++ Deimante M. – Expect the unexpected

I mentioned something about “last Lithuanian stream”, and briefly there are two great categories (I mean: that is worth to mention and with “from little to great” prospects):
-the “pure cuteness” girls (or: pretty faces of the minute – a lot);
-new faces that are very good and interesting prospects;
and something right between (but barely undetectable).


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After a little “I have to admit general level is a little inferior right now” introduction - In the second category girls changed a lot lately; I mean, the kind of girls, and if I think Auguste A. (even 15) is something different of a “penultimate stream” is because Deimante is a good example of what’s going on right now. Good or bad, you won’t find a new Auguste now, a girl with a huge and terrific presence, and you (well: I especially…) have to face it.

Talking about Deimante… is one of those girls, honestly a few, that you can’t consider in an uniform way. I mean, any consideration about the girl won’t be good for “THE MODEL”, and it’s quite frustrating to consider that for someone like me – I mean, ‘cause about a merely practical question, Deimante’s polaroids are absolutely useless to get an idea of this model. Period. And this thing just makes me go crazy.


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She just turns into something else, and it’s really amazing; it’s so hard for me to admit it, but I’m so so so impressed (and kind of charmed). If I’d have in front of me only polaroids and a video (I even saw some videos – same material polaroids are: nothing special) I’d just write a couple of lines about her, nothing good. But… even if I don’t know if there’s something really consistent, reliable, and (first of all) versatile, this is more than ordinary for me;


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so much more.


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I absolutely hope to see more and more and hope for a good and very productive development, but even right now she’s the best example of what the point is: being a model is about confidence, presence, how good (not necessary cute) you look in shoots, in short – being a model is about the fashion material you can be. And if you need to be something like… well, the guy who used to go into phone booths and change his clothes to become Superman, I can’t see what the problem is.

+ Katiusha F. – “Too much too soon”

This is the kind of girl (most would say: a perfect “Russian doll” – I dissociate from this kind of expression…) Japanese magazines (and agencies) would kill for: about her European / American career there would be something more to say.


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But let’s face it, as I always say: you don’t have to be Lebron James, you don’t have to do well (great) everything, it’s a plus to be an icon: a great (or even very good; or “good, period”) model is the one that – what she does well, she does great; so Katiusha, despite isn’t a complete model (and for her body proportions / face isn’t neither a good prospect from that point of view right now), is a very (very) good one.


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And… ehy, wait a sec: how old was this amazing bride? Guess not enough for most of the countries with a decent and merely acceptable democracy.

So: we could go on with considerations about the “model herself” or consider how much young she is, she’s been and say a couple of words about that.
Or… I think that people around are smart enough to reflect on the “Too much too soon” title and reach a successful conclusion about this 1995 girl – that just for the record didn’t do all these shoots today or yesterday… this “sulky girl” was something like 13…


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Conclusion: even if I don’t like this kind of model too much (Russia first of all “give the world” a lot of interesting faces you won’t find elsewhere, and Katiusha from this point of view isn’t the best example), I have to admit this one is really good material, and hope (and believe in) the best for the future of the model, and the girl first obviously; as usual - should be for everyone.

PS the title… don’t know how (a pretty weird choice…), someone just sent me something about the “New York dolls” homonym album, so that’s the reason of the title! and yep, I’m just listening to that, but guess will be the first and one of the last times actually…

+ Rasa Z. @ Numero april 2010

What to say about Rasa? She’s a Lithuanian model, but she’s such an unusual one; I mean, she’s got nothing to do with the “last stream”, and less than less with penultimate one (with “penultimate Lithuanian models” I mean: Auguste A., Julija S. and so on; last stream are… are… well, take a look at what’s going on at Baltic Models / Elite Milan and you have a general idea of what I mean). Btw, she’s been perfect for Prada ‘cause she and Prada choices about catwalks/image are so similar (at least, for me): I can’t say I really really love, however I just go into rapture over and I can’t take my eyes away.


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Rasa is just that: you can love her, maybe not, but the point is: she’s such an eye-catcher.


