Frockwriter's Top 10 posts of 2012

We usually flag the top posts of the previous 12 months on Frockwriter’s July 4 birthday each year. This year we opted instead to focus on some of the challenges – and frustrations - of trying to maintain an independent news blog, whilst avoiding getting sucked into the vortex of the blogger gravy train. So here is a list of our top stories for 2012, rated by traffic. The year’s number one post, Close encounters of the KL kind – which attracted over 20,000 hits - is incidentally also one of the top posts in this blog's four and a half year history. It's also a story on which we personally received considerable feedback, from people who contacted us to say how much they enjoyed reading it. Not bad for a post that we originally hesitated publishing at all, because of its length and potential TLDR factor – “too long didn’t read” being the mantra of many when confronted with longform pieces on the net.

Merry Christmas from Frockwriter

melise williams, charlie brown AW13 backstage, auckland, september 2012 

Just a quick one to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of frockwriter's readers. It's been a bit of a watershed year for this blog – one during which, as many know, we took the controversial step of introducing a metered paywall. Oops. Unable to support ourselves through advertising alone and disinclined to accept potentially lucrative brand ambassadorships, sponsored posts and a raft of other commercial tie-ins from the industry on which we report - because of ethics considerations and genuine conflicts of interest - we assumed readers who value the blog for its independence would support it. Some have and a massive shoutout to our subscribers. Your support is truly appreciated - especially considering how flipping easy it has been for all those pesky freehadists (yes there's a term for you now) to defeat the paywall. In their thousands. I now have access to frockwriter's subscriber list and have been overwhelmed to learn just who these supporters are. So thank you!

New faces: Kaitlin Carter

So far in frockwriter's New Faces series, we've met models who were scouted while riding their horses, at a bus stop, even on Facebook. Three weeks ago Chadwick Models agent Jaime McHugh spotted 19 year-old Sydneysider Kaitlin Carter at Central train station. 

IMG Models Australia goes live

madison stubbington via IMG models australia

Ever since news broke of IMG Models’ intention to open up down under, the Australian modelling industry has been nervously awaiting further intel about precisely which direction the company plans to take in this market. First Chic Management general manager Danielle Ragenard defected to head up the new agency (she was joined on Monday this week by new senior manager Jaz Daly, ex Priscillas). Then Miranda Kerr, Nicole Trunfio, Bambi Northwood-Blyth, Bridget Malcolm and Ajak Deng jumped ship to IMG Models from their respective Sydney agencies. Now an IMG Models Australia microsite has just gone live on the IMG Models website. The bottom right-hand corner of the website of the world’s largest model agency now lists the following tabs: "NEW YORK, PARIS, LONDON, MILAN, SYDNEY".

Kimbra from The Block

richard freeman for KAREN magazine

It’s been a big year for Kimbra. Two Grammy nominations, five New Zealand Music Awards, three ARIAs, two APRAs, 38million views of her own YouTube channel - not to mention 354million views of her cameo in Somebody That I Used to Know, the global hit penned by her Belgralian buddy Gotye, which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and topped charts in 18 countries – spending eight consecutive weeks at No 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Little wonder the telegenic Kiwi is also rapidly emerging as a fashion star, increasingly visible in magazine features, fashion editorials and of course on all those red carpets. Her latest sartorial sortie is a 14-page spread in the 14th edition of indie quarterly Australian title KAREN, which is due out in a few days. 

Editors in sweats: The Vine's Alyx Gorman

Achingly cool, impeccably pulled-together, kitted out in killer brands.... we know what they look like in the front row, at launch parties and out-and-about on street-style blogs. But exactly what do Australian style mavens - and maestros - wear when they're just hanging out, far from the madding fashion crowd? Frockwriter puts this question to some of the best-known names in fashion content creation down under. First up, Alyx Gorman, the editor of Fairfax's The Vine, which bills itself as Australia's leading youth and entertainment site. Gorman has been papped by vogue.co.uk and WWD, but her off-duty style embraces drop-crotch trackies and some "deeply weird" footwear gifted by her gran.

