Abbey Lee Kershaw - shoe drama queen

lanvin SS11 via style.com

Budding actor and soon-to-be-co-star of Mad Max: Fury Road Abbey Lee Kershaw has been taking a year-long sabbatical from the modelling world, but is about to re-emerge on the fashion stage according to her finance broker father Kim Kershaw - who is now, amusingly, also acting as her 'mother' agent in Australia. Earlier this year, Abbey Lee ditched Chic Management due to what we have on good authority was a dispute over Chic's 'mother agency' fee. That's the fee (generally 10-15percent) that a model's home market agent pockets on all future earnings in all markets, on top of booking agents fees. But Abbey Lee has not been far from the thoughts of her fans. Case in point, some behind-the-scenes footage that has just surfaced from the Lanvin Spring/Summer 2011 runway show in Paris, shot all the way back in October 2010. Kershaw's fans over at The Fashion Spot have reportedly been agog over one scene showing Kershaw in tears following a dressing down by Lanvin creative director Alber Elbaz, after he observed what he describes as her "almost drunk" walk during a show rehearsal, wearing a perilous pair of Lanvin stilettos. The footage is from the Spring/Summer 2011 edition of the bi-annual French Habillé (e) s Pour documentary series by Loïc Prigent and Agnès Boulard. Originally broadcast in France in November 2010, it seems the episode recently screened on the Cinémoi North American cable channel, with the Lanvin excerpt subsequently uploaded to Vimeo by a fan. 

Abbey Lee Kershaw and Our Mountain get censored by YouTube and Facebook

screen cap from 'iv horses' via dancing daughters records' vimeo

Abbey Lee Kershaw has been MIA on the world’s fashion runways for two seasons, having recently gone on modelling hiatus to shoot her first feature, Mad Max: Fury Road. And now it seems she can't even get a break on Facebook and YouTube, with some recent artistic efforts by Kershaw and her band apparently banned by the social media giants. 

Where's Abbey Lee? Good question

backstage david jones SS1011, sydney, august 2010

It's been a week since frockwriter reported that Australian supermodel Abbey Lee Kershaw looked to have severed ties with Chic Management, the Australian agency that launched her career. Although we have still yet to hear from the agency in any official capacity, it's pretty clear by now that it's splitsville between Kershaw and Chic. So where has she gone? Frockwriter caught up with her father and financial mentor, Kim Kershaw. 

Gemma love

vogue italia via models.com

It's been a big week in the Australian modelling business. As revealed by frockwriter, Gemma Ward signed with IMG Models Australia and plans to come out of retirement. Abbey Lee Kershaw parted ways with Chic Management, the Australian 'mother' agency that launched her career and remains off the agency grid down under (but still, nevertheless, appears on the Next Models boards in New York, Milan and London, contrary to speculation). And bookending a week that's been very much dominated by IMG Models news, it emerged yesterday that the world's biggest model agency has stitched up a deal with Australia's Next Top Model to become the official model agency affiliate for the popular Foxtel show – giving incumbent Chic Management the flick. Needless to say it's not been the best of weeks for Chic. However it's been a great week for Gemma Ward, who should be thrilled with the reaction to the news of her comeback. Here's a sample of the coverage. Many thanks to each for the links. 

Gemma Ward signs with IMG Models Australia, plots comeback; ALK is off the grid

New year, new model movements. First up: a couple of major names are currently AWOL from the websites of two of Australia’s biggest model agencies, Viviens Model Management and Chic Management. The big question - just where are Gemma Ward and Abbey Lee Kershaw headed?

If the shoe fits

andrej pejic models chris benz SS12 via sight management studio

We all talk – a great deal – about the sizes of the bodies of fashion models. The sizes of their feet, however, rarely come up for discussion. What an interesting topic of conversation it proved to be when we puffed this week's Anmari Botha post on both frockwriter’s and my personal Facebook pages, using one of Botha’s IMG Models showcards as an illustration – and her published shoe size, "7.5", sparked a raft of comments. “How does a 5’11” woman have such small feet?!” asked Sydney-based media trainer Shauna Stafford. Another noted, “Most women that size would have size nine or ten feet”. While a former magazine maven chimed in, “Your basic nightmare. Perfect” – referring, we assume, to the dearth of “unusual” shoe sizes in the fashion cupboard of a typical magazine.

Megan Gale, Courtney Eaton join Mad Max 4. Abbey Lee Kershaw cast as "The Dag"

Filming continues apace in Namibia on the fourth instalment of George Miller's dystopian action flick Mad Max: Fury Road and the production company Kennedy Miller Mitchell has finally coughed up a few details. Chic Management confirmed Abbey Lee Kershaw had been cast, but now comes news that Kershaw's co-stars include two other Australian models, one a very big name down under.  

