US Vanity Fair April 2005: Eastern Euro Supermodels

[scblonndie]

I'd be so p*ssed if I had a beautiful name like Natalia and people called me nati. And pronounced "natty."

And I think it was shot in the Bahamas. Aren't they all just stunningly beautiful?

 

[hanaward]

the fact that vanity fair put natalia "first" as you put it is a matter of their opinion, as is everything else in magazines.

here are some FACTS:

kk was one of the youngest models EVER on the cover of US VOGUE. Natalia's never even had a solo cover. (and isn't that "the bible?")

kk was named Vogue/VH1 MODEL OF THE YEAR. Natalia was not (but then again, they don't have them anymore)

kk has done runway shows for EVERY MAJOR DESIGNER. Natalia did, until her contract with Calvin, so I'm pretty sure she's behind KK in that regard.

kk commands a 6 figure fee and has been in ad campaigns for YSL, Chanel, Vuitton, and Valentino, plus Victoria's Secret. Natalia has not.

and maybe the reason kk is winding down her career is that she's been doing all these things since she was 15!

Now i'm not bashing Natalia, she's a fine model, but it's all about her story: discovered selling fruit or something, handsome husband and baby...that's why they did a story on her in the Jan issue (and Vogue did as well). it's a feel good "root for the underdog."

I think you stated this perfectly.

The facts really show.

 

[happycanadian]

*Off TOPIC*
Edited by AndoraStar

 

[foxinthesnow]

OFF TOPIC

 

[lady grey]

pecking order

nativodi is the nickname the fashion industry in nyc gave her.

nati had a major feature in vanity fair just months ago. while given top billing in the article she doesnt need as many column inches, VF profiled her a few months ago- I will go back to that issue & quote profusely.
she is surely the top girl in the recent issue, there's no way to see it other than that. frankly valentina, poly & marija are hotter than carmen & KK in the business in 2005 but they had to go with the warhorses on the cover.

I will be analyzing the issue further including noting that nati gets the first quote and also that eugenia is quoted before hana.

read to the end eugenia is called one of the most financially secure of the girls.

i re-read the entire article this evening & I have more pull-quotes upcoming.

did you notice valentina's superb ralph ads scattered throughout the magzine?
what was the last KK campaign i saw...oh JONES NEW YORK

jones new york??!!! are you kidding me ...?!!

 

[esmereldagrubb]

..........

 

[sapphireskies]

..........

 

[yourbestfriend]

 

[sanrio]

nativodi is the nickname the fashion industry in nyc gave her.

nati had a major feature in vanity fair just months ago. while given top billing in the article she doesnt need as many column inches, VF profiled her a few months ago- I will go back to that issue & quote profusely.
she is surely the top girl in the recent issue, there's no way to see it other than that. frankly valentina, poly & marija are hotter than carmen & KK in the business in 2005 but they had to go with the warhorses on the cover.

I will be analyzing the issue further including noting that nati gets the first quote and also that eugenia is quoted before hana.

read to the end eugenia is called one of the most financially secure of the girls.

i re-read the entire article this evening & I have more pull-quotes upcoming.

did you notice valentina's superb ralph ads scattered throughout the magzine?
what was the last KK campaign i saw...oh JONES NEW YORK

jones new york??!!! are you kidding me ...?!!

I wanted to say this for a while....*EDITED*

It seems as if you have something against cz models...

Nativ...Gissy...

 

[sanrio]

*OFF TOPIC*
Edited by AndoraStar

 

[softgrey]

sanrio...it's really ridiculous to be so worked up over something so silly...we don't do name-calling here...

happy canadian..please clean up your language in your posts...profanity is unnecessary and not used here at tFS...

lady grey...please don't repeat yourself incessantly...if you have a point...make it...and be done with it...it's in black and white...no need to repeat yourself...it's not as if no one 'heard' you...

pussylee...please stop encouraging flame wars...it is childish and very boring really...

you are all messing up this thread for anyone who actually wants to talk about the topic of vanity fair and cares about the issue and not some imaginary competition a couple of posters have created between natalia and karolina...

now everybody take a good look at yourselves and behave like the stylish tFS members you really are...
back on topic...