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Do I love her presence in front of the camera in such an unconditional way? I mean, the way she poses is absolutely and unquestionably great, but…


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Do I love this Numero editorial to death? No: but I can’t move my eyes away. She’s absolutely got something, here’s quite manifest, but don’t try to find out what (or why). The formula is secret and so well kept there is no way to know it, so… just enjoy.

USIP ++ Patricia V. D. V. – What a “skyrocket” is…

I’m so happy I received a mail about her. And yep, I share the huge enthusiasm there is around her. What happened with her has been so fast and, very briefly, in few months she’s been able to build a very solid (and even impressive) FW season.


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Cold facts: New York 21 shows, Milan 11, Paris 18. Usually I don’t like to cite these kinds of numbers or lists, but in this case a detailed list would speak louder than any other word – but fortunately I’m too much lazy right now to do that.


salvatore ferragamo – giambattista valli / tfs

Btw even if lately Netherlands is “producing” a lot of awesome new faces (with great personalities), Patricia is a quite particular one: for the age (she’s 20), for the kind of girl and model she is (a “catwalk monster”), for the huge impact she had in such a short time. Her presence on the catwalk is really awesome and any photo doesn’t give the real impression of how much amazing she is.


louis vuitton – nina ricci / style

She absolutely deserves her success, and because of her age is quite sure this won’t be a “flash in the pan”.

PS really, you have to see her walking on a runway; I’m the first to admit I didn’t expect such a huge impact from her: but she absolutely has. IMPRESSIVE.

USIP Claire B.

I have to say I already saw something about this girl; can’t remember how and when, but I remember her eyes very well…


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and I’m quite glad to see them again.


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So, is there much more to say? Don’t know… that this girl is absolutely “eye-catching”, pure cuteness and whatever-like-this is kind of obvious; about the model… don’t know, I saw something, polaroids and tests, and avoiding any consideration about her potential and what can come out from this cute blonde – is she anything special? is she anything huge that can hit hard a “casting guy”? Guess not. I say that because of the mail I received about her (maybe a little bit too much enthusiastic).
Btw – nothing against this girl, that for the record seems to have everything to become a good and skilled model. But, you know, it’s just like… like basketball: you’re a good player and you’re in NCAA; if you’re really good you arrive in NBA – but being a Lebron James is kind of other material…

AOB Nastyusha S. / Auguste A. – About fat guys, rainbows and good sense (and heartfelt thanks)

This will sound weird, but taking a look to Nastyusha's book made me think of last FWs; and especially about my fav moment. What's my fav moment of these last FWs?!!! You’ll never ever ever guess, I bet you won't…
Ok, I gave you enough time, you tried, you failed, here it is:


john richmond / fashionmag

Despite last Milan FW has been such a huge disaster for Auguste (from my point of view – we’ll see that in another occasion), despite Women didn’t move the way I used to expect (I love Women most of the times, and c’mon – THEY HAVE TRENTINI NOW!), despite her career and what agencies did and still do with her is and has been hugely questionable ethically and from a merely professional point of view, well – in spite of everything!, seeing her closing Richmond this way just made me GLAD, CHEERFUL and BRIGHT.

You know, it’s that kind of weird feeling that… you know, you walk in the street and you just see rainbows, flowers everywhere, people around you seem to come from an old B/W musical and they dance and they sing, and then… well, then usually you open your eyes and you find yourself in the subway with a fat guy right all over you. But that moment was just pure heaven.


At Women should learn a quite easy lesson: you don’t need so much to look unimpeachable. You don’t have to be smart or clever or less than less ethically correct for real, it’s just about, at least, using good sense. Well, don’t have bad ethics would be better, but… ok, let’s get over this. So – you don’t need to be so smart so clever or sooooo unimpeachable to avoid some shoots from a girl’s book. Especially if she has an age where… you know, where if she was your cousin, your sister or your daughter you’d just say “No thanks” (better: “Gosh, no, shut the f**k up, I don’t want these kind of photos for her, she’s just 13/14/15/16). That’s exactly what happened with Nastyusha, I avoided to put those pics here, but… there are. The only point is: WERE THESE PHOTOS REALLY REALLY REALLY AN “INESCAPABLE FACT”?!!! SURE NOT!!!
You can’t change fashion world for sure, and these little little things are not the real point, but… you know, little by little… and seeing Auguste that way really made me love her more than ever; her, and the B/W heavenly musical I’m in every time I think of that… even the fat guy looks great because of how much well I feel … haha, THANK YOU AUGUSTE.