Bambi Northwood-Blyth also has a dicky knee

bambi northwood-blyth's twitter

What is with Australian models and knee injuries? Following February’s news about Abbey Lee Kershaw undergoing surgery in New York for a long-standing knee problem – and our revelation earlier this month that bad knees run in the Kershaw family – comes news that Bambi Northwood-Blyth has bunged up one of hers.

Dicky knees run in the Kershaw family

vogue china via TFS

Some celeb family members like to keep out of the spotlight, but not the Kershaws, it seems. When Abbey Lee Kershaw was recently asked by Vogue China if any of her kin would oblige for a family-inspired editorial spread, baby brother Tim flew to New York to help out. The result is this month’s 10-page ‘Modern Family’ spread shot by Daniel Jackson, which features two of the three highly photogenic Kershaw siblings (there is another older sister, Courtney, who did not participate). Another budding Kershaw supermod in the making perhaps? Not according to dad Kim Kershaw, who provided a few insights into the close-knit clan.

Girls on film: Abbey Lee Kershaw on the set of Mad Max 4

newscom via TFS

Not much came from the might-be-working-with-Steven Spielberg Chinese whisper, but the speculation wasn't too far from the truth: Abbey Lee Kershaw has joined the cast of Mad Max 4: Fury Road. Following months of anonymous tip offs, Kershaw's Australian modelling agency Chic Management has confirmed to frockwriter that she has indeed been cast in the film and is currently on set in Namibia's Dorob National Park. And now the first photographic evidence.

Julia Nobis - the face of Fall

nobis backstage at thierry mugler FW1213 via style bistro

It was just two years ago when Julia Nobis came to the fashion world's attention, thanks to a New York Fashion Week exclusive with Calvin Klein. She then proceeded to power ahead on the world's runways, booking some of the best shows in the business: 33 in that first international show season, Fall/Winter 2010/2011; 43 shows in her second, six months later; 50 in her third; 72 in her fourth; and 73 shows in total in her fifth and most recent season – Fall/Winter 2012/2013 in February and March this year. For two consecutive seasons, the now 19 year-old Sydney-ite has had the biggest individual show tally of any international model. And all that hard work looks to have finally paid off.

Abbey Lee Kershaw makes a miraculous recovery from surgery to walk in Kanye West's show

After his mercilessly-slaughtered first collection, the only way was up, frankly, for Kanye West's sophomore show in Paris. The New York Times and The Washington Post, among others, gave yesterday's show much kinder reviews. In other terrific news for West, Abbey Lee Kershaw apparently made such a rapid recovery from last week's knee surgery, she beat a path to his backstage door to walk the show for the second season - at least according to a number of media outlets.

Abbey Lee Kershaw has a dicky knee, may be working with Spielberg

via lifeaficionada.tumblr.com

Australian supermodel Abbey Lee Kershaw has been conspicuous by her absence on the Fall/Winter 2012/2013 runway circuit, turning up in just two shows in New York - Alexander Wang and Anna Sui - and prompting all sorts of wild rumours. Sure, at Kershaw's level (she is ranked the world #5 by models.com) a model might not feel the need to run herself ragged on every runway, choosing instead to appear in a select few shows, possibly on an exclusive basis. Considering that Kershaw is a current advertising face of Gucci, however, many were surprised to see her miss that specific Milanese show last Wednesday. But frockwriter can reveal that she has at least one pretty good excuse for keeping a low profile. 

Summer of the thirty-eighth doll

dempsey stewart at louis vuitton SS12/getty via daylife

Take a bow ladies - and gentlemen. Thirty-eight Australian models have just helped wrap up the Spring/Summer 2012 ready-to-wear runway season in New York, London, Milan and Paris - by frockwriter's estimate, a 35percent increase in numbers from the previous season. And what a season it has been, culminating over this past week in Paris, where the 18-strong Australian contingent included Miranda Kerr. No Balenciaga exclusive for Kerr, for the first time in four seasons. But after making her name as one of the world's highest-paid models, thanks to a lucrative contract with lingerie giant Victoria's Secret, how fantastic to see Kerr take her place alongside the world's top high fashion girls in a string of other blue chip brand shows, from Christian Dior to Lanvin and Chanel. Flanked by Abbey Lee Kershaw and Catherine McNeil, who is looking better than ever after a year's break from the shows, it was like the holy triumvirate of Australian modelling reunited. They were joined by Julia Nobis who walked in, wait for it, 72 shows, opening six. This may well make Nobis the busiest model - of any nationality - of the SS12 season by show numbers. Oddly, Nobis has yet to even be accorded a ranking on models.com's Top 50 Women list. One assumes this may soon change.   

