BRITISH MODELS ON TOP

We’ve got Doutzen Kroes, Lara Stone, Bette Franke, Saskia de Brauw, Maartje Verhoef, Bregje Heinen, and a lot more pretties. Quite the number for such a small country. But if there’s any country that’s got the biggest export in models for runways and campaigns, it’s probably England. The British Vogue unrolls the carpet for the new generation, and rightfully so.

The Oldies

First there was Twiggy, and afterwards Jean Shrimpton, the friend of photographer David Bailey, who, together, stole Vogue’s Diana Vreeland’s heart. When they entered her New York Vogue office (with a bright red wall, because everything that still stood out in front was perfect for the magazine), she said:”They are adorable, the English have arrived.” Afterwards, it was Jerry Hall and Lauren Hutton’s turn, and then, of course, queen Kate.

The Kate era

During Kate Moss’s reign, Stella Tennant (Karl Lagerfeld loves quirky British girls), Karen Elson, and Iris Palmer joined. They weren’t easy beauties. Photographer Tim Walker even said once “don’t forget that the girls we look up to nowadays were first called freaks. Karen Elson looked like an alien, Kate Moss was extremely thin and small, and Sophie Dahl was a plus size model.”

Why British girls are so great

Some say that it’s the island culture which produces these autonomous girls with I-don’t-care mentalities. Perhaps it’s more because of the rich punk and rock culture that England has, which enables quirky girls to influence the fashion industry. Think, for example, of Kate Moss’s rock/festival style and, of course, Cara’s eyebrows.

On every cover

Anyhow, open a magazine and the first adverts usually contain a British model. Probably several. And it’s also common to see a model in four different campaigns. They just got it.

The new generation

You already met them but we like to introduce them to you again. Cara Delevingne, Jourdan Dunn (Jourdan Dunn! They don’t get much prettier than that), Sam Rollinson (one of my favourites, she’s gorgeous in a fashion production On your marks in the Dutch Vogue), new kid in town Jean Campbell who’s fairytale-like pretty, and of course Malaika Firth. Girls with a mission, a zest for life (Cara acts, Karen Elson started a politically engaged cabaret group The Citizens Band.

“Beauty without personality is not beautiful” Tim predicts. He couldn’t be more true.

Source: Vogue UK