+ Alexandrina T.

First pics I saw of “this solid blonde” she was at Beatrice, “in the old times” where (now Elite) Lisa B. was there too – and despite they were (and still are) so different they both impressed me a lot.

Even if with Alexandrina happened what usually happens when you don’t like “the girl by herself” so much: you just have to face it. Face that, after all, she's not exactly your type but her potential is just undeniable.

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And the thing has been even harder ‘cause, even right now, she’s not the kind of model I actually prefer.


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But let’s face it: now she’s at Why Not, going to be 17, and most important she’s the kind of model age is a factor – but at contrary. So, even if I think is (and will be) hard to see her on catwalks with a “more-than-ordinary impact”, her posing skills and, most important, natural presence is fated to become a huge factor.


tfs – majormodels - mandarinamodels

She’s not been the kind of model that caught my eye in the bunch of new faces, “let’s give her a little more time” was and still is the real point.


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And it’s not about improving her attitudes, it’s just… well, I’m talking about what happened (and is still happening) with Lithuanian Julija S. – but at the opposite. Julija in last months changed a lot, I’m talking about the girl, and I have to admit I didn’t expect that way, and it’s a (still can’t get if positive or what) factor.
About Alexandrina the thing is and was (from my point of view) clear at first sight of early polaroids, she’s becoming a model with a huge and solid presence in front of the camera, and time is just a (strange, in fashion industry…) welcome factor with her.

Mandy V. D. B. – "Conditio sine qua non"

I used to say:
“You know what usually happens with agencies – and if you don’t, here quite briefly: they snatch little girls up as soon as they see any good modeling potential; sometimes, any modeling potential; a lot of times – any potential. For the record - it even happens that they just snatch little girls up, period.”
and I wasn’t so far from how things are. The point is there is a “Conditio sine qua non”, some kind of “go/no go”, so if “you are that much tall and your body proportions are this much good”, you’ll easily be somewhere between “they snatch little girls up as soon as they see any good modeling potential” and the “they just snatch little girls up” category. Well, thanks to god (or candies and fast foods restaurants...) the “go/no go” in fashion cut a lot of girls, so agencies don’t have to work on so many girls – well, if they’re in east Europe things are a little bit different…


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So, after this little introduction, let’s talk about Mandy; I’ve seen “her numbers”, and you can easily see that, she’s the kind of girl good for the “go/no go” standards.
Nevertheless: if we talk about the “here and now”, after all right now I’m not so much convinced about her.


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When you don’t believe in a new face about the “here and now” but you think she's up to your good and optimistic expectations, there are two kinds of things you can hope about:
-the girl will change her body / face / looking;
-the girl need to “develop”, and this is a quite normal phase that everyone -unless you are a catwalk (like Monika J. or Auguste A.) or an adv/editorial monster- has got to pass, even if… you know, you can pass from 5 to 10, or 2 to 3, or 1 to 10, girls are different and results will obviously be too.

So, for transitive property, I believe a lot in Micha, and so if they believe in Mandy I do too; but deny the undeniable is short-sighted and kind of stupid. She doesn’t look very good in shoots I saw (even latest), and so much comfortable neither. She needs to get more confident, more and more, she needs to play with the camera a little bit more, pose naturally, she needs to change even the body presence by itself. But, c’mon, she’s so young (late 1995) and I can’t see any reason to not believe that won’t happen.

But I seize the opportunity (not for Mandy, I really have no idea of what is going to happen with her, and hope the best for her) to underline that “go/ no go” standards are an “ESSENTIAL” but not a “SUFFICIENT/ENOUGH” – and we’ll see that in so many other occasions later; especially about the “We anyway try, then we’ll see what’s gonna happen” agencies (often bad) habit…

AOB Caroline T. - and (old) polaroids

Lately I thought of Caroline T.; well, more than usual…
Still don’t know how to get her switch to Women (some random names they now have in Milan and I just love: Auguste A., Nastya E., Maaike K., Alana K., Agnete H., Ginta L., Katie K., Nimue S., Snejana O., Nastya S., Olga A., Vlada R, Madysin R. etc etc!!!), but I thought of her because of that.

