What is the Significance of Walking Prada?

[carmen_kass]

Now you may ask, what is the significance of this thread? Well I love gossip and speculation.

Okay every season everyone goes crazy on the first Tuesday in Milan. I know it’s a big deal because this show always gets so much hype. Though more than the collection, there is months of speculation over who will be cast, who will open and who will close. I’m very curious, a lot of fashion veterans on this site speak candidly about Prada’s casting and are usually quite accurate with their predictions. In the greater scheme of modelling does walking Prada guarantee any kind of success? Also what is with Prada reviving models from 2003-2004 recently?

Does being in with Muccia mean you’ll be in with Meisel and Wintour as well?
Does any industry inside have any idea as to what kind of brief Russell Marsh gets for the casting? Is it really as tough, revolutionary and exclusive as everyone says it is? Also when did Russell start doing the castings? Basically why is it such a big deal?

Here is a short summary of Castings from style.com through the years:

The earliest entry is,
Fall Winter 2001
Opened: Jenny Vatheur <---Where is she now?
Next 8 girls: Jacquette Wheeler, Hannelore Knuts, Stella Tennant, Valerie Sipp, An Oost, Ann Catherine Lacroix, Eleonora Bose and Bridget Hall
Closed: Colette Pechekhonova
All very unconventionally attractive girls, very typical Prada casting, was Russell Marsh casting as early as this or did he come on the scene later?

Spring Summer 2002
Opened: Kristina Chrastekova <---Where is she now?
Next 8 girls: Natasa Vojnovic, Valerie Sipp, Anouck Lepère, Hannelore Knuts, Delfine Bafort, Karolina Kurkova (so she really was quite High Fashion before?!?), Erin Wasson and Jacquette Wheeler.
Closed: Anouck Lepère
Again very typical, this is before Karolina and Erin became very commercial.

Fall Winter 2002
Opened: Eva Herzigovia <---We all know where she is now.
Next 8 girls: Carmen Kass, Erin O’Connor, Marcelle Bittar, Isabelia Fontana (She’s back to Prada now), Michele Hicks, Jacquette Wheeler, Amanda Moore and Anne Vyalitsyna.
Closed: Kristina Chrastekova <---She closed the previous season’s show.

Spring Summer 2003
Opened: Louise Pedersen
Next 8 girls: Elise Crombez, Madeleine Blomberg, Gisele Bündchen (She really was EVERYWHERE wasn’t she), Diana Dondoe, Telma Thormasdottir, Linda Vojtova, Natalia Vodianova, Sara Ziff, Amanda Moore, Eugenia Volodina and Anouck Lepère
Closed: Elise Crombez
Okay this is weird, this seems like any Gucci casting that could have happened back in 2003/04, was Russell on Vacation?

Fall Winter 2003
Opened: Elise Crombez <--- is this the point where her career exploded?
Next 8 girls: Louise Pedersen, Daria Werbowy, Diana Dondoe, Amanda Moore, Adina Fohlin, Natalia Vodianova, Polina Kouklina and Madeleine Blomberg
Closed: Anouck Lepère (again)

Spring Summer 2004
Opened: Daria Werbowy <--- Three Vogue Italia Covers Followed, as well as the Prada Campaign
Next 8 girls: Elise Crombez, Querelle Jansen, Gemma Ward (She went on to do some big things right?), Polina Kouklina, Diana Dondoe, Sonja Hulsman, Lauren Serge and Linda Vojtova
Closed: Daria Werbowy (Opening and Closing is Massive right?)

Fall Winter 2004
Opened: Raquel Zimmermann <---Everyone talks about this magical period in Fashion where Peasant Raquel Zimmerman rose through the ranks to open Prada and become Princess. Honestly It’s not like she healed the Lepers.
Next 8 girls: Gemma Ward, Hannelore knuts, Romina Lanaro, Jessica Stam, Michelle Buswell, Elise Crombez, Daria Werbowy and Querelle Jansen,
Closed: Daria Werbowy (again).