New faces: Martika Walford

Fascinating to hear just how models get scouted. So far in frockwriter's New Faces series, modelling hopefuls have been spotted riding their horses, on Facebook, at a bus stop and enrolled in a grooming course paid for by grandma. In the case of indigenous beauty Martika Walford, she can thank her boarding school for bringing her to the attention of the industry.

New faces: April Tiplady

Two years ago, when she was 14, April Tiplady’s grandmother bought her a grooming course at Adelaide’s Finesse Models to help her confidence. Last week she was signed to IMG Models worldwide.

New faces: Grace Simmons

Australia’s Next Top Model is back in the news with this morning’s announcement that former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins is the new host for Cycle 8, which commences production in January. But while AusNTM has proven to be the most successful NTM franchise in the world in terms of springboarding international modelling careers – from Alice Burdeu to Amanda Ware and Montana Cox – the Girlfriend Model Search remains Australia's most successful modelling competition overall. Alumni include Abbey Lee Kershaw, Catherine McNeil, Alyssa Sutherland, Pania Rose, Jemma Baines and Chrystal Copland. Grace Simmons is the latest GMS inductee.

The Victoria Racing Club imposes a hatwa on Andrej Pejic's Princess Beatrice tribute

suzanne carbone via the age

Well, well, well. In today's update about our post on Andrej Pejic's planned ensemble for Crown Oaks Day at Flemington, we spoke to everyone other than Melbourne milliner Kerrie Stanley. We spoke to Pejic, his mum, his agent and even designer Arthur Galan, asking why he was en route to the races in a different jacket and hat than originally planned. "He had a few different options" offered agent Matthew Anderson. "The hat didn't turn up in time" said Pejic. Had we managed to also reach Stanley, then perhaps we might have learned a little earlier on about the intriguing, last-minute hatwa that was imposed by the Victoria Racing Club on Pejic, Stanley and the Swisse Vitamins marquee which was hosting him. Why? Hilariously, so as not to offend Treacy - who was down at Flemington for the second consecutive year as the VRC's International Style Ambassador. Apparently the VRC and Philip Treacy may have had a humour bypass.  

Andrej Pejic is wearing a trouser suit to Ladies Day

andrej pejic at flemington 08/11/12 via kim wilson's instagram

What with all the high-profilers in town for Melbourne's Spring Racing Carnival, wheeling in favours from their internationally-renowed creative mates - Stephen Jones and L'Wren Scott kitted out Nicole Kidman for Derby Day and Bruce Oldfield and Philip Treacy dressed the Duchess of Cornwall for the Melbourne Cup - some local outfitters may be feeling a little upstaged at the moment. But Andrej Pejic is supporting the home team with his outfit for tomorrow's Crown Oaks Day at Flemington, aka Ladies Day. (See update, below)

Camilla recycles her wardrobe (and channels Kate Moss) to touch down in Oz

via zimbio.com

Nice to see some of the older British royals taking notes from Kate Middleton and recycling their wardrobes.

New faces: Madison Finn

self portrait madison finn

Do models get scouted on Facebook? Apparently so. Above is the Facebook profile picture of Madison Finn that piqued the curiosity of Maverick Model Management founder Erika Pek while reading another model's FB timeline.  

Nicole Kidman adds a touch of green - and My Fair Lady - to Derby Day

via luke dennehy's instagram

The traditional dress code for the first event in the Melbourne Cup Carnival, today’s Derby Day, is supposed to be black and white. But frockwriter can reveal that VVIP guest Nicole Kidman will be adding a touch of green. Kidman’s publicist Wendy Day tells us that Kidman will be wearing a dress by American designer L’Wren Scott, a long-time Kidman fave (and the longtime partner of rocker Mick Jagger), and a hat by British milliner Stephen Jones. Day added that there is an “eco-friendly” aspect to Kidman’s Derby Day outfit. UPDATE: Kidman did in fact go with one of the original Green Cut outfits designed by Scott and Jones (pictured above, with the original dress below) - a shorter adaptation, as we predicted. 

