With fashion’s full-fledged youth obsession it’s easy to forget that beauty is something that has nothing to do with age. In September’s Bazaar, eight of the most enduring beauties around go bare faced for Peter Lindbergh and the results are thought provoking.  Amber Valletta, Shalom Harlow, Kristen McMenamy, Helena Christensen, Nadja Auermann, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Tatjana Patitz are all stunning but seeing them without makeup, excessive retouching or complicated styling adds a new layer to their allure.

Lets be honest. Last night could have used some Alaia. While the famed designer (and his supermodel muses) chose to spend a quiet evening at home the rest of the fashion crowd was in full effect at the Met gala. For the most part the fashions were mundane and with the noted exception of Leighton Meester’s amazingly absurdist turn in LV even the risky choices weren’t much to talk about. Thank goodness for a select few who brought their good taste and A-game wearing outfits that truly made an impact. Here are MDC’s choices for best dressed of the evening. Which Met Gala ensembles were you loving?

1. Shalom Harlow : With her dramatic, statement making black frothy dress Shalom truly captured the ‘Model as Muse’ concept. Its not enough to just look pretty, you have to really set yourself apart from the crowd. In a sea of minis and staid red carpet creations Shalom was one of the few who took it to that next level.

2 & 3 : Iris Strubegger & Anne Vyalitsyna : You cannot go wrong with Givenchy couture but Iris’ slicked back hair added an adrogynous vibe to her feminine yet edgy gown. Miss Anne V was simply delectable in Peter Som and showed you could still be incredibly sexy while working a ladylike look.

4. Jessica Stam : Wham. Bam. Thank you. Stam. Incredible in Rodarte, one of the few minis that truly stood out.

5 & 6: Natalia Vodianova & Nadja Auermann : Two women who have always gone their own direction with regards to fashion. Natalia makes shimmering pink fringe look palatable in Fortuny while Nadja’s platinum curls paired with Lanvin’s shimmering Grecian gown is a win win.

7. Amber Valletta : Two words : Lemon crush. Amber gets infinite bonus points for choosing vintage Galanos but the real beauty of this gown is the rich burst of yellow. With a color that eye-catching you don’t need much else.

8&9 : Catherine McNeil & Sasha Pivovarova

These two looks couldnt’ be more different but they suit their wearers to t. McNeil looks old school supermodel va va voom in Mouret while Sasha’s delightfully madcap feathered, tiaraed, completely over the top Valli is pure Miss Havisham chic! Love it or hate it you know it’s pure Sasha. Adding to the allure were her stunning Luigi Scialanga jewels. Talk about a statement necklace.

10. Iman

Always refined, always elegant – in this Donna Karan number Iman looks like the regal grand dame that she is. Pure class.

Check out the beautiful interior at the gala. Don’t you wish you were here?

Ash Stymest and Max. Ph: Richard Bush for Man About Town S/S 09

Production finds an old Linda Evangelista interview on Youtube.

Arena Homme + breaks down all the new IT boys, their backgrounds, their bands and who is the elder statesman. Click here to read about Ash, Cole, George, Josh and Luke.

Tatiana breaks it down for non industry people the 5 types of boyfriends that models have. See the American Vogue story with pros and cons for each type. LOL indeed.

Jezebel asks, Is fashion becoming more diverse thanks to Michelle Obama?

The Sartorialist pays a loving tribute to his father who passed away last week.

If you can’t get enough of Amber Valletta, Tyson Ballou and Ryan Snyder, click here to see more.

The funniest title of a blog post: “The horse wore Prada?”

The new Man about Town is finally “in town” in NYC and it’s chock full of stunning eds like this moody black and white story by Richard Bush titled Viper Boys. With a profile on Purple’s Olivier Zahm, a cover and pictorial on Kate’s main squeeze Jamie Hince, a YSL tribute editorial, and the best male models, old and new, it looks like this issue is once again a must buy.

If you are like most of us in the industry, Steven Meisel holds an extra special fascination because of his prodigious talent and vision, his longevity and his ability to instantaneously create a star. What also sets him apart from any other photographer is, in the word’s of Vogue‘s Jonathan Van Meter an “almost impenetrable mystique“. It was with great excitement that we read the excerpted interview with Meisel on Style.com. There are so many intriguing and never known details about the legendary lensman. The complete story appears in the May Vogue along with some personal pictures and a page of “Defining Moments” when he captures the changing moods of fashion. Get 2 copies. It’s most definitely a keeper. (Read excerpted interview here)

Ph: Steven Meisel from Style.com. In the picture with Meisel: (Clockwise) Carolyn Murphy, Liya Kebede, Kristen McMenamy, Coco Rocha, Jessica Stam, Amber Valletta, Linda Evangelista, Gisele Bundchen, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Karen Elson, Natalia Vodianova, Guinevere Van Seenus, Stella Tennant, Agyness Deyn.

There is a reason Tyson Ballou is the go to guy for Vogue. His ability to go from rakishly handsome partner in crime to a gold tooth enhanced, fringe wearing bad guy, only verifies why more than a decade later, he still remains one of the most requested models in the world. In this Vogue Italia/Steven Klein shoot with Amber Valletta, Tyson shows his dark side and Amber is powerless to resist. Even with the gold tooth and cowboy fringe Tyson radiates sexuality and power.

Ph: Steven Klein for Vogue Italia April 09. Pics courtesy of Why Not

Amber Valletta remains one of fashion’s most consistently in demand faces. With her refined presence and classic looks Amber has long been one of the defining representatives of elegance. With two new campaigns out for S/S 09 Amber proves that she is still the go to girl for avant garde grace. Mert and Marcus unleash Valletta’s inner sexpot for Iceberg while for Loewe Amber is a cooly aloof lady of the manor as imagined by Steven Klein – the ads showcase two very compelling sides to a model who continues to bring something fresh to the table.

 

 

 

 

DNA books 4 of the current 6 POP covers by Sebastian Faena. Here they are in all their glorious colors. For all six covers click here. (images from DNA)

Natalia Vodianova

Oluchi Onweagba

Amber Valletta

Agyness Deyn

The supermodel renaissance continues! This time with Amber Valletta looking edgy as ever in the new Iceberg campaign. The stark black and white pictures are a return to form after several seasons of celebrity focused ads featuring Mischa Barton – further proof that Ms. Valletta can do anything, including take ad space back from celebrities.

Amber Valletta/DNA Models, Marilyn Agency Paris, Models 1 London. Ph: Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot for Iceberg F/W08

Amber Valletta/DNA Models, Marilyn Agency Paris, Models 1 London. Ph: Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot for Iceberg F/W08