 

[lady grey]

thank you softy

I certainly agree.

please look at my posts on pages 1 & 2 of this thread & I think youll see they accurately encapsulate the thrust of peretz' artcle, partrick's photos & vanity fair's theme. and I love it.

many thanks

 

[LibertyRose]

A little late on the discussion, but here are my $0.02:

I was initially conflicted about the idea of putting supermodels in bikinis for Vanity Fair, which to me seems like an extended version of the society pages. The writers prob. wouldn't have anything positive to say about the girls; the photographers might perpetuate the stereotype of models as party girls.

But Patrick Demarchelier did not disappoint me. He didn't seem like the go-to photographer for a bikini edit, but I am so glad he got the assignment. It is ironic that while other A-list photographers such as Annie L, Steven Meisel, and Mario Testino only have to shoot for the like of Vogue/Vanity Fair/W, Demarchelier, who may be more talented than all of them (in spite of his last months at Bazaar where he just phoned it in), had to juggle high fashion magazines and Redbook/Glamour (he shot the Josie Maran cover for January) at the same time.

I applaud him for his fitting presentation of the models' physicality: no overworked tans, no push-up bras, no come-do-me poses. The girls looked like they were having a good time (even though they prob. weren't, thanks to the adverse weather), and their bodies look fit and atheletic (I give Demarchelier full credit for hiding the bones that were peaking under Hana's bikini bottom). The pictures are Bruce Weber-esque but still retain a Demarchelierian angle; it was a very refreshing take on sexy. As much as I liked Demarchelier's first two model edits for Vanity Fair (Gisele in Oct. and Natalia in Jan.), this is by far superior. There is nothing forced about it; he captured the moment perfectly.

I however cannot say the same about the writer. Even though she threw in some obligatory compliments about the girls' beauty, this piece is not a love letter to the models. She was not kind to their humble origins, imperfect English, and diva attitudes. But aren't these expected of the fashion industry? I imagine not much of the models' behavoirs would come as a shocker to the readers of Vanity Fair, a magazine known for its coverage of the upper crust of the society. As unfair as it is, the rich and famous live and behave in ways different from, well, the less rich and less famous. But that does not mean bitter journalists should devote an entire article documenting the notoriety of socialites; instead, they offer their witty take on that kind of life. People certainly don't buy Vanity Fair to confirm that rich people behave badly; rich people can be funny and entertaining in a different way. VF did well with that Nancy Kempner [sp] article (in the same issue) and managed to find something endearing about this self-proclaimed publicity wh*re and hater of obese people. But they didn't treat the models with the same respect. They didn't bother to find what the models had to say about this bittersweet and highly competitive world they live in, or the sickeningly extravagent but short-lived careers they have. The journalist observed the models but did not interact with them; she didn't dish out enough inside info about the industry to add depth to the article. At any rate, I don't consider it successful reporting.

And I have trouble with this quote about Carolyn Murphy having a cable TV. In describing the differences of the Slavic models, VF said that their beauty is different from that of Cindy and Giselle (always misspelt) and their pre-modelling life was much harsher and materialistically unsatisfying, therefore they could display a certain toughness that a Carolyn Murphy who grew up with cable TV can't quite express. Hm, didn't Carolyn grow up in a trailer? As a child, she was not priviledged.

Now onto the girls...

Natalia looked the best on the cover. Everything, from her lioness stare to her smashing butt, was perfect. Demarchelier is the best photographer for her, even more so than Meisel. He knows how to handle those wide-set windows of her souls, which in some Annie L. pictures look like alien's eyes.