New faces: Elina Moscheni

anton zemlyanoy via viviens management

Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide - and even Alice Springs - have been launchpads for some of this country's biggest modelling names in recent years. Now it's Darwin's turn. 

Prince Charles to meet Australian fashion royalty - and some sheep

via the clitheroe advertiser

Now that Andrej Pejic has met the Queen, it’s only fitting that some other members of the Australian fashion flock get to mingle with the Royals. If you didn’t already know by now, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall are en route to Australia with a whirlwind itinerary that will take in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup – in fact the duo is due to present the trophy to the winner. Far less well-advertised on their Aussie to-do list is a Woolmark event on Friday 9th November at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Backstage at DVF

diane von furstenberg backstage in sydney 24/10/12

So the Diane von Furstenberg show rolled into town last week. One runway show, one Business Chicks lunch and one Hayman Island penthouse launch down, where is von Furstenberg now? Cooling her heels, she told me backstage on Wednesday night, at a mate’s Kangaroo Valley farm in the NSW Southern Highlands. A pretty spot, we assured her (here’s a Highlands wrap we did a couple of years ago). “I have my book to finish you know” she noted, arousing our curiosity as to precisely how long she is planning to hang around. With Hurricane ‘Frankenstorm’ Sandy currently bearing down on the US east coast and thousands of flights cancelled, perhaps a little longer than originally planned.

New faces: Henry Payten

justin smith via the agency models

And now for the boys. Third up in frockwriter's new series about new modelling faces from down under is Henry Payten, who was recently signed to Sydney's The Agency Models. 

New faces: Talia Berman

carine thevenau via chic management

As part of a new frockwriter series on new modelling faces, meet Talia Berman. Like Molly Paisley, who we profiled yesterday, she has just been signed by Chic Management in Sydney.

New faces: Molly Paisley

carine thevenau via chic management

Horse riding competitions would appear to be fertile ground for model scouting. New Zealand’s Anmari Botha was initially spotted at a dressage competition in Auckland six years ago. And brand new Australian face Molly Paisley was scouted at a one-day event in Oakville, north west of Sydney, three months ago.

The DVF show rolls into town

diane von furstenberg takes a bow after her SS12 show in NY via zimbio.com

If you don’t already know by now, frockwriter has little doubt you soon will be aware that New York fashion doyenne Diane von Furstenberg is visiting Australia this week. First up, to present her Spring/Summer 2013 collection at Westfield Sydney on Wednesday evening, not far from her first Australian boutique, which opened in the development in late 2010. Secondly, to talk at a Business Chicks lunch on Thursday. Tickets for the latter sold out in a  week reports Business Chicks, which had to upgrade to a bigger venue at Sydney's Doltone House to accommodate 650 people. And finally, on the weekend, to unveil The DVF Suite – a penthouse at the recently refurbed Hayman Island luxury resort, which was of course flattened by Cyclones Yasi and Anthony in early 2011.

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.

New Zealand's next top model: Anmari Botha

david oldham for wonderland via red eleven

It’s not only Australia that is proving to be a major launchpad for international modelling careers at the moment. Scouts and casting directors are also looking towards New Zealand. Frockwriter has talked about Jessica Clarke and Emily Baker, the latter emerging overnight in February 2011 to become one of the most buzzed-about new faces of the Fall/Winter 2011/2012 show season. In the leadup to last month’s New Zealand Fashion Week we wondered if perhaps Cait Kneller might be the next Kiwi star. Noone mentioned Anmari Botha.

