Gumleaf runway mafia

chanel FW1112/style.com

So another ready-to-wear season bites the dust. Below are, to the best of frockwriter's knowledge, the final show tallies for Australian models on the Fall/Winter 2011/2012 runways. All 27 of them. As already mentioned, at least 18 Australians walked at New York Fashion Week last month, with others joining the circuit in London and Milan. And what a fascinating season it has been. A very clear vanguard of five names emerged. No surprise of course that even though she missed the New York leg, Abbey Lee Kershaw walked in 24 of the season's biggest shows. In her third show season, Julia Nobis, who did the entire circuit, wound up with 50 top shows under her belt. Not far behind her were Dempsey Stewart and Codie Young, in their first international seasons, with an impressive 42 and 39 shows respectively. Ajak Deng walked in 25 shows.

From a tattoo parlour to a Givenchy exclusive - Lydia Willemina Collins

givenchy FW1112/getty via daylife

There are three days to go in the Fall/Winter 2011/2012 show season. So far, frockwriter estimates that 24 Australians have walked its runways, several among them clocking up over 30 shows apiece from New York to Paris - and one (Julia Nobis), over 40. We've seen circuit veterans, circuit virgins and several models who have returned to the runways after taking a break - in Miranda Kerr's case at Balenciaga, two months after giving birth. But as the arrival of Lydia Willemina Collins overnight at the prestigious Givenchy show attests, it's not too late to throw a wild card into the ring. Modelling for a month, the 18 year-old Sydneysider - who is working under her two first names - was originally scouted three years ago by Work Agency's Helena Vitolins, working in her mother's tattoo parlour. "But she wasn’t ready" reports Vitolins from Paris. "I just waited for the right time. We got her passport on Thursday, flew her out on Saturday. All of this happened very quickly. We’re going to New York tomorrow, she has some major, major holds and some major, major appointments". The Givenchy exclusive was Collins' second job, after this lookbook for Australian label Scanlan & Theodore, shot by Max Doyle. A natural brunette (see below, from a February 3 post on models.com), her hair was dyed red by Givenchy's hair stylist Luigi Murenu specifically for the show.