Liv life

thom kerr

Whatever happened to Olivia O’Driscoll? In 2008, at age 17, she emerged as one of New Zealand’s most promising modelling newcomers. Repped internationally by IMG, she walked in four Paris haute couture shows in July that year, before flying to to Milan on an exclusive option for the Spring/Summer 2009 Prada and Miu Miu shows. While those gigs never eventuated, she nevertheless shot editorial for French Elle, German Vogue, Japanese RUSSH, Wallpaper, AnOther Magazine, US Teen Vogue and Italy’s Amica. Only to suddenly drop out of the business, sparking various rumours. In spite of the fact that New Zealand has the second-highest rate of teenage pregnancies in the developed world, a pregnancy was not among these whispers. But a baby daughter, Hara Lea O’Driscoll, arrived a day after O'Driscoll's 20th birthday in December 2010. Now as a single mum, with new management back home in Auckland (Red Eleven/MHI) and Sydney (Chadwick) - and as “Liv” O’Driscoll, as she prefers to be known these days - she is attempting a comeback. She joins models Jourdan Dunn, Arizona Muse, Natalia Vodianova and Australia’s Cassi van den Dungen, all of whom took time out under the age of 20 to have children. Herewith an exclusive preview of some new test shots by Australian photographer Thom Kerr.

photography: thom kerr
styling: james dykes
makeup: stacy lee ghin
hair: lauren mccowan
fashion: alex perry
shot at kingsize studios, auckland

Flynn Bloom likes the limelight, Miranda Kerr thinks her drug-free labour was "a bit crazy"

celebkids.whyfame.com

Miranda Kerr is in town, as you know, spruiking David Jones. Below is a quick video chat backstage after last Wednesday’s runway show starring Kerr, in which she concedes that she found the prospect of doing the DJs' show in a swimsuit just seven months after giving birth “a little nerve-wracking” and confirms that she will be back on Victoria’s Secret runway later in the year. When asked what is the best thing about motherhood, Kerr notes “Everything, I just love it. There’s no word that could describe the joy and loveliness that it is to be a mother”. Undergoing a 27 hour labour without drugs may have given the supermod pause for some reflection however. She told frockwriter, “I was kind of a bit crazy not to but you know, I’d made my mind up and I’ll probably just see how I go next time”. As for Flynn, arguably the most overexposed baby on the planet right now, Kerr reveals that it’s a tough job trying not to give paps their money shots whenever she’s been out and about with Flynn in recent months. “You try your best to avoid it but it’s inevitable. And he was really into it. I tried to like, protect him but he comes around [flicks her head around, mimicking Flynn] because he likes the light”.

Cassi van den Dungen won't be doing Alex Perry's show because it's not OK!

Less than 24 hours after we reported that Cassi van den Dungen would not be appearing at next week’s Rosemount Australian Fashion Week because she is four months pregnant, there have been a couple of developments. Upon learning the real reason why van den Dungen was mysteriously unavailable for runway bookings this season, frockwriter can reveal that earlier today, Alex Perry attempted to fly her up to walk in his show tomorrow morning. Perry, who cast van den Dungen in his Cuban Princess show at last month’s Melbourne Fashion Festival (above) and spoke to her agent this morning, has been told that van den Dungen is in fact five months along. “She won’t open it, but we’ve used her in shows before and I think she’s a really beautiful girl” said Perry this morning. “She’s five months pregnant. She’s probably not showing much. But even if she is, she’s still beautiful. Miranda walked for Balenciaga and she was fully pregnant”. We won't be seeing van den Dungen tomorrow, however, because Perry's plans have been nixed by OK! magazine, which bought the exclusive rights to the pregnancy story and won't release her from a contract which precludes any public engagements until May 14th. 

It's understandable that OK! wanted to protect its exclusive. However the magazine broke the story on Friday, the news is now in the public domain and OK! still has the only interview. In it, van den Dungen says that she hopes her critics react positively to the news. "I need people's support" she tells OK!. Shame she can't take Perry up on the offer. 

Perry, an Australia’s Next Top Model judge, has not always been so supportive of van den Dungen’s life choices.

As we reported back in 2009, the designer joined fellow ANTM judge Charlotte Dawson on Facebook to slam van den Dungen’s decision to turn down the Priscillas and Elite contracts after coming runnerup the Cycle 5 competition. 

But apparently there are no hard feelings. 

“She’s proved herself as far as I’m concerned" says Perry. "The Paris thing didn’t work out but that could just be an age thing. At 20 or 21 she might be a different girl. At the live [ANTM] finale, I said to her ‘I want you to be the one who wins’. She’s been in a relationship for three years. Who is anyone to judge?”

Cassi van den Dungen won't be doing RAFW because she's four months pregnant

One face that we won't be seeing at next week's Rosemount Australian Fashion Week is 18 year-old Cassi van den Dungen. That's because van den Dungen is four months pregnant and is taking a year off from modelling. Although suspicions first arose that something was up several days ago, yesterday's publication of an interview with van den Dungen and her fiancé Brad Saul in the Australian edition of OK magazine, announcing the pregnancy, appears to have completely flown under the radar - no doubt due to the Royal wedding media frenzy. Van den Dungen managed to keep her pregnancy a secret at last month's Melbourne Fashion Festival, where these photos (above, below) were taken. No mean feat, considering how body-hugging some of the garments were.

Although she is by no means the only model to contemplate motherhood - nor, indeed, the only teen model to do so, with top British and Russians models Jourdan Dunn and Natalia Vodianova both falling pregnant at 19 - van den Dungen has never been far from the headlines since she first popped up on the media radar as a contestant in Australia's Next Top Model Cycle 5 in 2009. This latest chapter in the van den Dungen saga will no doubt prompt further discussion.

Dubbed a 'boganista' because of her blue collar background, van den Dungen was crowned runnerup of that year's competition, then raised eyebrows after turning down lucrative modelling contracts with the Priscillas and Elite New York model agencies.

Last year, she made international news after slamming the French as "frog eaters" and "snail slurpers" on Facebook, following an ill-fated trip to Paris Fashion Week - at which, as frockwriter can now reveal, she had been placed on exclusive option for the Balenciaga runway show.

We wish her all the best and hope to see her back modelling soon.

OK magazine via bianca/TFS

Tiah Eckhardt counts her lovers

Frockwriter mentioned that Tiah Eckhardt was awaiting the birth of a baby with partner Patrick Delaney. Well Oz director Alex Goddard just flicked us over this little video he shot for CLUBFEET’s new 'Count Your Lovers' single starring Eckhardt - and apparently just three weeks after the birth of her adorable baby girl Finley Victoria, who arrived in October. Sources say Eckhardt is also to be a face of Berlei, so it looks as if she’s not giving up on modelling at all.