The circuiteers - Australian models at the Spring/Summer 2013 shows

Julia Nobis is currently enjoying something that she likes to call “fat month” – the period immediately following the gruelling ready-to-wear show season, when she winds down. Show seasons are hard work for leading models such as Nobis, who was the season’s top runway face for two consecutive seasons up until the latest shows round that finished a few weeks ago in Paris, walking in more shows than any other model. This season Nobis lost that crown - she walked in 62 shows, making her Spring/Summer 2013's third busiest showgirl, in terms of show numbers, after Tilda Lindstam (69 shows) and Ava Smith, Erjona Ala and Tian Yi (64 shows each) according to the modelwatchers at The Fashion Spot (and many thanks to TFS for its painstaking show-combing). But that's still an impressive tally. How many Australians followed in her footsteps this season? Nineteen by our calculations. And if you have been tracking the progress of Australian models on the world’s runways for the past four years via frockwriter, you’d be right in thinking that that sounds like a steep dive in numbers on the previous Spring/Summer season – a 50percent drop in fact.

Andrej Pejic doesn't answer his phone for less than $10,000

nathan paul swimwear out-take via mariah jelena kordzadze's facebook

It’s been a long time since Andrej Pejic opened the Antipodium show at Australian Fashion Week. Three years to be precise. In the interim, alongside a score of headline-grabbing magazine appearances and advertising campaigns, Pejic has blazed a trail on the runways of fashion weeks in Paris, New York, London, Milan, Tokyo, Toronto, Sao Paolo, Barcelona, Berlin and Instanbul, modelling both menswear and womenswear - not to mention bridalwear. Digital Fashion Week Singapore is the latest fashion event to snap Pejic up, billing him as the "supermodel" star of its upcoming showcase, which will run from October 20-22. Apart from a couple of fleeting appearances downunder, why has he been conspicuous by his absence on Australia's runways you ask? Because we can’t afford him it seems.

Hot fuzz

céline SS2013 via style.com

During the 2012 London Olympics Nike managed to ambush adidas, the event’s official sports apparel marketing partner, with an 18-strong collection of neon yellow trainers that looked to be on every second athlete in the track and field events. With shoes classified as equipment, athletes were free to choose their brand. The Spring/Summer 2013 show season is of course a totally different animal to the Summer Olympics. And yet, based on some early reactions, it seems that another neon yellow shoe may be hijacking more than its fair share of coverage here: Céline’s mink pump.

Catherine McNeil covers Vogue Australia (again)

vogue australia via chic management

Well we did say last month that Catherine McNeil looks to be enjoying a brand new lease of life, with a new love interest in the form of 21 year-old British model Miles Langdon. And now her great 2012 run with the Vogue brand - which has seen three spreads in the Australian, French and Chinese editions so far this year - continues next month with the November cover of Vogue Australia. Believe it or not, this is McNeil's sixth cover of the Australian edition. The last being in February 2011.  

Girls on the Avenue

The beginning of this month kicked off with a manic week in which frockwriter flew to Brisbane, Adelaide and Auckland in the space of five days for three separate events – in each case as the guest of the respective organisers (but just to clarify, no appearance fees). Before heading to New Zealand Fashion Week, I was in Brisbane on August 29 to facilitate the Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE fashion industry panel for the third consecutive year. Then on September 1, I headed to Adelaide to see an in-season fashion showcase called Fashion Avenue that is now in its third year and is organised by Pride Models, one of the two major modelling agencies in town.

Backstage at Riddle Me This - NZFW AW13

I loved everything about the Riddle Me This show on Wednesday. The brand was launched by Mount Maunganui-based Liz Turner in 2008 and the fresh, young, high street vibe of its Autumn/Winter 2013 collection was brilliantly accentuated by the styling of New York-based expat Zara Mirkin, one of numerous, young New Zealand creatives who are finding their feet internationally and who will bring back home some invaluable expertise. On hand were some other local stars such as up-and-coming stylist Thistle Brown - who we first met at last year's event when he called himself Duncan Lamont Brown and who we have a hunch might not be too far behind Mirkin in heading offshore - as well as hair director Lauren Gunn from Sebastian/Stephen Marr and M.A.C. makeup artist Josie Wignall. Great energy - and great backstage vibe. 

