Is Nicole Trunfio Miranda Kerr's understudy?

getty via daylife

Speculation continues to mount regarding the August 3rd David Jones Spring/Summer 2010/2011 launch. With Miranda Kerr indisposed after tying the knot with Orlando Bloom, David Jones is attempting to fill the runway gap, as frockwriter reported on Friday, with some high profile alternatives: Abbey Lee Kershaw, Catherine McNeil, Nicole Trunfio and Alexandra Agoston - even if the latter were both in last season’s show. But the runway shows are one thing. If Kerr is three months pregnant, as many believe - with Victoria's Secret colleague Jessica White so discreetly telling OK! magazine overnight, "She's preggos!"- it's unlikely she would be available for the winter 2011 catalogue and early February runway show. Who would fill in for her? Frockwriter’s money is on Trunfio, who arrived in Sydney yesterday (above), a week ahead of the show. Our sources also report that she has been booked by DJs for a series of “in-store signings” - certainly something that would appear to go above and beyond the call of mere runway duties. Earlier today Trunfio Tweeted: “Finished my fitting for David Jones collection launch, I'm really excited, will be amazing! Ecstatic to be a part of the David Jones family!” Just walking in the show would not automatically make Trunfio, or any other model, ‘part of the David Jones family’. 


A few hours later, she Tweeted the following photo, which looks very much like a catalogue shot, claiming it was "another sneak peek of my shoot for David Jones":

nicole trunfio's twitter

Why else might Trunfio trump next week's runway superstars as a Kerr understudy?

She might not rate a ranking on models.com – while Abbey Lee Kershaw is number 5 and Catherine McNeil, number 12, with Kerr just moving up to number 21 15 (moving six spots overnight 28/7; she is also ranked number 4 in MDC’s Top 20 Sexiest Models). However Trunfio does have a highly commercial appeal – as distinct from Kershaw’s and McNeil’s high fashion cachet.

Now 25, Trunfio won season three of Ten’s Search for a Supermodel reality show in 2002, later coming third in the show's international edition.

She has US tv cred, having been hired as a model mentor for the second season of US reality show, Make Me A Supermodel.

Trunfio’s international work includes runway and/or advertising for major brands such as Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Christian Dior, Gucci, Fendi, Missoni, Roberto Cavalli, Vivienne Westwood, Valentino, Karl Lagerfeld, Sonia Rykiel, Lacoste, Sisley, BCBG Max Azria and Guess. And she has also done some work for Victoria's Secret.
 

She has three Vogue Australia covers under her belt. 

And last month she appeared in a racy spread in GQ Italy (video below).

David Jones' last fashion ambassador, Megan Gale, relaunched her modelling career as an Italian sex goddess. Kerr’s contract with Victoria’s Secret has kept her front-of-mind with the male population (hence the banker incident).

In all probability, DJs does not really want a high fashion ice queen as its ambassador, but a red-blooded bombshell who is going to attract a lot of mainstream attention.

Trunfio may fit the bill should Kerr need to take more time off.