Fashion Does It Better

Here we go again

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Update: Sophie

The show season is definitely over in the best-known fashion capitals and we can go back to active blogging. Hence the questions we asked ourselves: who to feature first and why. Shall we go for a round-up of the most successful newcomers? Sounds like déjà-vu. Or getting back to a heavier amount of unsigned new faces? Sure we'll do that but not only. To start again with daily posting here (and not just on Instagram), we wanted some heartfelt choices and Sophie Bozhenova had to be among our first ones.

The newcomer, managed by Focus Models, made her runway debuts during Couture week, earlier this year in Paris where she's working with Select. Her next steps on the catwalk were only a few days ago at Zimmermann (great casting!) and the tall cutie didn't fail to impress us each time. Sure, these two shows don't make the longest nor the strongest list of the whole season but next to polaroids like these above it was a hard task to resist. We're no fortunetellers but we can imagine a bright future ahead of Sophie.

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New Face: Suus

FDIB barely sleeps these days and despite we're not backstage in Paris, we've got no time to lose. And even if we're not writing much on this blog, a lot is happening on our Instagram account. And blah, and blah, and it's late at night and we're getting chatty... Back on topic: who wouldn't have time to dedicate to a newcomer like Suus, our current favorite among the latest additions at Platform in the Netherlands? A 5'10 tall young lady with already a rock-solid book (and we're talking about test shots only!) who, we bet our dresses, has a bright fashion future ahead of her. Never heard of her? Open your ears (and your eyes, that would be a great idea).

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Update: Sihana

As promised a week ago or so on our Instagram account, here is a full feature dedicated to Sihana Shalaj, one of the absolute highlights of Prada's FW23 show. Even if she's around for a couple years already, Sihana now in her early twenties, is probably having her best season ever with a flawless showlist (or almost) after gathering some major materials in her portfolio (editorials, covers, campaigns). Her career pattern raises again the question of the models' age. If it's no bad thing to start as a late teenager, it's not rare today to see models really bloom in their twenties. Which is a good point, if you ask us. Models with some extra experience (professional of course but also personal) will have more to offer. We checked back Sihana's early steps on the runway and it's delightful to see her walk and expression are more confident, even commanding today. The paradigm of the 2000's stating that the younger the better definitely belongs to the past. And that's surely a healthy move for the fashion world.

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New Face: Abbey Fouts

Even if we're strongly focusing on the show season at the moment, we won't overlook brand new faces capturing our eyes. Yes, we may have less time to do the research work right now but that doesn't mean we can't see potential when we see it. Our relentless quest is not about to stop, meet Abbey Fouts today!

Spotted at Divide Management, Abbey immediately caught our attention with some recent tests then her digitals confirmed the first impression we had. Definitely some natural skills for modeling that, with a little training and development, could turn into some real power. We'd be glad to witness this.

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Update: Elodie Guipaud

Was too hard to resist. One of the most fantastic (or fabulous?) face of this season, Elodie Guipaud was topping our list of models we wanted to feature here. Starting her career at Prada, she closed Givenchy a week later, proving there's a life after Milan's coveted show, and was also spotted at Loewe.

Managed by The Hunt (also home of Anipha Umufite among others), Elodie is already signed with Women Paris and Women Milan. If we're only talking about very early (and already brilliant) steps, we can totally foresee big things happening to her career. She's got the look for sure but it'll take you a few digitals only to realize she also photographs well. And that matters for a model.

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Update: Heather Diamond Strongarm

It was about time and the season isn't finished yet. Even if we already posted her on our Instagram acccount, we felt we had to do a full feature here. Heather Diamond Strongarm, if this name doesn't ring a bell yet, you'd better upadete or reset.

Don't wanna play tricks on our readers: we love her for her modeling skills, for that presence in front of the camera (and we're talking about digitals only) and for her ability to make it "real on the runway". From Anita Norris Models to The Society (NYC) via Elite in other cities, her agency line-up is tailor-made for success and so far it's happening. A-list shows only from New York to Paris: don't be afraid of stepping out of the beaten tracks. Beauty is everywhere. Beauty is beyond. Everything else is (or will be) History (with a major fashionable H).

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Update: Apolline

Courrèges FW23 had a pretty nice casting including some of our favorites, many of them recently featured here like Angelina Kendall (closed the show), Divine Mugisha, Avanti Nagrath or Karolina Spakowski. It wouldn't be fair from us not to write a little piece on Apolline Rocco-Fohrer as well.

We kept an eye on her since her debuts with Premium Models (Paris) and can only rejoice when we see her having such a great show season. Almost a flawless list of top-tier brands, Courrèges being the cherry on the cheesecake for now as she already graced their campaign. And we shouldn't forget to highlight the way she photographs, with such natural skills she should soon become a true force in editorials too.

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Update: Tara Falla

Some models experience some kind of immediate stardom, often to fade away one or two seasons later. Others need years before they fully bloom. Or take us by (half) surprise like Tara Falla who just opened Saint Laurent a few days ago. Tara's been around for years, literally years but it took her to wait until last season to see noteworthy results in spite of her commanding presence on the runway. After walking a couple more good shows earlier this season, she went back to Saint Laurent and, this time, opened the show. We couldn't be happier, as we like her, believe in her and often support careers that take longer.