Backstage at Zambesi - NZFW AW13

As anyone who is following my Twitter, Posterous and Facebook feeds already knows, I am currently in Auckland covering New Zealand Fashion Week – along with numerous other Australian and international media reps, as a guest of the organisers. I am attempting to see every show and file in real-time as I go. I am also shooting backstage with a DSLR, but this obviously requires a/backstage access and b/time to produce galleries. As I have pointed out on numerous previous occasions during fashion weeks, when you are a one-man band it's impossible to do everything. Just on real-time access to the event, it's worth noting that some NZ designers seem to be a little twitchy regarding pre-show Twitter coverage this year. Hard to say why as it's most certainly not the first time Twitter has been at the event. Perhaps there's just a greater volume of it. If they want to limit backstage access pre-show then that is entirely their choice. Brands such as Burberry, which now Tweets its entire collection from backstage before the models hit the runway, take a very different approach. Here is the first gallery: taken at Monday night's Zambesi show. 

Pacific Rose

holly rose emery by will bailey

Last week, frockwriter reported that Auckland model agency Red Eleven had high hopes for one of its new faces, Holly Rose Emery, on the runways of the upcoming New Zealand Fashion Week. And why wouldn't they? At  5'11.5", the angelic Auckland schoolgirl bears a passing resemblance to a few major modelling names, such as British Sixties fashion icon Twiggy and top contemporary girls, American Lindsey Wixson and Dutch world number #1 Lara Stone. Holly Rose has only been a model for three months but, like many others in her line of work, she is already fielding commentary about her weight – specifically, questions asking if she has an eating disorder. Yes, there are some models who suffer from eating disorders and are painfully thin. Just as there are some actors, athletes, dancers - not to mention people who have nothing to do with modelling, film, sport or ballet - who also suffer from eating disorders and who are painfully thin. Many are convinced that exposure to images of thin fashion models is the root cause of the problem. Others disagree. In any event, with a BMI of 18, Holly Rose is considered to be in a healthy weight range for her age and height. It was a different story two years ago.

In Vogue: Catherine McNeil and Miles Langford

catherine mcneil's instagram

And in news just in, Catherine McNeil has a new love interest: British model Miles Langford. But far more newsworthy, we feel, than the fact that McNeil is taking a break from the laydees (prompting some minor kvetching from lesbian forums such as The L Chat) is the birth of a cool new modelling It couple. After McBeha - the hybrid nickname for McNeil and former gf, Danish model Freja Beha Erichsen - and McNeil’s brief engagement to Australian model-turned MTV VJ-turned DJ Ruby Rose, we give you MiCat. Well, that's what we're calling them. 

The showgirls and boys: Clyne Models - NZFW Autumn/Winter 2013

cait kneller by megan christiansen

Next in our series of New Zealand Fashion Week 2012 showcards from the key Kiwi agencies comes Clyne Models. With more focus than ever before on the Australasian modelling market right now, the ante has most definitely been upped in New Zealand, with Clyne Models at the head of the pack. This is the agency that launched Jessica Clarke, Emily Baker and newcomer Ella Verberne. While Verberne is getting her bearings overseas, Clarke has walked for Calvin Klein and Victoria's Secret. And Baker, of course, emerged out of nowhere to become one of the most talked-about new faces of Fall/Winter 2011/2012, walking in no less than 60 shows in her first international show season last year, immediately nabbing a spot on models.com's hard-to-crack Top 50 Women list - which is almost unheard-of.

The showgirls and boys: 62 Models - NZFW Autumn/Winter 2013

elena buckley via 62 models

New Zealand Fashion Week is just around the corner. But already, we hear, the world's biggest model agency, IMG Models, has been busy scouting in The Land of the Long White Cloud, with interest in a few new Kiwi faces. So who will rock next month's runways in Auckland and which new names might emerge? Next in frockwriter's NZFW showcards series,  the showcards from 62 Models.  