Spring Summer 2005
Opened: Kristen McMenamy
Next 8 girls: Carmen Kass. Raquel Zimmerman, Daria Werbowy, Shannan Click, Karen Elson, Natasa Vojnovic, Ann Catherine Lacroix and Jessica Stam.
Closed: Kristen McMenamy

Fall Winter 2005
Opened: Sasha Pivovarova <--- It begins
Next 8 girls: Hye Park (okay this is quite shocking, very much against Muccia’s established aesthetic), Freja Beha Erichsen (Muccia likes her but Meisel and Wintour don’t), Claudia Merikula, Jeisa Chiminazzo, Marla Boehr (???), Vlada Roslyakova, Daria Werbowy and Marina Peres (back in Prada now with Isabeli)
Closed: Sasha Pivovarova (I heard she got the campaign)

Spring Summer 2006
Opened: Sasha Pivovarova <---No one has opened twice in a row.
Next 8 girls: Leah De Wavrin, Charlotte di Calypso, Lily Donaldson, Gemma Ward, Michaela Hlavackova, Tanya Dziahileva and Madeleine Blomberg
Closed: Tanya Dziahileva <--- Closing Prada at 14 is huge!
This is probably where Prada’s casting gets really exclusive, nearly everyone is tall, thin and blonde, very Nordic looking. I really don’t understand how Vlada is Prada-esque at all, I mean she’s so pretty but not at all quirky, very conventional beauty.

Fall Winter 2006
Opened: Anna Mariya Urazhevskaya <--- The hype around her was huge, she got the cover of Vogue Paria and Vogue Italia at 15! Is her moment over now? Or is that down to Agency trouble?
Next 8 girls: Svieta Nemkova, Sasha Pivovarova, Bette Franke (Muccia seems to really like her, even to this date 4 seasons later), Daiane Conterato, Hye Park, Gemma Ward, Freja Beha Erichsen, Snejana Onopka (and she never walked for them again, even though she got the campaign one season later, weird, can someone explain?)
Closed: Anna Mariya Urazhevskaya

Spring Summer 2007
Opened: Suvi Kopnen <--- I see her as more of a Prada-typical blonde than say Vlada or Gemma
Next 8 girls: Alyona Osmanova, Elise Crombez, Daiane Conterato, Bette Franke, Hye Park, Raquel Zimmermann, Vlada Roslyakova and Julia Dunstall.
Closed: Suvi Kopnen (Apparently Top model in her country does work).

Fall Winter 2007
Opened: Irina Kulikova <--- Her career is hot and cold, she’s fast becoming just another filler model, who makes up the numbers at Fashion shows.Next 8 girls: Anabela Belikova (same with Irina, the Prada campaign is all they really did), Suvi Koponen, Eva Arlauskaite, Carolina Pantoliano, Daiane Conterato, Serafima Vakulenko, Sasha Pivovarova and Alyona Osmanova
Closed: Sasha Pivovarova (Irina didn’t close, maybe you have to open and close to have a successful career). I’d say at this point the Prada girl is very well established.

Spring Summer 2008
Opened: Adina Forizs (So much buzz around her, but is she doing anything significant? Or is it too early?)
Next 8 girls: Marina Peres, Alana Zimmer, Vlada Roslyakova, Margaryta Senchylo, Jessica Stam, Lara Stone and Daiane Conterato.
Closed: Lara Stone
Isabeli and Marina are back and after like 8 seasons into her career, Natasha Poly is suddenly in with Prada!

Fall Winter 2008
Opened: Natalia Chabanenko
Next 8 girls: Anabela Belikova, Hanne Gaby Odiele, Lara Stone, Isabeli Fontana, Freja Beha Erichsen, Eden Clark, Bette Franke and Irina Kulikova.
Closed: Natalia Chabanenko
Have we finally reached a turning point? Marina, Isabeli and Natasha poly were there again, but Sasha for whatever reason wasn’t, and neither was Raquel. Wierdly Angela Lindwall and Catherine McNeil were there, does this mean Catherine will appear more frequently in U.S. Vogue or will Meisel take an interest in her now? Also Natalia opened and closed, does this mean she’s a shoe in for the campaign, apart from Anna Mariya U., opening and closing Prada has resulted in a big career for the model, so good luck to her, I think she’s beautiful.The biggest shock I think was Jourdan Dunn’s appearance, first Afro-Carribean girl ever at Prada, fantastic!

 

[1FashionVictim]

You put a lot of work into this didn't you?

I think it is a signifigant thing walking for Prada, it attracts attention to whatever new, unknown model and attracts major clients to the model even if it doesn't guarantee a long-term career. Looking back it sure has produced a lot of the most succesful models strutting down the catwalks today and its too early to tell what the future holds for some of the more recent exclusives.

