The Supermodel - Is it Time for a Rebirth?

[michelabella]

great point. Glamour type models have always been more searched than any fashion model.

 

[TheChosen1]

^True. But to be able to be a Supermodel, one must do both glamour & high fashion, right?

 

[allysonmeyer]

I cannot think of a model, right now, that could potentially reach the supermodel status. Gisele was the last one to achieve such a thing, and I don't know if there will be another girl to do the same within the next decade. Also, I believe that's why Gisele is so powerful and famous - she has no competition.

 

[agee]

I have stated numerous times that Gisele is a bona fide supermodel so this is not a slam against her, but I don't think that she spends a lot of time modeling and I don't think that she makes a lot of money from her high fashion bookings. If her income from fashion modeling was the only factor, I doubt if she would be in the top ten earning models and if she was, she would have just cracked the list with the bulk of the money coming from campaigns for Brazilian brands like Colicci, because Isabel Marant and Balenciaga, even if they pay her more than they usually pay their campaign models, would not be enough to propel her into one of the top spots.

Gisele still has a big following in the fashion community and she has shown loyalty to her fans, photographers, editors and designers by doing covers, eds and campaigns, but she is just like her former workers at VS, Heidi and Tyra and that is she is making money from business ventures that are unrelated or tangential to high fashion. It seems like she is transitioning to the Heidi model and that is shilling consumer products and I am expecting to see her cropping up on the covers of Cosmo and Glamour as opposed to (or in addition to) Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. I think that she is making so much more money, not because she is more of a brand or a better pitch woman (although she is amazing at it), but because she is doing this in her native country, Brazil which has a large and growing economy, so a significant contributor in the making of the next Gisele will be the country that she is born in. I think that it is fantastic what she is doing and she should probably be studied in economics classes and business schools.

 

[CommanderTMugler]

The thing that bugs me the most is that people are doing comparisons in only certain areas and completely ignore the other criteria's of what most people here (which is arguably the only place where it goes this in depth) would say makes a supermodel. It's not even enjoyable to have the discussion which is clearly something that people are interested in.

 

[TheChosen1]

I'm wondering why Isabeli Fontana isn't mentioned. I mean, she books at least 4 campaigns each & every season, graced the cover of most magazines & she has Victoria's Secret!

 

[michelabella]

Isabeli work wise, isn't underrated. That girl has done it all!

Agree about Marisa. She is like Elle,Christie,Kathy, etc.. Very successful,popular commercial Supermodel.

 

[happycanadian]

Isabeli is an odd one. i've always been perplexed as to why she's not a big star. she has done mass mainstream stuff like the SI Swimsuit Issue (numerous times) and both the VS catalogues and also been a regular on the VSFS so many years. plus, she's got an impeccable high fashion resume. lands major campaigns and lots of covers/editorials season after season. but ... for some reason, she's just not a star. i don't know if it's that she's just lacking in that certain 'IT' quality ..or if she actively tries to avoid the spotlight. i've never seen an interview with her, whether on a talkshow or red carpet or whatever. but i've certainly seen her work! and it's high in quantity AND quality.


Marisa is definitely of the SI supermodel ilk. she's like the modern Cheryl Tiegs. lots of men will know and love her. i'm sure she's more popular with straight men than any Daria, Gisele, Lara, Natasha, etc. which explains why she's representative for such classic "man" brands like the NFL and Harley Davidson.

 

[fantastical]

I think Isabeli enjoys being able to do major work, but at the same time keep a low profile and be a mother.. I think the same with Malgosia Bela as well.

 

[Sweet rus]

I don't think Karlie will ever be a supermodel, yeah, she is a good model but she will never be considered attractive by the general public, she just doesn't have this commercial enough face.When she first appeared on the fashion scene I was like: "Are they for real? This girl doesn't even look like a model (face wise)", since then she has grown on me alot, now I see she is very good in print, she got much better on the runway as well, she seems to be a really nice girl tool but she is so overrated here, on tfs, she doesn't have this supermodelisque appeal at all. Am I the only one who thinks so as I noticed most of the tfsers were head over heels in love with Karlie on the VS runway and for me she is just so wrong for the brand

 

[valliaddict]

^I agree about the VS thing, but you have to admit that she has developed a signature walk & look, which is needed to become a supermodel. I don't think she is the right fit for VS. I hate to be harsh, but I don't her to be pretty at all. I find her to be very chic, but not drop dead gorgeous. If she sticks to high fashion, then I could see her becoming a supermodel.