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Update: Luna Passos

What does it take to become an all-time FDIB favorite? Surely modeling skills and a distinctive look. Being able to give us goosebumps after each show or editorial, being able to shine everywhere in a different way. Luna Passos, the most delicate (and delightful) member of Nass Models' roster belongs to this kind.

And what to say about her current show season? Perhaps you've noticed she didn't do the hyped ones but instead walked some "key shows" knowing the people behind the curtain. From Anna Sui to Richard Quinn, she walked shows we consider. No speculation there, but good to be in. Signed with Next, worldwide, we're eagerly waiting for Luna's next moves - and our little fingers told us they might be highly interesting too.

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Update: MJ

Already a favorite for a while, it would be totally unfair not to drop a note on MJ this season. Quite a flawless showlist so far, from London to Paris (with more news to come from there?) and a book that is definitely worth a look, MJ counts some coveted runway shows and campaigns as her recent achievements. But how do we always say: even if she would just book C-list jobs, she would deserve a few lines on our page as long as we believe in her modeling skills and future.

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Update: Chaima

Yesterday we thought Chaima Ameziane was going to open Saint Laurent but it was actually last season. Yes, it happens to us to get tired too... No worries, though, she walked the FW23 show (and shined again on the runway despite those huge sunglasses) after appearing in the brand's SS23 campaign by Juergen Teller.

Rare and precious but definitely one to keep in mind, this one-of-a-kind beauty working with Viva has probably more possibilites hidden in her sleeve. Of course, we'd love a full polaroid set but how couldn't we be delighted by these portraits by Oleg Borisuk? And hopefully we'll get to feature her work on this page again, the sooner the better.

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Update: Born

Why do we choose to feature a model rather than another? Various reasons, actually, but it's all about our feeling first. Do we like her work, do we see possibilities etc. are some of the questions we ask ourselves. We've had an eye on Born for months already and haven't been disappointed by a single piece of her portfolio. Managed by Kollektiv Mgmt (New York) and also working with Linden Staub (London), she may not have the biggest runway record but definitely deserves her slice of spotlights. We do love the look and enjoy the book so far, and that was way enough to turn her into one of our personal favorites. What if she soon becomes one of our perennial favorites?

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Update: Karolina Spakowski

Another example of a rather classic beauty who can also be incredibly edgy, Karolina Spakowski is having a busy season right now. Managed by Kult Models (Germany) with some rock-solid international placements, her book is also on the right road: editorial gigs, campaigns and so on.

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Update: Paola Manes

We appreciate clients remaining trustful to their favorite models and Paola Manes just opened Bottega Veneta for the third time in a row. At this level, we can talk about a true muse and, looking at her portfolio and presence on the runway, it's not that hard to understand. Who wouldn't love a classic beauty with an edge?

That's also the point of this post: to reaffirm our love for edgy looks without neglecting the timeless appeal of some more classic beauty. We're often more attracted to the edgier ones (the two pictures above prove she definitely can join that category too) but we can't deny the power and potential of flawless features a broader audience understands. Signed with Nur Models and represented by Monster in Milan among other agencies worldwide, this talented young lady can definitely rely on selective bookings to build a solid career. With countless opportunities.

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Update: Boyka

Just mentioned her name in our previous post, had to drop a few lines on her too. Boyka Matova, currently the most dazzling model from Ivet Fashion (Bulgaria) also walked MSGM FW23. Signed with some strong agencies abroad, she may have more work to come soon. We're tuned.

Serene expressions, effortless elegance and distinctive features are a winning combo if you ask us. They totally depict Boyka's modeling appeal and strengths. No wonder she already scored an editorial with David Sims for British Vogue. We said we're tuned for the next moves, we see green lights shining bright.

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Update: Marija Cavic

Prada & co are fun to watch (and anticipate, a bit of speculation makes it more exciting, right?) but Milan's castings are more thrilling than just the bigger names. One show we were looking forward to is MSGM, cast by Barbara Nicoli and Leila Ananna whose taste in models has often been close to ours in the past (and still is today, it seems). In our focus right now: Marija Cavic.

Walking among other current favorites like Farah or Boyka and even timeless icons like Lindsey Wixon, Marija (working with Elite) managed to capture our attention and we had to double check her portfolio - still under construction but doing justice to her unique face. Don't know what her next steps will exactly be but she also walked for Diesel and Roberto Cavalli this week. Nothing groundbreaking for sure but not bad at all after her debuts at Courrèges last season.

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New Face: Emilia

We love a young boutique mother agency with clear aesthetics, just like The Runaways from Latvia, known for representing Nadine Kirilova and their strong men's board. Today's topic is neither Nadine nor their boys but Emilia Liepina, one of their new faces with a catchy look. Standing at 5'9 tall and sporting an edgy short haircut, she captured our attention among other young sprouts who would be worth a blog entry. See the possibilities?