 

[CharlottefromCA]

Walking Prada can really launch a girl in the right direction (hellooooo Daria, Gemma!), but it doesn't guarantee anything at all.. so many exclusives walk for Prada and never come close to the top, and plenty of girls never do Prada and are now supermodels.

 

[~Audrey~]

um, just as an edition: vlada roslyakova was at prada aswell this season.

and i loved jourdan dunn being there, as well as i loved hye some seasons ago.

 

[carmen_kass]

^Yeah me too, I wish there was more diversity at Prada, though apparantly Naomi walked for them in the 1990s. Vlada is a regular at Prada, but I don't understand why actually.

 

[~Audrey~]

to be honest i don't care about the reason for models appearing there.

vlada is quite asked now, that will be the reason. she walked for nearly every important designer at milan, aswell as she did it in ny.
but i have to admit, she's not the typical prada girl...

 

[cul8tr]

Walking at Prada is a huge step in new faces career. And when girl is opening the show, she's going to be a next top model. Daria, Gemma, Elise, Sasha, Querelle (she opened Miu Miu and made Prada add), Suvi made huge career after walking and makeing add for her. But girls are not only making careers with Prada but also with Miu Miu and Jil Sander which is/was in Prada Group. Elise after doing Prada made few adds for Jil Sander and so on....On the other hand I think it's a little bit not fair that grils who show up in one show making after that huge careers. Many models have to work realy hard to be somewhere where "Prada girls" are immediately after opening show.

 

[carmen_kass]

I do wonder what goes through the casting director's mind, I mean last season's casting was surprising as is this one...Catherine McNeil isn't Prada at all...could girls like Inguna, Doutzen, Valentina or Candice be next?

 

[~Audrey~]

i'd love to see doutzen there to be honest.

 

[1FashionVictim]

I don't really think Prada has a specific look, I think models who fit the look of the show are chosen and not just the regulars. They can cast sexy models like Isabeli and Catherine to girls like Daiane Conterato who is something else.....

 

[Destined]

This was a very thoughtout Thread
And intersting reads thanks

 

[kevinnn]

Err, Snejana was in the Fall 2005 campaign with Sasha and Anglea walking Prada isn't really that obscure considering she's done campaigns in the past. Also to go along with that, a lot of these girls were in multi-girl campaigns such as Gemma, Elise, Stam, Daria, Querelle, Diana, and even Shannan Click, so I think having done those have helped their careers out too.

 

[chessmess]

Irina's career is anything but hot and cold....

 

[CharlottefromCA]

I think Irina has had a great career so far.. but I have to say she isn't as HUGE as I expected her to be

 

[Paws]

This was a very thoughtout Thread
And intersting reads thanks

Yes, I really enjoyed reading it.............that sure was a lot of work that you put into your research!!!! Thanks!!

 

[smartarse]

carmen_kass: impressive. you certainly done your homework.

*for one, Prada sets the bar for (highly coveted) exposure and a sweeter paycheck for girls when they branch out (doesnt mean they have to have every highly coveted campaigns nor be a top girl , either. they're in the models bible with a priority stamped next to their names so to speak.) ...

... Gucci is another but Prada's got a slight edge.

 

[wonderland]

That was interesting to read... I certainly learned alot.

Does anyone know if the models get paid alot to walk in the Prada show?

 

[haru]

Elise walked this show 9 times.
Marina, Sasha, Jessica, Raquel, Freja, Vlada walked 6 or 7 times.
Anouck's last Prada show was S/S04. so her comeback shocked me.

 

[harrietcamilla]

look at suvi, daria, gemma, raquel, sasha etc since there prada openings and you'll see why. it can make people take notice with you on some occasions, not for every girl but still having a prada opening before the days of sasha often lead to a campaign.

and miuccia mostly keeps faithful to her girls as haru says above, those established girls are walking 6/7 times.

 

[CharlottefromCA]

really?? I feel like she keeps faithful to her true favorites.. Currently: Suvi, Alyona, Irina, Anabela, Vlada and of course Sasha... but sooo many prada exclusives walk one season and are completely dismissed the next. I mean look at an extreme example with Anna-Mariya.. she was completely let go from the flock.