What do you guys think about Arizona becoming a supermodel? I can't stand her, but alot of people adore her....

 

[agee]

I always thought that Karlie was a conventionally pretty girl, aka commercial, and the only thing "off" about her look were her eye brows, but as that sage Tyra said, it is good thing for a model to have something different about her appearance because it sets her apart.

What made Karlie successful in high fashion is that, even though she is a tad too tall, clothes looked good on her on the runway, and she is a good poser and that is why she excelled in print. Of course there are other factors like personality and charisma, working well with and impressing key people in the industry, but these are also traits that will serve her well whether she is doing high fashion or commercial work.

 

[michelabella]

I have high hopes for Candice. She already has one aspect down; the commercial appeal/VS Angel thing... and seeing her dabble in high fashion is a nice step forward. Hopefully she realizes to not get commercially complacent too soon. I think that's where some models mess up now days. If editorial/runway doesn't pay that much, who cares! You have greater chances of being seen/impressing the big industry leaders that way. A bunch of over photo shopped catalog pics in your portfolio ain't gonna have many clamoring to book you....(IMO) So I hope she continues to build her portfolio, she already has one of the most coveted money jobs around, so I don't see why she wouldn't...

From her interviews she often mentions how she wants to build a brand, work with so and so, etc so it seems like she has some drive.

Karlie and Joan have much potential as well, but having "commercial" appeal is huge to be considered a "Supermodel". The girl needs to be booking sexy jobs as well as the fashion one's.

I should probably not compare to the 90s Supers since that type of fame for a model seems to be long gone, but we can still have our modern day versions, I think.

 

[franki]

i hope i am wrong but i just don't see candice as a future supermodel. i think people really talk up how well known she is, and just how much work she has done.. i think more HF work will help this but even in the commercial world, to those who don't follow fashion i don't think she is as well known as people make her out to be. adri, ale and (maybe) miranda are still the most well known (current) Angels, imo. this is not to discredit her WORK at all, but a supermodel needs to be a world wide name.

i also just think she is so boring in motion. i hate to say it because i really am a big fan of her for VS and have liked some of her HF work. but on the runway (both for VS and others) and in interviews i find that she is so dull. can you really be a supermodel without a 'presence'? i think she still has much to prove in HF and even in beauty/commercial before we can even get close to saying she is a future super model. having a body like the former supermodels isn't enough.

 

[Psylocke]

If Karlie isn't the next supermodel then there is no next supermodel (IMHO, of course). 100% convinced she's the only model around at the moment that has what it takes to be named alongside Gisele, Heidi et al. in the future. I probably sound very biased because I keep saying this about Karlie but honestly, I'm not even a fan of her. I just have huge respect for her because she's had a stellar career so far and she gets the support from all the right people (Anna Wintour, John Galliano, Meisel, etc.) It also helps that she's American and gets linked to Hollywood superstars (Leo DiCaprio, one of the Jonas brothers) in the gossip press which automatically makes her more well-known than Joan Smalls and most other high fashion models of the moment. She has a signature walk, she's great in print and most of all, she has a very likable personality and is known to be very sweet and still manages to look superfierce on the runway. At this point I could see her represent pretty much any big brand, both commercial and high fashion, because she is very versatile and she's also very confident and great in interviews.

 

[michelabella]

agree the Supers were just as known for their personalities, what they said/did as they were for their work. rare today, as most models seem so tame/quiet. Maybe that's why it won't be a problem for Candice.

I didn't mention the VS models because I don't think they can get bigger than they already are. They've always had the recognition/popularity but their fashion work/prestige is weak compared to past Supermodels. Miranda and Candice I can see getting bigger, if they keep up the fashion work and not settle on the money jobs, that is.