Carmen was too thin but her body was still presentable. She also had the best interview; she came across as a shrewed business woman who colorfully recounted her defining moments as a model (whereas Karolina could only mutter "Ohmigod" when she met Anna Wintour) and mentioned her mentors. Best quote: "I would like to thank the magazine and the little people who made this happen, and I consider myself one of the little people."

When it comes to Karolina, journalists tend to highlight two things: she's a sweetheart and a tireless professional, but she's also really ditzy. GQ did that, US Vogue did that, and VF merely followed suit. No one mentioned her association with rappers though.

The newer girls didn't get much column inches, but I picked up four things:

Valentina is called the prettiest and her Ralph Lauren contract is worth seven-figures. I def. agree about her being the prettiest--after the phases of androgenous chic (Stella Tennant), Brazilian bombshells (Gisele Bundchen), and doe-eyed babyfaces (Gemma Ward), I long to see someone who is conventionally beautiful. That is Valentina. She didn't do high-end modelling until the age of 20 or 21, which is sort of late, considering that nowadays girls get picked up at 14 or 15.

Marija doesn't come from a royal family like some of her fans heard. She's easily my favorite out of the group, though Valentina is a close second.

Eugenia is compared to Erin O'Connor, which I think is ridiculous. While I can see some resemblance, i.e. the steely nose, the graceful walk, etc., Eugenia can pass as pretty if the makeup is right. Erin, on the other hand, is odd-looking.

How many strings did Inguana's [sp] booker have to pull to get her in there? I'm surprised they got her instead of Anja Rubik, who is Polish and therefore Slavic.

As for the whole Nat vs. KK debate, I am not trying to take a side, but Natalia's status today is pretty hard to argue with. She has Conde Nast firmly behind her (Vogue, W, Vanity Fair), shoots both high-end campaigns (Calvin Klein, ph: Steven Meisel) and cosmetic contracts (Loreal), and is in high demand by all major photographers. The fact that she chose to go exclusive and thus isn't all over the runway does not harm her status. Christy Turlington was also Calvin's exclusive girl for years. She may not be as successful as KK once was, but she is peerless in her generation (meaning, girls who got started aroud 1999-2000).

KK, to her own admission, is winding down. There was a time when she was #1, but her days of glory have passed. It is true that she has done more runways and campaigns, but that was because she did not sign an exclusive. Nowadays she's completely absent from high-end campaigns (she models for Rocawear and Jones New York) and only does important editorials 3 or 4 times a year (her last two was with US Vogue and a sunglasses edit w/ Patrick Demarchelier in Paris Vogue). Whether that was her choice or because of her dwinding popularity with photographers, I am not sure. But she doesn't seem to have the versatility that ensures career longetivity. Except in some Steven Klein shoots where she looked different b/c her hair was razor-trimmed and flat-ironned, she looks the same in practically every shoot: an approachable but overmanufactured blonde with a borderline vulger mouth. She's quoted that she's never dyed her hair for a shoot. Had she not been blonde, I doubt she'd be successful at all. That's prob. why she was once really hot and now fading fast.

 

[hanaward]

For someone who is trying not to take sides, you sure did insult Karolina and praise Nat.

Also, look at how snobby Nat and Carmen came off...

I still believe all the Nat fans are jealous because of Karolina's fame and the fact that there are many people who like her for the beautiful and sweet girl she is.

So what if she is friends with P.Diddy or associates with rappers? I hope that comment was not intended to be racist...

 

[*AndoraStar*]

I certainly agree.

please look at my posts on pages 1 & 2 of this thread & I think youll see they accurately encapsulate the thrust of peretz' artcle, partrick's photos & vanity fair's theme. and I love it.

many thanks

Oh Please!

