While perusing the feature article in The Best of British issue of i-D Magazine, we were struck by a statement Edward Enninful made about this year’s British Model of the Year, 18 year old Jourdan Dunn. Enninful suggests that she possesses an elegance long absent from the modeling world, and an “old fashioned Yves Saint Laurent glamour, but with a West London street edge.” We couldn’t agree more. We decided to look back at some of the black models who served as YSL’s muses over the decades, and paved the way for women of color in the fashion industry.
We were wondering if our readers know their YSL model muses as well as they should, so we selected a few iconic YSL runway shots from the late 80s through the early 90s for this week’s pop quiz. So… can you name the model muses?
For those who didn’t already know about the provenance of i-D Magazine’s logo, it represents a winking emoticon. The i-D logo is rather wicked, since its name (literally and figuratively) defines the successful, trend-setting British fashion magazine.
This month’s issue is properly special. Not only is it a collectible (they have published 12 different portrait covers), but the spiffing photographs by Art + Commerce photographer Sølve Sundsbø and interviews gathered inside highlight 18 iconic female figures in the world of British fashion. If anything is clear after reading the stories of these 18 birds, it’s the individual approach they have taken to distinguish British fashion on an international stage.
Edward Enninful, the creative genius behind the issue appropriately titled “The Reason Why Britain is Great,” was also instrumental in conceiving the legendary July 2008 “Black Issue” of Vogue Italia.
Of all the bloody brilliant portraits, what stood out most to us was the image of the four blokes who collaborated to pay tribute to these women. We salute this talented group of men for giving us this cool, collectible issue! WE LOVE!
Clockwise from bottom: Edward Enninful, Sølve Sundsbø, Stefane Marais, Luigi Murenu
When Nimue from Women popped into our offices for a go-see the other morning, she may as well have ridden in on a Napoleon’esque steed. Her porcelain glow and piercing gaze disarmed us from the first introduction, we could hardly restrain ourselves from filling our DSLR memory card with her dynamically posed portraits! Take a look at some of our favorites shots of Nimue. The icy morning light on Nimue’s rosy cheeks made this dutch maiden look gallant.
Having landed a SS 09 Prada exclusive and walked in this season’s Calvin Klein, Rodarte and Proenza Schouler shows, she is sure to capture hearts for seasons to come!
Nimue | Women
Editor’s Note: If you were confused by our title, it means “unbelievably beautiful” in Dutch. We were so inspired by Nimue’s strong and graceful presence, we thought it was only appropriate to convey this through her native tongue!
The recent Sebastian Faena editorial of Doutzen Kroes in the nude has been spreading like wildfire on the internet! We could hardly resist blogging about the steamy images of the classic Dutch beauty. Having seen her exercise at Pier 59 it must be noted, the workout works (unfortunately we have yet to spot her racing on the ice rink)! We decided to include some of our favorite black + white images from the shoot below, you can check out the complete editorial in the recent issue of V MAN.
If you are a committed model-watcher like us at PRODn, you may have noticed the recent trend of girls hoping on the express train over to Women’s board. It has certainly been a dramatic turn of events over the past couple of months. Until recently, we had been wondering if the agents would be able to manage the growing board of girls. We asked around and found out the answer is yes! Women can handle their current board and more, with the launch in January 2009 of a new sister agency called Women-Direct.
Women-Direct has not launched its website yet, but they’re booking girls and expanding the board as we speak. Duncan Ord, formerly at Women, and Maria Cognata, formerly at Next, are responsible for booking the Women-Direct girls. We chatted with Duncan today about the new agency, and he told us, “both agents bring to the table years of management experience and will combine their talents of image and advertising to offer a unique management path for each client while keeping in line with the essence of the Women brand.” Judging by Dorothea and Alla K’s presence on the runway for last week’s Calvin Klein shows, we can’t agree more!!
A few Women-Direct girls have come by the PRODn offices this week and we wanted to share some of our favorite images with you.
When talent is confirmed for a photo shoot, the sense of accomplishment at having coordinated so many schedules is almost magical. It is, after all, practically a miracle when the photographer and talent are available at the same time!
And every so often, after all the coordinating of schedules is over and the shoot is taking place, a miracle of miracles occurs: a show-stopping celebrity makes a surprise appearance at a shoot and just like that, the shoot takes a new form. When this kind of photo collaboration happens organically it’s as if the stars, no, the galaxies are aligned! When Lindsay Lohan dropped by Hedi Slimane’s set to say hello to a friend, she ended up posing for the talented image-maker. Was this an astrological feat or the natural and organic collaboration of a talented photographer and muse? We were so taken aback by these stunning LiLo images, we had to share them with you. Sometimes the most magical moments cannot be planned! WE LOVE!
It seems as if our readers have a keen eye for celebrity! The young man featured on the bottom left of Friday’s featured photograph is Ashton Kutcher. Thank you for all your answers!
THE IMAGE
Photographer: Steven Meisel
Story: In Country
Client: Vogue Italia
Issue date: November 1997
Location: Ardens Farms
Hair: Jimmy Paul
Makeup: Pat McGrath
Stylist: Karl Templer Image courtesy of the Art + Commerce Image Archive
Welcome to PRODn’s second weekly installment of the PHOTO POP QUIZ! Put on your thinking caps and take a look at the photograph below. Just remember kids, no googling for answers!
This image includes an A-list celebrity shot at the tender age of 19 for a 1997 issue of Vogue Italia. Can you name this young man?
Let’s be honest: we all know prison isn’t exactly sexy, but we must say Daisy Lowe and Peaches Geldof sure do look steamy in Steven Meisel’s W Magazine story! PRODn produced this risqué shoot back in December and we had a blast. The set was filled with youthful excitement and just brimming with energy!
One of our favorite images (aside from the alluring Daisy + Eliza smooch) to come out of the 3-day shoot is the prison fight scene, shot through the grated windows of the location. It didn’t take too much persuading for these enthusiastic girls to let loose and start tugging at each others’ hair!
Steven Meisel | W Magazine
Here’s to hoping this crop of British babes stay on the right side of the law and that this gorgeous spread is their only glimpse into life behind bars!
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