These days it’s happening to talk a lot about polaroids / tests, about how much these or those are less or more useful to get an idea about “new faces”, and my opinion has (always) been: I NEED FIRST OF ALL POLAROIDS. ALWAYS. It usually happens to see polaroids first and tests then, but it’s just about… you know, usually people mold considerations about polaroids after tests – and (almost) never the contrary.
Well, for me polaroids are MORE IMPORTANT THAN TESTS TO GET AN IDEA ABOUT A MODEL AND HER POTENTIAL (we’re not talking about “building up” a book), and if I have to take a choice about what to take a look at – POLAROIDS. ALWAYS. I’ve seen sooo many disasters made by photographers and agencies with tests. They’re a very useful instrument, but… the most I listened to these days has been “but what about presence in front of the camera, posing, confidence, ‘takes diversity’”?. I agree, absolutely, just – better change your mind with a polaroid and reset what you thought after have seen tests and not the opposite.

So: Caroline. Don’t know how, I just stumbled across some first polaroids.

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Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I just wanted to share this stupid but (I think) nice example; these are the kind of polaroids that can’t go unnoticed. It’s so easy to see whatever you have to see: superficially (about the face and her peculiar elements, hair, body structure), about the kind of girl she is and “what’s gonna happen 2/3/5 years from now” (face – body predictions) and finally about how much confident she is, her posing skills and how much good she looks in photos; and perfect “fashion material” she is and will definitely develop in (and yep, how much cute she is – but this consideration is just a personal plus…). Just for the record: it happened to be even more impressed when I saw (just yesterday) some Denisa D. old polaroids… but we’ll see them on another occasion!


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PS here there are her newest polaroids with Women… no words...

++ Nastyusha S. – It was supposed to be a “wait and see”…

Nastyusha, Nastyusha… this is a story little bit different from the recent (recent: as just seen here) Claire one; with Claire happened what happened, for example, with Deimante M. – it was about a bunch of agencies snatching the girl.


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First thing I saw of this girl were "a long time ago pics", she was 14 (and for the record: identical to the way she is now; and for the record again: this is quite clearly the kind of girl won’t not even minimally change in her career, not an Alexandrina T. for sure from this point of view), and really briefly: nothing happened, nothing changed. And, honest: still can’t understand why.


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I’m not going to talk about choices regarding the girl (I’ll try to do that the less I can, even if I know personally some girls and there are bunch of cases when I think agencies bad ethics are and have been questionable), I won’t tell if it’s morally right what happened with some 14 years old girls (and still happens), so – about Nastyusha: I’m not going to tell “agencies had to ‘milk’ her skills and titanic potentialities”, ‘cause we don’t have to care about what happened with her standstill. Maybe she chose to not travel at her age (I always say that: SCHOOL FIRST), maybe she did not have the success she could have had, and so on, that’s not the point.

The point is not about make the most: the point is about development and first of all valorization. Here we are: she’s 2 years older, and all we have are some mediocre not convincing or mishandled tests or photo shoots.

Do I still believe in this girl? YES, I do! And I say that out loud, even if most could tell me she’s just an average cutie. From the beginning I saw something more in her – and I actually have to admit that seeing her at Women gave me few optimistic expectancies.

avantmodels ru

And for the record about Avant, someone should tell them:
1) to take best tests (only first two of these examples are quite good…)
2) we have EVIDENT AND MANIFEST EXAMPLES OF IMPROPER PHOTOSHOP USE here!


So – what really scares me? This:


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To see a new Nastya S.


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(maybe is a matter of chance – she’s with Avant too… you can easily see their "touch" in second pic), a model with good potential fated to become only an average (and even something less) model. And despite Nastyusha looks the same kind of girl the difference is she has an incomparably bigger potential, and it would be a real shame to waste it the way it seems it’s gonna be right now. So after all: still keep an eye on this model! You won’t be disappointed – or at least I hope so…