I was amazed by all the publicity Karlie got over walking the VSFS. Almost every headline was about her. and her getting comparison's to Gisele's career already, speaks in her favor.

 

[valliaddict]

I hate that in order to become a supermodel you have to pimp yourself to famous celebrities nowadays. Ugh. I don't think its fair when models like Raquel & Daria don't reap the same benefits as Gisele just because they aren't dating anyone famous. All three girls have an amazing portfolio of work, but one of them is a megastar while the other two aren't. I hope that Joan won't have to go Hollywood hunting just to boost her career.

 

[michelabella]

It's not just now days. Models have been dating,marrying,part of the Hollywood club for ages now. and to be fair Gisele came alot sooner than both of them. Raquel was just starting out here and there after/during Gisele's reign and Daria didn't come around til 04? By then Gisele was already semi-retired, haha.

Gisele had it all in her favor around 2000. An insane fashion career, solo US Vogue covers, A Rolling Stone cover. A ground breaking VS angel contract, AND a Hollywood bf.

 

[valliaddict]

agree the Supers were just as known for their personalities, what they said/did as they were for their work. rare today, as most models seem so tame/quiet. Maybe that's why it won't be a problem for Candice.

I didn't mention the VS models because I don't think they can get bigger than they already are. They've always had the recognition/popularity but their fashion work/prestige is weak compared to past Supermodels. Miranda and Candice I can see getting bigger, if they keep up the fashion work and not settle on the money jobs, that is.

I was amazed by all the publicity Karlie got over walking the VSFS. Almost every headline was about her. and her getting comparison's to Gisele's career already, speaks in her favor.

The Supers showed their personality because they were ALLOWED to!!!! I hate the notion that models of today have no personality. Linda, Christy & Naomi pretty much ran the industry for a while. They told designers what they wanted to wear, how they wanted their hair & makeup, & they also wouldn't walk a designer's show unless the whole trio were casted. In turn, fashion labels were losing $$$ because people didn't care about the clothes, they cared about the models!! Eventually, the industry was fed up with all that nonsense & decided it for models to shut up.

Nowadays, if a model ventures out into personal branding, her high fashion career is likely to be over. It usually goes one of two ways after that: the VS route or the Coco Rocha route. When Coco started to open her mouth, the industry suddenly became disinterested in her. Today, designer's want to be the star of their fashion shows.

This is the very reason why it is nearly impossible to become a supermodel right now. If you start to speak up, you won't be in Vogue anymore, but if you don't say much, you'll never gain public recognition. These girls can't do both like the girls of the nineties. Sad, but true.

 

[agee]

Nowadays, if a model ventures out into personal branding, her high fashion career is likely to be over. It usually goes one of two ways after that: the VS route or the Coco Rocha route. When Coco started to open her mouth, the industry suddenly became disinterested in her. Today, designer's want to be the star of their fashion shows.

I kinda see what you are saying but I think that the pendulum is starting to swing back a bit. I do think that there was a backlash in the 2000s against the supermodels but at the same time this is the era where Kate Moss and Gisele Bundchen rose to become two of the biggest supermodels of all time, but I agree that they did it in spite of high fashion not because of it. I think that now the designers and editors are open to models having power, now I don't think that they want the models to come in and dictate what they will wear in a show (or ed) and the order that they will come out, but I think that they realize that models can give life to their creations and are the salespeople. I think that there will always be people in power who want models to "stay in their place" and be clotheshangers, but I think that there are others who are not adverse to acknowledging that models are a critical part of the fashion industry.

IMO I think that what happened with Coco is that she started to get interest and recognition from outside the fashion industry and basically abandoned her career as a high fashion model, she still modeled but she started to become "selective" prematurely and then when her outside stuff did not take off she was left in limbo. I still think that she is a very good model and has the potential to be a good "brand" but I don't know if being a supermodel is in the cards for her, however I will not rule out her snagging a hosting spot on an entertainment or fashion related TV show.