The showgirls and boys: Red Eleven Models - NZFW Autumn/Winter 2013

holly rose by amanda betts/red eleven models

New Zealand Fashion Week is rapidly approaching - September 3-7 – and as with any fashion week, eyes will of course not only be on the designers, but the models. With more focus on Australian and New Zealand modelling talent than ever before - not to mention the recent antipodian beachhead recently established in Sydney by the world's biggest modelling agency, IMG Models - we thought we would preview some of the models who will be walking Auckland's runways next month. Continuing on from the showcard series we previewed in the leadup to May's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, here are the NZFW showcards from a few of the key New Zealand agencies. First up, Red Eleven Models.

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.  

Back to Black: Ismini Papa and Lewis Grant by Michele Aboud

Michele Aboud is one of our favourite photographers (incidentally, she is also one of our oldest friends). Continuing on in the series of frockwriter exclusives, here is a brand new photoshoot from Aboud starring Ismini Papa and Lewis Grant. With stellar Sydney stylist Bex Sheers on hand, the dark night rises on a wardrobe of edgy Australian and European brands, from Chronicles of Never to Alistair Trung, Opus9, Ann Demeulemeester, Damir Doma, Rick Owens and Kris Van Assche. 

Julia Nobis, undergrad supermod

via zimbio.com

She might have been overlooked by some of Australia's biggest media outlets, but fashion aficionados were thrilled to spot Julia Nobis in the David Jones Spring/Summer 2012/2013 show on Tuesday. The 20 year-old Sydneysider has ruled the international runways for the past two seasons, clocking up a whopping 73 shows in March, prompting WWD to dub her "The face of Fall". But as Nobis discovered this week, the runway protocols of major brands such as Prada and Louis Vuitton can differ greatly from those espoused by Australian retailers. With the DJs show being filmed by the Arena channel for a special that will air on August 20th, more than one audience member giggled at the sight of an Arena producer holding up a quaint "Smile" sign at the end of the runway (below). Nobis, who is better-acquainted with backstage model cue cards that read "strictly no smiling", did her best to muster a smirk. Frockwriter caught up with her after the show.  

There's no other store (for top models) like David Jones

As the August vacations wind down in the northern hemisphere and the fash pack contemplates getting back to work, starting with the Spring/Summer 2013 season which kicks off in a few weeks, Australians are heading into our own summer season. David Jones was the first cab off the rank last night with its Spring/Summer 2012/2013 launch, a riot of colour and cartoon heroes. To showcase the store's edit of some of the best Australian collections of the season from leading names such as Josh Goot, Dion Lee, Camilla, Zimmermann, We Are Handsome, Lisa Ho and new Djs stablemate Gary Bigeni, was a swag of top Australian models. Joining DJs' high profile ambassador Miranda Kerr was Sports Illustrated covergirl Jessica Gomes - who looked like Wonder Woman in some novelty swimwear courtesy Romance Was Born - and rising stars such as Rose Smith, Montana Cox, Jemma Baines, Nicole Pollard, Bambi Northwood-Blyth, Jack Vanderhart and Jordan and Zac Stenmark, all of whom have made waves on international runways in recent seasons. The biggest of all, after Kerr, was Julia Nobis, who was booked as a David Jones exclusive, which means you won't be seeing her at Myer's show tomorrow.

Banned by Instagram: Matthew Stone's Pussy Riot protest

matthew stone via showstudio

We first met enigmatic British multi-disciplinary artist, writer, musician, DJ - oh, and shaman - Matthew Stone in 2007 backstage at Gareth Pugh. Stone is a graduate of the Camberwell College of Arts and a co-founder of the Peckham art collective !WOWOW! and his work has been exhibited all over the world. Over the past 18 months, moreover, he has crossed over into commercial fashion photography. Stone's work appears on the cover of this month's i-D magazine and within weeks, as we originally revealed, his advertising campaign for Jean Paul Gaultier's Kokorico fragrance – starring a naked Andrej Pejic – will land. But none of this appears to have impressed hipster photo app Instagram, which censored Stone's NSFW artwork in support of jailed Russian feminist punk rock outfit Pussy Riot.

