Joan Smalls

[julesrules815]

I saw that bit on her on NY Mag's site too! Very exciting to see that she is getting recognized and hopefully will do very well this season!

 

[rubydon]

love her. i had no idea she was puerto rican. her look and her name are so new england.

 

[fashionlover2001]

Her full name is Joan Smalls Rodriguez.

Here's a video of her in a Ralph Lauren Casting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuW3IY1AETw
Ralph liked her. Hopefully with the little buzz she's getting Ralph might book her this season. Who know?

 

[simplylovely]

She would have been perfect for the show!

 

[Je Veux Te Voir]

haha. At 49 seconds thats DEFINITELY Dani Evans. She even says shes from Little Rock. lol.

I think its funny that they're calling her a NEW girl when she's been out for so long. I think this shows, how the all black VI issue really does seem to be making some changes. Already, we're seeing black models get a lot more work and recognition. Models we've known to be amazing all along. Whether or not this lasts or if it is just a fad...only time will tell. Let's hope it lasts.

Anyways. I have tons of Joan pictures....a few of them are repeats, but honestly...its so many that I don't feel like cycling through the pages many times to make sure I took them all out. and some of them are reposts but they are within the complete the set of pictures that weren't completed




A COVER!





source: Elite

 

[Je Veux Te Voir]

Joan for Saks:



Joan for Dillards:


same source

 

[Je Veux Te Voir]

same source

 

[Je Veux Te Voir]

same source

 

[Je Veux Te Voir]

I think she is so EXTREMELY versatile. I mean...depending on the different pictures. I see visions of Liya...Chanel...Jourdan...Iman... its really hard to tell at times, because she has a freaking CHAMELEON of a face. fantastic.

same source

 

[fashionlover2001]

I think she is so EXTREMELY versatile. I mean...depending on the different pictures. I see visions of Liya...Chanel...Jourdan...Iman... its really hard to tell at times, because she has a freaking CHAMELEON of a face. fantastic.

same source

Thank you Je Veux Te Voir. Joan is really showing how fantastic she is. I knew she had such a great look, but wow. Hopefully she'll blow up for S/S 09. We can only hope.

 

[Child_in_time]

Meet the New Girl: Joan Smalls

Photo: Elite Model Management

Puerto Rican babe Joan Smalls has one of the most refined, versatile faces we've seen recently. She's already sashayed down the runways for New York's better smaller shows, Benjamin Cho and James Coviello, which showcased the girl's endless gams. This past spring, Smalls became the sole face of the Ports 1961, shot by Geoff Barrenger, and even appeared in a cameo for Ricky Martin's "It's Alright" music video. And with the madness of Fashion Week drawing near, we hope to see mainstream designers catch on to her classic beauty (we can already picture her as a Donna Karan and Ralph Lauren type of gal). But if you can't wait till then, go pick up the current issue of V where she's featured alongside new mommy Alessandra Ambrosio and Noémie Lenoir.

nymag.com

 

[simplylovely]

Wow she looks great in all of those editorials! I have a really good feeling about her!



These are so Fabu!

 

[Luxx]

It irks me that they describe the V picture as though it were an editorial - I got excited for nothing.

That Ralph video makes me so sad Joan didn't walk the show - clearly he liked her and she would have been perfection in the show. Her look is more Ralph than some of the girls who did get cast. Hopefully this season designers will get on board.

 

[Je Veux Te Voir]

It irks me that they describe the V picture as though it were an editorial - I got excited for nothing.

That Ralph video makes me so sad Joan didn't walk the show - clearly he liked her and she would have been perfection in the show. Her look is more Ralph than some of the girls who did get cast. Hopefully this season designers will get on board.

YES! She was basically the star model of the video. But that was before the VI all black issue. So i feel we are going to feel SERIOUS ripples from that issue and Joan will def be walking for Ralph soon. I mean....she is a perfect Ralph model and he knew it but there were (are?) still such racial stigmas in this industry. We are at LEAST going to see IMMEDIATE success from black models next season.

