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All About Ujwala


Ujwala/IMG. Ph by Michelangelo Battista for German Vogue Dec 03
You saw her strutting her sexy stuff at the recently concluded Victoria Secret show. And here is IMG's new breakthrough star Ujwala, luxuriating on set for the current issue of German Vogue. Keep an eye peeled also for the upcoming Meisel lensed Dolce y Gabbana campaign. At press time the SS/04 ad was set to feature this searing Indian beauty alongside such MDC faves as Top-50 faces Yasmeen/Next and Stam/IMG and former MDC covergirls Eugenia/DNA and Julia Stegner/Supreme...In other news...While most brands are going "multiple", Chanel is reportedly going Only Girl, all the way on Kate Moss, with Karl Lagerfeld shooting the icon for the Collection, Accessories and Sport campaigns. With both Vuitton and Chanel in her corner Kate is very haute luxe this season non? ...So with no further tip-toeing around the booking, Hana/DNA is the S/S 04 Gucci Girl with Testino clicking away while her agency mate Eugenia logs Bill Blass with Meisel... Tommy Hilfiger has nabbed Carmen Kass and Isabeli both of Women for his Collection camapign while Carmen renews Kors and Isabeli adds Max Mara to her exploding CV. Elise Crombez/DNA is the Jil Sander girl for the second season in a row while Naomi Campbell/1 Mgmt and Caroline Winberg/Women have been ruling the Valentino set.

Unveiling Denisa


Denisa/Elite. Ph courtesy of Elite
Elite's been on a winning streak with its internal scouting system via the Elite Model Look Contest (Linda V, Ana M, and S/S 04 Versace face (and former Model of the Week) Rianne have all emerged from the EML's). It is therefore with great interest that MDC peruses the Polaroids of the 2003 EML winner, Denisa. Will this be one of the prime contenders for the FW 04 shows? And how scary is it that we're thinking about FW 04 castings already! That said, happy holidays all !

Isabeli Is Ablaze


Isabeli/Women Ph. Thierry Legoues for French magazine
One of the most gorgeous models alive is having the season of her career, lining up editorials in a very major US fashion bible (as well as one very major French one). Add to that the assured boost in campaign visibility Miss Fontana has logged for S/S 04 (more on that next week) and this Brazilian beauty will be just about ubiquitous come next January!...In other campaign news, now that the newly blonde Rianne/Elite has been officially unvieled as the new solo face of Versace Collection, all eyes shift to who the "Last Tom Ford Gucci Girl" might be...All we can say is she did open one of Mr Ford's S/S 04 shows...As expected Natalia Vodionova/DNA is back for Calvin but the CK Jeans lines is going to feature three new totally new faces. And what's up with this newly uncovered Calvin Klein Sport line? Hmmmm... Not to leave the boys out of the mix....Ford's searing Brad Kroenig more than earns his instant No 4 ranking on MDC's Top 50 Male Model countdown booking the Fendi Collection (with returning icon Linda Evangelista/DNA) as shot by Mr Lagerfeld. He's a star, that one.

Marilyn's Mission


Michelle/Marilyn Ph.Micheal Thompson for Allure
Marilyn NY seems to be on a development mission with a trio of their hottest girls breaking into the editorial VIP circles. Former MOTW Dasha is easily living up to expectations with virtually every major American fashion bible putting an option on one of the most beautiful new faces around. Also burning up the charts is Marc by Marc Jacobs face Caroline Trentini who has Numero on her case. Statuesque stunner Michelle Buswell is the third ace in the pack converting her US Vogue apperance into some enviable editorial and campaign options. It's truly her moment!

Anne-Marie's Moment


Anne-Marie/NY Models. Pola courtesy of NY Models
Consider the rapid motion of NY Model's freshest new find. Coming off an audacious turn at the S/S 04 Prada show, this Dutch newcomer is stockpiling some of the best bookings seen on a new face this month. Keep your eyes peeled for her in your January issues.

Spring Ahead


Dewi/Elite. Ph by Nick Knight for Pirelli 04
Dior-master and showstudio.com genius Nick Knight's 2004 Pirelli calendar is out and about and the results are true to his highly experimental nature. Featured this year are Adina/Next, Natalia/DNA, Maria Carla/DNA, Jessica Miller/Next, Esther de Jong/DNA, Ai/Marilyn, Amanda/IMG, Alek/IMG, Frankie/IMG, Karolina/DNA, Liberty/1 Mgmt and Polyanna....And there is a lot of client swapping going on in the photographer's ranks for the Spring 04 campaigns with Mario Testino adding Kors, not to mention Estee Lauder to his CV while Steven Meisel is back in the driver's seat for Calvin Klein while adding Bill Blass to his rotation. In the meantime Max Mara is now a Craig McDean project.... But which models are shooting what? Our spy from the Louis Vuitton set is confirming MDC's earlier buzz about "legendary multiples" with such majors as Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss,Liya Kebede, Angela Lindvall, Karen Elson and Amber Valetta reporting for work with Mert and Marcus. God bless Vuitton!.... The Prada has gone multiple too, mingling a very legendary name in a roster of new faces. But the legend is not a predictable one. Again, mum's the word. Regarding the new girls and boys - it's a revolving door- with the unworthy being promptly sent home. More next week!

Gucci Goodbye


David Smith/IMG. Ph by Mert n Marcus for Gucci Men's fragrance F/W 03
How ironic is that at even as Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole reached a dead-end in their negotiations with Pinault Printemps, Tom Ford was entrenched in LA shooting the S/S 04 Gucci campaign. With speculation raging that Ford's exit will create a scenario where PPR will necessarily have to raid the LVMH designer stables for a suitable star, it's been a week of "batten down the hatches" at the rival luxury houses. In any case there is a suite of new Gucci models among us, including one of this season's most visible show girls. Given the turmoil, until the layouts hit the printers, our lips are sealed!

True Luxe


How perfect is Elsa Peretti's legendary "Padova" flatware for the upcoming round of holiday festivities? Previously saddled with a fatal association to the high-seventies style that Halston and his clique espoused, Peretti's Tiffany design is seeing a resurgence among young design-heads who love the clever- and literal- twist on the clean/minimal ideal. This is not your grandmother's silverware, though Padova does look even better and warmer when it's slightly tarnished.