Six Australians and a Kiwi walked into a show....

richard chai SS12 backstage/sonny vandevelde

So New York Fashion Week is up and running and the so-called ‘Australasian invasion’ of its runways got off to a cracking start again on Thursday, the week's official kickoff. Six Australian models walked the Richard Chai show which, as some may recall, was opened by Aussie newbie Dempsey Stewart last season. Stewart walked Chai’s runway for the second consecutive season, flanked on this occasion by Julia Nobis, Codie Young, Ajak Deng, Rose Smith and Krystal Glynn, in her international runway debut. Joining them was New Zealand modelling sensation Emily Baker, the breakout star of the Fall/Winter 2011/2012 shows. With 26 models in the show, that's almost one third of Chai's cast hailing from the antipodes. 

Elsewhere, Melissa ‘MJ’ Johannsen popped up at the Rachel Comey and Steven Alan shows – joined at the latter by yet another new Australian face, Chadwick's Sarah Lorimer and another Kiwi, Georgia Fowler – while Lorimer also appeared at Wes Gordon; Lauren Moody, Vanessa Milde and Tom Bull worked the hilarious trompe l'oeil wedding staged by Imitation of Christ; and Australia’s Next Top Model Cycle 6 winner Amanda Ware walked BCBG by Max Azria. 

With Perth's upwardly mobile Caitlin Lomax recently booking the Prada Resort 2012 lookbook (after another new antipodian face turned it down) and an exhibition of the photos of Aussie snappers Sonny Vandevelde and Candice Lake opening at the Tribeca Grand hotel tonight during Fashion's Night Out, it seems fashion’s love affair with downunder is nowhere near cooling. Here's a portfolio of Sunster's backstage shots from Richard Chai. 

all photos: richard chai SS12 backstage/sonny vandevelde

1/ emily baker and krystal glynn

2/ codie young

3/ dempsey stewart

4/ krystal glynn and rose smith

5/ ajak deng 

6/ julia nobis 

Emily Baker, the girl who would be queen

After an unknown 17 year-old Kiwi called Emily Baker emerged at New York Fashion Week, we mentioned that New Zealand had a potential new superstar on its hands. Modelling for just six months, Baker, who hails from Matamata on NZ's north island, certainly grabbed the attention of New York casting directors, who placed her in the week's top shows. Not to mention that of modelling authority models.com, which makes a Top 10 New Faces list every season and dedicated its first slot for Fall/Winter 2011/2012 to Baker. At the conclusion of the season, in which she walked 60 shows, including almost every major name, some believe Baker could be fashion's Next Big Thing. Here's what MDC's editorial director Wayne Sterling told frockwriter, regarding this season's rush of Australasian models - with downunder, according to Sterling, emerging as a top 3 casting market after Russia and Holland. Noted Sterling, "As an editor though I think a great model transcends any trend. My training is not to fixate on a group of girls but to home in on an extraordinary new face with long distance potential. For me the girl poised to nab everything is Emily Baker. In the modeling sweepstakes she is THE sensation. There is a reason why she nabbed the first Top 10 newcomer slot. She is... rare, rare rare".

all images: style.com FW1112 collections
1/ marc jacobs
2/ valentino
3/ céline
4/ miu miu
5/ prada
6/ versace
7/ balenciaga
8/ calvin klein
9/ fendi
10/ chanel

Gotham pretty

Abbey Lee Kershaw might have skipped New York Fashion Week this season, but rising up in her wake was no shortage of antipodian runway talent. If international casting directors did not already have Australian and New Zealand model agencies on speed dial, they will do from now on. Australia had at least 18 models at New York Fashion Week, seven of them brand new to the event and among those, several models with less than six months experience who scored some big shows. New Zealand now has its own potential modelling superstar. For the second consecutive season  - and from the same agency, Auckland's Clyne Management - the Land of the Long White Cloud delivered a face to watch. And then some. After Jessica Clarke nabbed a Calvin Klein exclusive last season, a 17 year-old total unknown Kiwi by the name of Emily Baker walked in pretty much every major show of the week, prompting models.com to declare her its first Top 10 Newcomer of Fall/Winter 2011/2012 - and noting that Baker is now “on the watch list of every major casting director, photographer and editor in the trade”. 

In her third New York season, Australia’s Julia Nobis walked in 18 top shows. 

After a slow start, Australia’s biggest buzz newcomer, Codie Young, added Calvin Klein to a stellar show list, that already included Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc Jacobs, Rodarte and Halston. Great to see Dempsey Stewart and ‘MJ’ also make a strong debut. Ditto Australia’s unique androgynous superstar Andrej Pejic, who walked in both womens’ and mens’ shows and was never far from the headlines all week. 

