Well NYC is done, so I guess I'll follow suit and post the ten girls that I'm really looking at right this moment for having really performed the best. Obviously this is in no particular order, and is only based on pre-season hype and NYC performance. Guess, I'll just use my usual pattern for diagnosis:
The Hot List :
Oxana Pautova: After being swallowed in the underbelly of Kulikova and Anabela exclusives, she's certainly grown into her own dominant force. There is no denying that Oxana was everywhere over the last few weeks. Hopefully she stands a great shot, unless Style.com decides to negate her eligability as they've done in the past with 'second season after exclusives' in the past (sans Alyona last season, so it could happen).
Masha Tyelna: I worry about Masha's actual odds for making the list, for the same reasons I do Oxana. In that, will Style.com actually consider her new, despite her presence in Paris last season? I hope so, because she certainly made a killing in NYC.
Heidi Whitworth: I still don't know if I should call her Mount or Whitworth, but alas, for a newcomer, Heidi was booking shows like an uber-selective pro. She stood out for me as one of the only new girls at Proenza Schouler, and again at Marc Jacobs. Heidi certainly appears to be IMG's strongest new face at the moment (but that can all change come Europe).
Toni Garrn: I get it, she's really cute. Personally, I never saw an editorial quality to her, that is until she got on the Calvin Klein runway. Opening and closing that show on a exclusive is certainly a promising start. Though while she seems to be generating a huge amount of buzz, the year long CK exclusive may not garner her enough exposure internationally.
Mirka Michlikova: Another blonde? I love Mirka's face oh so very much, and her body is looking insane on the runways. She walked a slew of decent shows, but the icing on this cake would be her approval from Marc Jacobs, which should put her in good standing elsewhere.
Taryn Davidson: I have a feeling that Taryn stood out, despite Calvin Klein turning into the Toni Garrn show. There's no denying just how statuesque she is on the runways. Plus Taryn has the added benefit of being able to do European shows, and a rumored Milan exclusive (which I still say is Jil Sander, not Prada) could be putting her in even better position sooner.
Siri Tollerod: Is she still really a given at this point? She did not perform quite as well as I would have liked to have seen, but I'm feeling like that was more of a management decision to not over-expose her before Europe. Still, you cannot deny the amount of buzz around her going into this season.
Meghan Collison: Much like Siri, I was disappointed to see how rare her appearences were in NYC, but I'm really trying to remain positive and chalk it up to a management choice to under-expose domestically. Again, the pre-season buzz was huge, but I feel as if she'll do far better in Europe.
Lera Sheremeta: I really did not think I would have to be throwing around Lera's name in a thread like this until next season at the very earliest. Still, she's Marc certified now, and just look at what that did for Olga Sherer last season. Given that she's now with Women Milan, she should continue these big, rare appearences.
Karlie Kloss: The Calvin Klein exclusive really just seems more valuable this season after Kulikova's turn on it last season. I love Karlie's look, and I am certainly hoping that she'll transition this success at CK into the European runways.
The Watch List B
Zuzanna Straska, Serafima Vakulenko, Cristina Jurach, Agnete Hegelund, Masha Novoselova, Flo Genarro, Marina Panova, Nika Lauritis, Uliana Tikhova, Arielle Pytka, Megan McNierney, Margaryta Senchylo, Cicely Telman
The Dark Horse List :
Marina Panova, Sabina Karlsson, Elyse Saunders, Pilar Solchaga, Tara Gill, Coryse Smet, Adriana Cernanova, Nasya Piankouskaya