 

[simplylovely]

^ I agree with you Je Veux Te Voir. I have a few questions if you don't mind taking the time to read them. Why does it always have to be a 'black issue' for people working in the fashion industry to finally realize there are many many black models who are just as HF and beautiful as any working white, latino, and asian supermodel? Why does it take so long for it to happen? Also, will this have substance or will it die down in let's say the next 5-10 years like the so-called 'fad' usually does, or aleast until another black issue Vogue magazine comes out lol? Of course I know the answers to the questions and felt like a wasting a good portion of my time lol. But I do feel models like Kinee, Mia, Joan, Ajuma and alot others should have been apart of that issue because the of the breakthrough they made in the fashion world. I also feel Marie Fuema is deeply underrated!

 

[julesrules815]

YES! She was basically the star model of the video. But that was before the VI all black issue. So i feel we are going to feel SERIOUS ripples from that issue and Joan will def be walking for Ralph soon. I mean....she is a perfect Ralph model and he knew it but there were (are?) still such racial stigmas in this industry. We are at LEAST going to see IMMEDIATE success from black models next season.

Thanks for all the pictures! And I think she has a definite chance at being in the RL show this season because she is actually in new RL ads advertising his designs for the US Olympic team. I just saw it in Time magazine today. I'll post when I get the chance.

 

[fer19dog]

Beautiful girl she reminds me of Yasmin Warsame

 

[Luxx]

Oh my goodness gracious! What wonderful news! I can't wait to see her for Ralph come fall! I saw this picture on the RL site but its so small. Can't wait to see your scan jules!



Image Credit | Ralph Lauren.com

 

[Je Veux Te Voir]

^ I agree with you Je Veux Te Voir. I have a few questions if you don't mind taking the time to read them. Why does it always have to be a 'black issue' for people working in the fashion industry to finally realize there are many many black models who are just as HF and beautiful as any working white, latino, and asian supermodel? Why does it take so long for it to happen? Also, will this have substance or will it die down in let's say the next 5-10 years like the so-called 'fad' usually does, or aleast until another black issue Vogue magazine comes out lol? Of course I know the answers to the questions and felt like a wasting a good portion of my time lol. But I do feel models like Kinee, Mia, Joan, Ajuma and alot others should have been apart of that issue because the of the breakthrough they made in the fashion world. I also feel Marie Fuema is deeply underrated!

No problem, I LOVE talking about race in the fashion industry! lol. The fashion industry has been PLAGUED with racial bias for decades. TRue, we have some breakthroughs in black supermodels every now and then...but its always a token black supermodel, and then there are not enough true working black top fashion models in runways and print work. MOdels that have much better faces and bodies than most fashion models working today, that simply aren't given the time of day because they are black.

haha. perfect, and obvious example. Sessilee Lopez. She is utterly fantastic. She got a little bit of nice work when she first came out....then no one wanted to work with her because... why? she was just as beautiful as before? she was black...and they moved onto the "new black models," Chanel and Jourdan. Why in the WORLD can there only be a few top working black models? Stephen Meisel had always loved her, and that is why he gave her the biggest editorial and a cover for the VI issue. He truly showcased that she is one of the best models we have today, and that she is just as deserving of being a supermodel as Coco, Egle, Hilary, Jessica, etc. I mean...thats probably one of, if not THE biggest editorial I've ever seen from Meisel.

I truly hope that the recent influx of work to black models doesn't become just a fad. I remember when the Gemma, Jessica, and Sasha look became the "thing." But they are still huge today, even with the fashion industry trying to forget about the huge eyes, blank look model. So, hopefully this just means that while black may be the "fad" right now, that designers will still use them just as they would any other model based solely on talent, and beauty.

And yes. I think we should expect big things from black models come the fall. There are black models that have beauty that is simply undeniable, Joan one of them. I'm excited for the next runway season!

 

[Je Veux Te Voir]

Oh my goodness gracious! What wonderful news! I can't wait to see her for Ralph come fall! I saw this picture on the RL site but its so small. Can't wait to see your scan jules!

Image Credit | Ralph Lauren.com

OMG WOW! Thats Joan! I GUARANTEE you...that Ralph had JOan on his mind and must have felt horrible not using her in his last show. And with the VI black issue....he found the right time and opportunity to use her. Of course, its awful he didn't use her in the first place....but lets look to the future! that was the fashion industry and you usually had "a" black girl...that was just a few months ago and i say "was" hoping that it CAN be spoken of as in the past.