Mambo Italiano

rose smith, dolce e gabbana SS12/getty via daylife

If fashion weeks were like marathons and they awarded a medal for every show finisher in the Big Four fashion cities, Australian models would be buying some extra suitcases right about now to repatriate their hauls. Welcome to the business end of the Spring/Summer 2012 season. Milan wrapped yesterday, Paris starts today and a clear antipodian vanguard has emerged. Milan and Paris are where the big luxury brands are headquartered and this season the Italians chose 12 Australians to showcase their wares (out of a total of 34 who have also appeared on the runways of New York and London over the past three weeks). Abbey Lee Kershaw might not have the SS12 show numbers - she ditched New York Fashion Week altogether, due to New York commitments with her band, Our Mountain - but her showlist reads like a Who's Who of fashion. With 49 shows already under her belt, Julia Nobis could well finish as one of the season's busiest catwalkers. Rising stars include Rose Smith, whose biggest claim to runway fame as of February this year was David Jones. In the interim she has walked for such prestigious names as Chanel (x three shows), Fendi and in Milan this week, Dolce e Gabbana. Here are the updated showlists, with the Milan shows marked in red.

 

Time out London

abbey lee kershaw backstage at burberry SS12/burberry's twitpic

The Spring/Summer 2012 shows rolled on at London Fashion Week, traditionally a bit of a breather between the far bigger and busier New York and Milan schedules. The latter put further than usual strain on the London event this season, with Marc Jacobs pushing his show back by three days, prompting many models to miss LFW's first day. Further demands were made by Gucci - whose show is today - dragging many girls to Milan at the end of the week. Nevertheless, 14 Australian models did the London shows, with Abbey Lee Kershaw, Catherine McNeil and Bambi Northwood-Blyth touching down in the SS12 season for the first time. Contrary to reports that McNeil had not done a runway show for two and a half years, in fact September 2010 was the last time we saw her on the circuit. Expect to see more antipodians in Milan and Paris, where many are already positioned attending castings and fittings.

Abbey Lee Kershaw's bling mania

We know Abbey Lee Kershaw loves her bling. When not being glamoured by some of the biggest names in the fashion business on front covers and in campaigns, editorials and runway shows, the boho mufti uniform of modelling's gypsy-esque world number five usually embraces a nose ring and an eclectic variety of oversized rings on almost every finger. No surprise then that Kershaw has found a kindred spirit in cult Sydney-based jewellery brand ManiaMania, the brainchild of Tamila Purvis and Melanie Kamsler. As frockwriter can reveal, having starred in ManiaMania's Spring/Summer 2011 campaign 'Rêve', Kershaw will also be the muse of ManiaMania's upcoming  Spring/Summer 2012 collection, 'The Third Mind'. Here is an exclusive behind-the-scenes image from the recent campaign shoot with photographer Elle Muliarchyk.  

Model citizens

julia nobis backstage at yeojin bae SS1112 in sydney

Although some sniffed that that there weren't enough big name international models, the swag of top local girls walking the runways of Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2011 did the industry proud in frockwriter's opinion. They included those just returned from carving up the northern hemisphere runway circuit - Julia Nobis (above, backstage at Yeojin Bae), Lauren Brown, Myf Shepherd, Rose Smith, Alice Burdeu, Amanda Ware and Melissa 'MJ' Johannsen - and brand new faces such as Krystal Glynn and Hannah McDougall, who may well soon be heading that way. No, it's not your imagination that more Australian models than ever before are kicking it OS. Various international players have also clocked this antipodian runway trend. The Australian's Wish magazine recently commissioned a feature from me on the subject. It appears in the current May edition. Here's the story:

Answers on an Abbey Lee Kershaw postcard

kamel rachedi

She has been photographed by the best in the business. Now comes Abbey Lee Kershaw like you have never seen her before: as an illustrated postcard or greeting card, courtesy under-the-radar French illustrator Kamel Rachedi. This illustration has just popped up on Rachedi’s portfolio on online art community Red Bubble, where it's being offered as a postcard or greeting card (AUD 2.52) or one of various prints (AUD 18.00). And Kershaw isn’t the only supermod to have been sketched by Rachedi. Edita Vilkeviciute, Lily Donaldson and Naomi Campbell also feature in Rachedi's portfolio (that’s Vilkeviciute and Campbell, below, with the uncropped version of ALK). Rachedi does not appear to have a dedicated blog, but it's probably not a bad idea as the blogosphere has proven to be a tremendous springboard for emerging illustrators. Two cases in point: illustrator/bloggers Garance Doré and Danny Roberts, both of whose careers were launched via blogs.

Juliana Forge often gets compared to Abbey Lee Kershaw

Tuesday's Kookai show looked like a million dollars thanks to a great cast headed up by the brand's current advertising face in Australia, Juliana Forge. Nineteen year-old Forge could be the next antipodian to clean up at the international show circuit, once she finally makes a serious move offshore. She has just returned from a shoot for Greek Vogue which could be a harbinger of big things to come. Here is a quick iv frockwriter grabbed with Forge backstage before the show, in which she mentions that people frequently bring up her resemblance to fellow Melburnite Abbey Lee Kershaw, now the world number five model.