Adin Taylor and Kye D'Arcy get their Grindr on

adin taylor in 'brief encounters' via interview magazine

Modelling is an increasingly popular career option for men, including more and more Australians, as documented by this blog. In some cases - as recounted to frockwriter - it is not without copping a vigorous ribbing from some of their peers that the profession is a little, well, 'gay'. Indeed, one young male model mentioned that he turned up at his local sports club one day to find his modelling photos plastered all over the walls. You have to wonder what the locker room would make of this designer underwear spread just posted by Interview magazine, which depicts two dozen young male models - including Australians Adin Taylor (above) and Kye D'Arcy (below)  - pretending that they are taking shots of themselves for the infamous gay cruising app Grindr.

Cheburashka, the London 2012 Olympics' short Russian

via bosco sport's facebook

It wouldn't be an Olympics without some cringeworthy mascots and Wenlock and Mandeville, who were designed by Grant Hunter - apparently after watching Monsters Inc – certainly don't disappoint. They join a plush pantheon of ghastly Olympic toys that of course includes Sydney 2000's own horrific Millie, Ollie and Syd. Team GB's mascot, Pride the lion, avoids the kitsch factor but sadly, also the kawaii factor. But all is not lost. The Russians have brought Cheburashka to town.

Japan accuses Russia of synchronising Miu Miu

getty via daylife

Russia's Natalia Ischenko and Svetlana Romashina are the reigning queens of synchronised swimming. Their high energy routines have earned them multiple world championships and after a mesmerising performance on Monday, they are now tipped to win the duet gold medal today. But one fashionista has given them a poor score for the originality of their costumes. 

Top 10 fashion trends at the London 2012 Olympics

Form follows function, right? Yes and no when it comes to the London 2012 Olympics, where the apparel and accoutrements are a mix of stuff that makes you fast, stuff that keeps flies out of your ears - and stuff that gets you noticed. Here are frockwriter's picks for the top trends of Week One.  

Did Miranda Kerr neglect to stitch up a Laurent Darmon photoshoot?

laurent darmon

Rarely does a day go by, it seems, without an image of Miranda Kerr being published on an international news site, usually with Flynn, her 18 month-old son with Orlando Bloom, in tow. But a new set of far racier images of Kerr have just surfaced and are spreading across the net at record speed - the exact origins of which appear for the moment to be a mystery. NSFW

Was opening ceremony gatecrasher Madhura Nagendra suffering from Beatlemania?

stella mccartney's instagram

So far India has only won one medal at the 2012 London Olympics: Gagan Narang took out bronze in the 10 metre air rifle. But one of Narang's compatriots has nabbed a gold medal in self promotion. Although her father claims she was asked by organisers to accompany the team, Indian Olympic officials remain "totally dazed" as to how twentysomething Bangalore–born, London School of Business and Finance MBA student and opening ceremony dancer Madhura Nagendra managed to embed herself with the Indian team for a victory lap of the Olympic Stadium on Friday night. And she didn't just walk alongside the team. No, she was positioned front-and-centre in the most prestigious spot – leading proceedings, alongside flagbearer Sushil Kumar. According to LOCOG chairman Lord Sebastian Coe, who sent a letter of apology to the Indian delegation and is looking into the matter, Nagendra got "overly excited". Frockwriter has another theory: Beatlemania.

MGM/Columbia/Sony and Tom Ford take product placement to a new level at the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony

machdwallpapers.com via skyfall official/sony pictures

The pièce de résistance of the just-wrapped, Danny Boyle-directed London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony was undoubtedly the pre-taped scene in which British actor Daniel Craig, in character as James Bond 007, got to live out his 'On her Majesty's secret service' mandate by meeting real-life Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. After a few corgi cameos, the  duo then embarked on an amusing, mocked-up chopper ride and paraglider "drop" into the Olympic stadium. This time, of course, it wasn't quite so secret, with the ceremony watched by an estimated one billion. Craig looked ultra sharp, in an impeccably–tailored tuxedo (below) that would have been a fabulous plug for one of Britain's greatest sartorial exports – bespoke Savile Row tailoring. But was it British tailoring – or American?