Model castings can be a black hole in the minds of the fashion press, since most occur very privately, behind closed doors. Luckily enough for us, however, casting director Andrew Weir of ACW Worldwide invited us to observe a massive casting for the Spring 2011 season.

Hopping at the chance to see models in their natural habitat, I made sure not to miss this event. Hundreds of girls lined the hallways of the Hudson Hotel, books and heels in hand. Inside the gorgeous Husdon Library, girls were photographed, walked, “scored,” and entered into ACW’s database in a flurry of business and buzz. To the untrained eye it was tough to distinguish which models were the best and which were the worst, until they walked. The best girls had strides long and fast, their hair flying in a self-generated breeze, among them Fashionista faves Ashley Smith, Ann Kenny, and Kirby Kenny.

Andrew Weir found six gems at his casting, sure to be the big stars of Spring 2011. It’s all about that je ne sais quoi for Mr. Weir, as well as finding “strong, beautiful, healthy, magnificent women.”

Click through to see the modeling superstars in the making.

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