Portmans takes Abbey Lee Kershaw back to her roots, taps Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and Louise Roe to boot

While frockwriter noted that Abbey Lee Kershaw had signed on as the autumn/winter 2011 face of Australian high street chain Portmans, we haven’t touched the story in the interim because well, images of the Nicole Bentley-shot campaign have pretty much been everywhere since its January 27th launch. But here’s something that caught our attention: a sneak peek at Portmans' secret second winter shoot that Kershaw has just done in New York, this time with a US team headed up by photographer Matt Jones. Same stylist, however, Harpers Bazaar Australia fashion editor Christine Centenera (which just goes to show that it’s not only in Paris where salaried magazine staff moonlight as stylists on the campaigns of advertisers). And miraculously, Kershaw is rocking her original long-haired coiffure in these images: mousey blonde, with pastel highlights and bangs. A Portmans rep assures us that this is merely a wig and that Kershaw - who, as we first reported, is ditching New York Fashion Week to appear with her boyfriend’s band Our Mountain at its three London gigs next week - still has a platinum bob. Perhaps Portmans figured Kershaw’s platinum locks would blend into all the snow in and around the Meat Packing District location? 

On their Marcs: Julia Nobis and Nick Hinman gear up to do battle on the high street

Are you ready for the battle of the Australian high street? The Portmans Autumn/Winter 2011 campaign starring world number 5 Abbey Lee Kershaw touches down next week. Grazia Australia apparently has first dibs on those shots. Mid market rival Marcs, meanwhile, has enlisted the less established, but equally cool Australian, Julia Nobis, for its second consecutive campaign. Shot by Swiss photographic duo Claudia Knoepfel and Stefan Indlekofer in Surry Hills and Woolloomooloo and styled by Caterina Scardino, the campaign co-stars Priscillas' stablemate Nick Hinman. And we must say, Marcs' military-nosed pea coats and trenches, roomy flannel shorts, leggings and sweet dresses never looked quite so good. Here is a selection of campaign images which are about to drop, in addition to a first look at a behind-the-scenes video taken on the shoot. 

Portmans signs Abbey Lee Kershaw

david jones SS1011 backstage/frockwriter

How nervous are Australian retailers about the imminent arrival of Zara early next year? Wetting their pants, some might surmise, given the news that Australian mid market fashion chain Portmans has just signed homegrown modelling superstar Abbey Lee Kershaw as its autumn/winter 2011 campaign face. As revealed by frockwriter yesterday, Kershaw was recently involved in a cycling accident, injuries from which may have precluded her involvement with Chanel's big Pre Fall 2011 runway presentation in Paris on Tuesday. Kershaw is, after all, one of Chanel's advertising faces this season. Nevertheless, she has just arrived downunder and according to our sources, will shoot the Portmans campaign in Sydney next week with Nicole Bentley. The campaign is due to roll out from January 31st through until May and we hear Kershaw will bank at least six figures for the job, minimum A$120,000. This is a large sum for a single season Australian campaign. 

Cassi explores her window of modelling opportunity - at Chadstone

Long time, no Cassi van den Dungen update. Well while ANTM Cycle 5 winner Tahnee Atkinson has been busy shooting for Australian Harpers Bazaar and walking the runway for Myer, runnerup van den Dungen has been hard at work at high street chain Portmans (in addition to modelling for the Melbourne Wedding & Bride 'Dress of Your Dreams' show, part of the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week – a gig organised by her Melbourne-based mother agency, Tanya Powell). Frockwriter can reveal that van den Dungen has now shot two lookbooks for Portmans, as organised by her Sydney agency, Work Agency. The first is now online on the Portmans website and the second was shot last week. And while two lookbooks do not an advertising “face” make, van den Dungen is also helping Portmans celebrate the opening of its largest store - at the new A$270million Chadstone redevelopment in Melbourne.

Portmans' new 350sqm flagship was designed by Mark Simpson of the London-based Universal Design Studio, whose other retail clients include Stella McCartney, H&M, Paul Smith and Selfridges.

One of five models who took part in a live installation inside the Portmans Chadstone windows yesterday, van den Dungen has been accorded top billing by Chadstone as one of several celebrity guests who will be on tap over the weekend to help kick off festivities, along with MTV host Ruby Rose and musician Axle Whitehead.

Any Cassi fans who want to say hi can catch her in the Portmans Chadstone front windows again tomorrow from 11am-1pm and 2-4pm.

Cassi shoots Portmans, gets cyberbullied by ANTM hosts

On Thursday frockwriter first mentioned that ANTM 2009 runnerup Cassi van den Dungen was returning to her childhood modelling agency, Tanya Powell, and had booked a first job with Portmans. The shoot took place on Saturday in Sydney and here are three shots - two of which appeared in the Herald Sun yesterday (with the hilariously provincial headline, "Forget New York, this is the big time"). This is a lookbook designed to accompany Portman's September collection and it will be primarily featured online - but also possibly on point of sale material in-store. It was shot by Nicole Bentley, who also photographed Kelsey van Mook for Portmans' August campaign. The Tanya Powell agency reports that it is currently fielding approximately 10 job offers for van den Dungen. UPDATE 29/07: Van den Dungen signs with Work Agency.

Alex Perry and Charlotte Dawson meanwhile - the two ugly step-sisters of the ANTM Cinderella machine - have both been whinging on Facebook about van den Dungen's decision not to accept the ANTM-affiliated offer of Priscillas and Elite contracts.

Perry, moreover, who noted on Facebook at one point that he is so "OVER THE BOGAN", has made quite some fuss over van den Dungen's nerve in sending him a Facebook friend request.

Perry put the decision to accept or decline the friend request up to Facebook vote and solicited the yays or nays of his follower posse. Over 60 responses ensued - most to the negative.

If you are going to berate your show's teen contestants for bitching, snarking and bullying, have the grace to follow your own example.

Behind-the-scenes at Portmans

Provided by Portmans and exclusive to frockwriter, a behind-the-scenes video of the making of the Australian highstreet retailer's summer campaign. Due to appear in August online and in store, the campaign stars Canadian Kelsey van Mook and was shot by Nicole Bentley on the Wolverine set on Sydney's heritage-listed Cockatoo Island. Other faces you might recognise in the background include Claudia Navone, fashion director of Harpers Bazaar, who obviously moonlights as a stylist, Portmans creative director Nikki Hillier, hair stylist Nicholas Jurnjack and makeup artist Charlotte Blakeney.