 

[lady grey]

well-read!

liberty thank you as always for an intelligent & insightful reading of a fashion magazine. we are definitely sisters of the fashion glossies!

just a few points in response, we both wrote perceptive essays that are similar but not exactly so:
patrick's photos- some of his best swim work since leticia or erin and others in bazaar several years ago. naturalism is exactly right. and not cheesy like SI or maxim or even VS! as i said i wish there were 20 pages of these.

peretz- vanity fair's style can be adulatory, or it can be investigative. peretz took a middle ground. compared to the gisele puff piece of last sumer, this is far better & more honest. i dont mind accented quotes,. i dont mind talk of vodka & late nights. I dont mind model egotism. its all true. it wasnt a puff piece & it wasnt a rip job. i thought it was a fairly accurate, fairly honest piece. her statements about the business are true- short careers, the pecking order, what certain girls make, campaigns being the top dollar, the pressures of agencies. compared to your BS people magazine profile, or worse something on entertainment tonight or mtv, this was amazingly true. the theme of russian girls ruling now is correct!
i find vanity fair to be a well written & well illustrated mag. the same is NOT true for vogue us. but W is just as well illustrated, but does not have investigative journalists like peretz or dunne or bernstein & many others that VF employs.

KK: she came off great in the article!! no ditzy remarks! whereas EVERYBODY KNOWS shes a jabberjaw with tons of silly egotistical remarks in real life! peretz gave her a break! exactly : KK associates with ludacris & diddy & pharrell etc etc. nati is married to 1 of england's richest nobleman.
there is a difference there.

i liked carmens quotes! eugenias! at least hana was hana, even if i have no idea what she says!

I TOTALLY agree with you- my fave girls are marija & valentina!!! they, and poly, are the hot new girls.

I made myself clear in the nati vs kk/ carm debate.
nati is at a level that kk never reached. and nati's ck & loreal, and her spate of many many many great edits in the 21st century, are a place kk never saw. KK had a marvelous career & fame & money, but shes no nativodi. and she never was. and nati is much more of a high-fashion look, from couture to thomson's swimsuit edit. KK is great for vs & mtv, but to prefer kk to nati v is to prefer a bleached blonde bikini girl with a big nose & spindly legs to 1 of the most sophisticated & successful & celebrated girls of our lifetime.
and only getting more famous.
only getting better & better edits & only showing month to month why nati, NOT GISELE is the symbolic high-fashion, TOP LEVEL model of the last 10 years. !!

thanks again

 

[hanaward]

KK: she came off great in the article!! no ditzy remarks! whereas EVERYBODY KNOWS shes a jabberjaw with tons of silly egotistical remarks in real life! peretz gave her a break! exactly : KK associates with ludacris & diddy & pharrell etc etc. nati is married to 1 of england's richest nobleman.
there is a difference there.

Just because he is wealthy and from a good family does not mean that he is a good person. And look at all the causes that P.Diddy supports. Please don't judge a book by it's cover.

And if Karolina was so egotistical and stupid, then I think it would have came out in the article. But no, she was sweet, kind, and fun. Not like your precious Nat. V. who, to you, can do no harm.

i

liked carmens quotes! eugenias! at least hana was hana, even if i have no idea what she says!

Considering that she doesn't speak much English, that would make sense and all. Duh.

I made myself clear in the nati vs kk/ carm debate.
nati is at a level that kk never reached. and nati's ck & loreal, and her spate of many many many great edits in the 21st century, are a place kk never saw. KK had a marvelous career & fame & money, but shes no nativodi. and she never was. and nati is much more of a high-fashion look, from couture to thomson's swimsuit edit. KK is great for vs & mtv, but to prefer kk to nati v is to prefer a bleached blonde bikini girl with a big nose & spindly legs to 1 of the most sophisticated & successful & celebrated girls of our lifetime.
and only getting more famous.
only getting better & better edits & only showing month to month why nati, NOT GISELE is the symbolic high-fashion, TOP LEVEL model of the last 10 years. !!

Yes, but Karolina and Gisele have something Nat. V. does not have: fame.

Haha and Nat. V. is one of the most sophisticated? Right.

