard Top 200 for how long? Answer: 72 weeks. That question was meant to be rhetorical but I just had to check. Woah, you know how many weeks longer that is than a certain marriage of a certain celebrity who shall not be named? Needless to say I’m waiting for the Aymeline Valade breakup album to really secure her place in my faves list.

New York + TMNT

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 21:34:11 -0600

I was watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles today and realized that 80s New York is somewhere I’d like to be. There was just so much to report on, and I could make a damn fine April O’Neil. The streets and the papers and the “Don’t Walk” sign. Just so many different things to look at and so many perfect perches from which to gaze upon. I was debating today whether I should move to London or to New York. My one goal is to live in both for a period of time before I kick the bucket, but in the indubitable words of Cher: “Yiff I could tuuurnn back tiiiime!” If anyone else is debating, there is some pretty good information here. What do you think? Should I huff it in NY like Raphael, or puff it in London like … Dickens?

Ben Allen

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 16:25:21 -0600

Male models don’t really get all that much attention, and when they do, it’s unpaid or from a fangirl. Ben Allen is only 16, and has recently opened the Prada show, which in terms of modelling, means you’re destined for at least a whirlwind year of everybody else wanting to book you. You also get to skip the Asian market testing where they send you to Tokyo for months to get your picture taken for strange carrot ads and Suntory Time! Hear the story of his scouting below (spoiler: his friend was caught spitting gobs along Portobello road) and how he’s got all these mood swings and likes to moan. Mr. Allen, ladies and gentlemen.

Dream the World Awake

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 17:51:32 -0600

U+MAG does it again. That cliché pains me but how else do you describe something that is constantly impeccable? There are more to magazines than just pictures, but Art Director Romeu Silveira knows how to make words look anything but dull. It’s Brazil’s finest offering, and you’ll know what I’m talking about once you see that other Brazilian export. View the current issue here.

Andrew Vowles

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 18:49:28 -0600

You know what I haven’t done in for-never? Tell you about a photographer who deserves more attention. Andrew Vowles has that perfect balance between commercial and, for lack of a better word, uncommercial. Sure, as a photographer you need to be able to express all those great ideas you probably don’t have (if only I could fathom the hundreds of e-mail submissions/pitches I get for possible editorials to be shot). But the truth is, mostly nobody wants you to have your own ideas, mainly because you’re hired on as a photographer simply for your signature look. The editors want to know the outcome of a shoot before it even happens, which sort of defeats the purpose of hiring a visual artist to interpret an idea or message. There is a fine line between selling out and being a sellout. Andrew Vowles has managed to keep his cool (i.e. look up phantasmagoria) and is still able to sell it. This, my friends, is the recipe of success. He’s just shot the Christopher Shannon menswear campaign and for publications i-D, B magazine, Dazed & Confused & Clash. See more here.

Vogue Germany + No Fucks Given

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 22:02:00 -0600

How to give no fucks 101: Vogue Germany featuring Kendra Spears, Melissa Stasiuk and Iris van Berne by Knoepfel & Indlekofer. The first step is to dress as though you’re referencing Toucan Sam in a Pulp Fiction sequel. Now, I’ve been to Germany once, and the moment I got there I headed to Burger King. I asked for a paper crown to make me feel more at home. Why? Because I gave no fucks. Usually Vogue does all sorts of nothing for me, but I’ve made an exception for this editorial. It’s completely disconnected story-wise, but no fucks were given in the story department. Step two: angry face. As if somebody already pissed you off, make a face that says, “You wanna fuck wit me?!” Chances are, they won’t want to. Like 98.5%. Lastly, for the final step, find something to prop up against so you look relaxed while giving away not one fuck. It keeps it casual, because nobody gives a fuck about a try-hard.