We’ve read a lot about self-taught blogger photographers. A good eye and an even better camera can work wonders for anyone seeking to fill their online publishing ventures with original photographic material. Scott ‘The Sartorialist’ Schuman, Tommy ‘Jak & Jil’ Ton and Todd ‘The Selby’ Selby three great cases in point. But multitasking mainstream fashion editors or journalists? Not quite so common (and as frockwriter can attest, we’re not that welcome in the blogosphere. Something to do with the sentiment that we’ve somehow cheated our way to a profile that the ‘grassroots’ blogging crew have had to build from scratch). Sydneysiders would know the name Prue Lewington from her weekend fashion musings in The Sunday Telegraph. But who knew that she could also take a decent photo? Also self-taught, Lewington has been shooting in her spare time for the past three years and her work has been published in The Sunday Telegraph and elle.com. Tonight her first exhibition opens at the Kit & Kaboodle Stairwell Gallery in Sydney's Kings Cross.
It's Victoria's Secret all right. He closed Jean Paul Gaultier’s haute couture show in Paris as the traditional bride. He channelled Marilyn Monroe. He was presented to the Queen at Buckingham Palace. What other accomplishments could the androgynous, Bosnian-born, Melbourne-raised modelling superstar Andrej Pejic squeeze into the closing days of 2011? Try scoring an advertising campaign for womens’ lingerie. Behold two images from a new intimate apparel campaign from Dutch chain store Hema, advertising its “Mega Push-Up Bra”, as modelled by Pejic underneath two womens' dresses. Even in the super liberal Netherlands, Hema’s choice of model has made big news, with at least a half dozen Dutch news outlets picking up the story in the last few hours. The campaign was shot in Amsterdam in late September and is described as a "money job" by Pejic's Sydney agent, Chadwick's Joseph Tenni. "It's revolutionary" Tenni told frockwriter. "I've never known a man to do a womens' lingerie campaign before".
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| thom kerr |
Whatever happened to Olivia O’Driscoll? In 2008, at age 17, she emerged as one of New Zealand’s most promising modelling newcomers. Repped internationally by IMG, she walked in four Paris haute couture shows in July that year, before flying to to Milan on an exclusive option for the Spring/Summer 2009 Prada and Miu Miu shows. While those gigs never eventuated, she nevertheless shot editorial for French Elle, German Vogue, Japanese RUSSH, Wallpaper, AnOther Magazine, US Teen Vogue and Italy’s Amica. Only to suddenly drop out of the business, sparking various rumours. In spite of the fact that New Zealand has the second-highest rate of teenage pregnancies in the developed world, a pregnancy was not among these whispers. But a baby daughter, Hara Lea O’Driscoll, arrived a day after O'Driscoll's 20th birthday in December 2010. Now as a single mum, with new management back home in Auckland (Red Eleven/MHI) and Sydney (Chadwick) - and as “Liv” O’Driscoll, as she prefers to be known these days - she is attempting a comeback. She joins models Jourdan Dunn, Arizona Muse, Natalia Vodianova and Australia’s Cassi van den Dungen, all of whom took time out under the age of 20 to have children. Herewith an exclusive preview of some new test shots by Australian photographer Thom Kerr.
Twenty-two year-old Brisbane-ite Angus Low may prove extra popular on the international circuit, once any runway colleagues suffering from back pain twig that he doubles as a physio. Low graduated last year from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy Studies – and was awarded the Dean’s Commendation for academic excellence – and has been working full-time at a private Brisbane hospital. Modelling part-time for the past two years, prior to June 2011, the biggest name on his modelling CV was the Mercedes-Benz Brisbane Fashion Festival. Enter the Spring/Summer 2012 menswear season in Milan and Paris and Low can now add shows for Lanvin, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, Costume National and Raf Simons. And we can add his name to a bulging Aussie male model pack that is headed up by Andrej Pejic, Tom Bull, Jordan Coulter, Jack Vanderhart and Jordan & Zac Stenmark. Although Low's SS12 show season transpired under the publicity radar back home, evidently he made quite an impression because two months ago, his Brisbane mother agency Dallys tells frockwriter, he shot Lanvin's SS12 menswear campaign in New York with Steven Meisel, two other male models - and a bunch of snakes. Then last month in Paris, he shot Lanvin’s SS12 eyewear campaign with Stéphane Gallois. Low has just given up his day job to pursue modelling full-time.