And please do not insult Karolina's looks. You're reaching a new low here.

thanks again [/QUOTE]

 

[LibertyRose]

For someone who is trying not to take sides, you sure did insult Karolina and praise Nat.

Also, look at how snobby Nat and Carmen came off...

I still believe all the Nat fans are jealous because of Karolina's fame and the fact that there are many people who like her for the beautiful and sweet girl she is.

So what if she is friends with P.Diddy or associates with rappers? I hope that comment was not intended to be racist...

Well, not trying to take sides means not basing my judgments on my relationship with proponents of either side. I state my opinion, and I try not to offend posters personally.

Natalia is a more versatile model, but Karolina may be a sweeter person. Natalia isn't one of my favorite models and I am indifferent to most of her US Vogue appearances, but she does look exceptional on the VF cover, so my comments are understandably complimentry on this board. Have I insulted Karolina? I've said nice things about her (mainly that she's unaffected by fame or comes across that way) and explained why, despite being sweet, I don't consider her a very good model (but still a successful one, or was). I don't think it is fair to count every non-positive opinion about her as an insult.

As for Karolina's association with rappers, I think if she really is as close to them as rumored, then journalists shouldn't consider it taboo to mention that when they are doing a piece on her. If it is an integral part of her life, I don't see why it shouldn't be mentioned. The journalist would be racist if he or she chose not to mention her association with rappers due to political concerns.

Nat and Carmen did come across as snobby in the interview, but personally I don't really care to read about how celebs/models behave privately. Chances are, I may never run into them, and for me it is pointless to like or dislike someone just because some journalist said they are nice or nasty. Conflicting things are said all the time, and I'd rather form an opinion about their craft, which is something I can judge myself, than their personality, which is something I cannot. But I do however like to read about whatever charming quotes or funny stories they can offer. Saying a supermodel is rude is expected. If they can say something funny or insightful, that is newsworthy and I don't mind hearing that.

Nat fans jealous of Karolina? Well, I am not one of the hard-core Nat fans so I can't speak for them. But if jealousy really is a reason, aren't there more successful models (Gisele, Kate Moss) to be jealous of?

 

[hanaward]

Nat fans jealous of Karolina? Well, I am not one of the hard-core Nat fans so I can't speak for them. But if jealousy really is a reason, aren't there more successful models (Gisele, Kate Moss) to be jealous of?

Yes there are more successful models to be jealous of, but I think one of the reasons why people bring on this Nat vs. KK fight is because of the fight over who is the new supermodel of the 21st Century.

VF declared Nat as the first supermodel from the 21st Century, but I don't think she is well-known enough to claim this title. Sure, she does great work, but she hasn't reached the level of fame typically associated with supermodels like Gisele, Kate, and Naomi.

Karolina, however, has achieved fame. Because out of all the girls in the Vanity Fair piece, she is the closest one to being an actual celebrity.

Her work may be fading, and she may have went commercial, but she was the "it" girl for quite a while and leaves big shoes to fill.

Nothing against Natalia, she is an amazing model, but personally I think Karolina will be more well-known in the future considering that she has done more and is recognized.

As for the debate, I'm over it now. I would love to debate, but certain members disregard reality and facts and rely on trashy magazines.

They are both amazing girls.

 

[kimair]

one of the points the article made about kk's life is that most of best friend's aren't models (or celebrities for that matter)...

and lady_grey, your comment that kk hangs out with diddy/pharrell/ludacris as opposed to being married to a british nobleman sounds like an insult...as if you're calling kk classless... who cares who she associates with?

this idea of kk "fading fast" i have to disagree with...she's been doing this since she was 15...that's six years of jet-setting, logging runway shows, campaigns, eds, etc. and she's still getting covers: September US Vogue, GQ, and this Vanity Fair. the other girls in that ed may be "the next big thing," but we'll see where they all are 6 years from now.