Meet 9 of Fall 2016's Brightest Breakout Models
During fashion month, some editors pay close attention to the clothes coming down the runway, while others can't help but focus on the women wearing them. (Hi.) It's real, thinking people who bring a designer's work to life anyway, right? After taking one last crawl through the fall 2016 season's slideshows, we've identified the breakout models we truly believe have star potential. Let's take a scroll, shall we?
Yana Bovenistier (Women)
How cool do you have to be to rock a haircut like that? Cool enough to make fans out of Alexander Wang, Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne, Messrs. Dolce and Gabbana, Donatella Versace and Karl Lagerfeld, whose shows Yana Bovenistier walked during her first runway season. We're betting on big things for this Belgian.
Selena Forrest (Next)
Originally from California, Selena Forrest's early modeling work includes opening her first show ever (Proenza Schouler, spring 2016) and then landing the brand's campaign as well. You know, decent. For fall 2016, Forrest was a near-constant presence on the runway, walking everyone from Jason Wu, Coach and Opening Ceremony to Fendi, Versace and Marni. Oh, and Chanel. And Vuitton.
Katherine Moore (Trump)
The haircut that landed a thousand runway jobs — and launched one career. A handful of models got fresh, edgy haircuts for Alexander Wang's fall show, but no transformation was as startling as Katherine Moore's, which took her from long blonde locks to an uneven, bright orange chop. (Not unlike the haircut Lynn Yaeger has been rocking for years, as the New York Times rightly pointed out.) Rather than intimidating other designers, Moore's new look won her appearances at Givenchy, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Vetements, Rick Owens and Moschino — and the opening spot at Wang, of course.
Londone Myers (The Lions)
After appearing in Yeezy and Saint Laurent's spring 2016 shows, Londone Myers came back even stronger for fall 2016, walking Alexander Wang, Rodarte, Altuzarra, Marc Jacobs, Chloe and Stella McCartney, among others. According to Vogue, Myers hails from Georgia and spent some time learning the autopsy trade before getting into the fashion business — a badass start to what promises to be an equally badass modeling career.
Julee Huang (Women)
After a small but solid outing for the spring 2016 shows (Rodarte, Dries Van Noten), Julee Huang built on her roster of clients significantly, walking Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Kate Spade and cool-kid labels like Off-White, Acne, Kenzo and Jacquemus. Very cool indeed.
Heather Kemesky (DNA)
Heather Kemesky has been around for a few years now, picking up editorial gigs for titles like i-D, Vogue Paris and Dazed. And despite walking in Louis Vuitton shows for the past few seasons — no big thing — Kemesky showed up for her first full runway season this February, a clean sweep from New York to Paris. (Among many others, she appeared at Rag & Bone, Altuzarra, Marc Jacobs, Topshop, Chanel and Acne.) As ever, a nonchalant, cool-girl vibe and a great haircut will get you in anywhere.
Shelby Hayes (The Lions)
Like Selena Forrest, Shelby Hayes made her debut last season at Proenza Schouler. Also like Forrest, she kicked ass over the last month, hitting up runways like Acne, Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, Coach and Tommy Hilfiger. Let's just say our expectations are high for Hayes's future.
Alanna Arrington (Next)
With her face-framing mane of curls and sunny smile, it's no surprise that Iowa-bred Alanna Arrington went on to a stellar rookie season after opening Altuzarra in New York. The list goes something like: Lanvin, Chanel, Vuitton, DVF, Topshop, Mulberry Missoni, among many others. We're stoked to see what this one accomplishes — a major beauty contract really doesn't seem very far-fetched.
Rhiannon McConnell (Wilhelmina)
During Milan Fashion Week, team Fashionista had a small freak out when someone dropped a street style photo of an elfin, freckled model into Slack, erupting in a chorus of "WHO IS THAT?!" Her name's Rhiannon McConnell. An exclusive at Gucci's spring show and one of the stars of its cruise campaign, McConnell turned up at Fendi, Alberta Ferretti, Carven and Gucci for fall.