The snow must go on - New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2013/2014

catherine mcneil walks jason wu FW1314 via style.com

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers" goes the creed of the United States Postal Service. With 4700 flights cancelled in anticipation of Winter Storm Nemo - a blizzard of potentially historic proportions that is currently bearing down on the northeastern US - that remains to be seen. Although Marc Jacobs has had to postpone his show until next Thursday, New York Fashion Week rolls on regardless. Among those turning up for duty is a swag of Aussie models. So far we've counted eight nine ten eleven twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen, but there are no doubt more to come, including new faces Gabby Dover and Jordan Cohayney. Of note, Catherine McNeil, who is looking better than ever and was third out at the high profile Jason Wu show on day two yesterday, also closing Kenneth Cole. Here are her catwalk compatriots thus far.

Shaik, rattle and roll

next models

In 2008, 17 year-old Shanina Shaik was named the runnerup of Seven Network’s unsurprisingly short-lived reality show, Make Me A Supermodel. By February 2009, she had moved to New York, popped up in a handful of shows at New York Fashion Week and started dating US model and reality tv star Tyson Beckford, the co-host of the American version of Make Me A Supermodel (who is currently shooting Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model with Elle Macpherson). The pair had originally met during the filming of the Australian show, on which Beckford played model mentor. Although a contract with New York Model Management was part of Shaik’s prizes, not much was heard from her until November 9 2011, when she appeared in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York, alongside some major modelling names, including compatriot Miranda Kerr. 

Best in show - the Australian models of Fall/Winter 2012/2013

julia nobis after the miu miu FW1213 show/altamira via ford models

That's a wrap for Fall/Winter 2012/2013 folks. Above is a shot of Julia Nobis taken just after Miu Miu on Wednesday, the final day of Paris Fashion Week. She's looking a little dazed and confused. Considering that by our count, Nobis walked in 73 shows from New York to London, Milan and Paris - besting her record from last season by one show - no surprises there. Nobis led the Australian model pack once again and quite possibly will also emerge as the season's number one catwalker for the second consecutive time. So far, we have counted 34 Australians on the FW1213 runways. There was pretty much an Australian in every major show of the season. At Chanel, there were five: Nobis, Miranda Kerr, Montana Cox, Rose Smith and Caitlin Lomax. They walked in so many shows, they corrupted frockwriter's interface. No joke. After battling data problems for the past two seasons with the increasing size of these showlist posts, we have now had to put the show details of the busiest Australians into drop-down boxes. 

Make me a Victoria's Secret model

zimbio.com via TFS

Frockwriter was wondering just who else might pop up on the NYFW model radar from left of field. And voilà: Shanina Shaik. The 18 year-old runnerup of Australia’s Make Me A Supermodel 2008 walked in at least four New York shows over the weekend: Abaete, Shipley & Halmos, Mara Hoffman and Lorick. Repped by Chadwicks in Australia and now, New York Model Management, Shaik appears to have attracted the attention of not only NY casting directors, but also the host of the US Make Me A Supermodel, Tyson Beckford (pictured ^ with Shaik at last Wednesday's Victoria's Secret party).


shanina shaik @ lorick FW0910/wwd.com

According to model blog Modelinia, Shaik celebrated her 18th birthday on February 11 with Beckford at NY resto Indochine – before heading to the Victoria’s Secret What Is Sexy? party.

In spite of her NY showcard - a mixture to date of predominantly smaller label shows - Shaik seems a little too sexy for the high fashion runway.

But sexy is certainly where much of the modelling money is to be found.

Interestingly, while already compared to VS Angel Miranda Kerr by Make Me A Supermodel Australia judge/Chadwicks ceo Martin Walsh, Modelinia reports that Shaik may now be “under consideration” for Victoria’s Secret.

How many more Australians can VS fit on that runway?

At a party thrown by New York Model Management for the opening night of NYFW at the Grace Hotel, Shaik told Modelinia:

“It would be the ultimate if I worked for Victoria’s Secret. I’ve always had a goal to get there. Hopefully this is my time!”

While Catherine McNeil, Myf Shepherd and Stephanie Carta have been spotted in several shows already, Australia’s Next Top Model Cycle 3 winner Alice Burdeu has yet to materiliase on this season's NY runway.

Burdeu made her international runway debut this time last year, for the FW0809 season, also walking in numerous SS09 shows in September and October.

There was however no sign of Burdeu at the recent haute couture shows in Paris. It’s understood that she may still be in Australia.