Another Australian man also made his mark in New York: Jack Vanderhart who, as frockwriter revealed, was booked for a Calvin Klein exclusive.

After a slew of lowprofile showroom presentations, Australia’s Next Top Model Cycle 6 winner Amanda Ware finished the week with two highly coveted shows: 3.1 Phillip Lim and L’Wren Scott. 

What was perhaps surprising was the relatively small show tallies of Bambi Northwood-Blyth, Lauren Brown and Alice Burdeu. But the season is yet young. 

FYI, Ware and Burdeu weren’t the only ANTM alumni on deck in New York: Cycle 6 contestant Chantal Croccolo did four shows/presentations.  

Next stop: London. 

Julia Nobis

Richard Chai
Tadashi Shoji
Rag & Bone
Jill Stuart
Edun
Alexander Wang
Victoria Beckham
Thakoon
Monique Lhuillier
Marc Jacobs
Narciso Rodriguez 
Marc by Marc Jacobs
Diesel Black Gold
Vera Wang                      

Ports 1961
Michael Kors
3.1 Phillip Lim
Proenza Schouler
Isaac Mizrahi

Codie Young
Wayne (opened, closed)
Richard Chai
Peter Som
Band of Outsiders
Thakoon
Marc Jacobs
Marc by Marc Jacobs
Hexa by Kuho
Rodarte
Halston
Milly by Michelle Smith
Calvin Klein Collection


Annaleise Smith
Costello Tagliapietra (opened)
Betsey Johnson
Cushnie et Ochs
Douglas Hannant
Zang Toi
Daniel Vosovic
Risto
Odd Molly
Theory 
Venexiana
Naeem Khan
Theory by Olivier Theyskens
Yoana Baraschi
Pamela Love
Risto Bimbiloski
Pamela Roland
Song Jung Wan



Andrej Pejic

NAHM
Robert Geller
Richard Chai
Yoana Baraschi
Custo Barcelona
Kimberley Ovitz
Jen Kao
RAD by Rad Hourani
Jeremy Scott
Odyn Vovk

Dempsey Stewart

Richard Chai (opened)
United Bamboo
Marc Jacobs                                
Marc by Marc Jacobs
Preen
Diane von Furstenberg (opened the finale)
Cynthia Steffe
Karen Walker (closed)
3.1 Phillip Lim
Ports 1961

Ajek Deng

Richard Chai
Nicole Miller
G-Star
Libertine
Preen
Carolina Herrera

Jen Kao (opened)
Tibi
Reed Krakoff 

'MJ'
Charlotte Ronson
Rodarte
Denis Basso
Marchesa                                           
Mandy Coon
Tracy Reese
Creatures of the Wild
Yoana Baraschi

Amanda Ware 

Wes Gordon
Timo Weiland
Woolrich Black Label
Chado Ralph Rucci
3.1 Phillip Lim
L’Wren Scott

Tallulah Morton

Ruffian
Betsey Johnson
Cushnie et Ochs
Badgley Mischka

Alice Burdeu 

Honor
Timo Weiland
Chado Ralph Rucci
Naeem Khan

Lauren Brown

Rebecca Taylor
Chado Ralph Rucci
Yoana Baraschi

Chantal Croccolo

Bensoni
Trias
Threeasfour
Suno 

Emily Wake
Timo Weiland
Jeremy Scott
Yoana Baraschi

Elyse Taylor

Lela Rose
Nanette Lepore
Tory Burch

Bambi Northwood-Blyth 

Jill Stuart
Diesel Black Gold

Mallory Jansen
Kate Spade
Althea Harper
  
Ruby Jean Wilson
Theory by Olivier Theyskens (exclusive) 

Jack Vanderhart
Calvin Klein Collection (exclusive)






all images: style.com
1. annaleise smith, costello tagliapietra
2. chantal croccolo, trias
3. alice burdeu, chado ralph rucci
4. amanda ware, l'wren scott
5. jack vanderhart, calvin klein
6. andrej pejic, jeremy scott
7. elyse taylor, nanette lepore
8. MJ, marchesa
9. ajak deng, g-star
10. tallulah morton, bagdley mischka
11. julia nobis, michael kors
12. dempsey stewart, marc jacobs
13. bambi northwood-blyth, diesel black gold
14. codie young, calvin klein collection
15. lauren brown, rebecca taylor
16. emily wake, jeremy scott

ANZAC day at Marc Jacobs

Frockwriter mentioned that a larger-than-usual contingent of Australian models was heading to New York Fashion Week this season. And that after day one, some of them were off to a cracking start. We have previously talked about upwardly-mobile New Zealand faces, notably Jessica Clarke, who was spotted by a Calvin Klein rep in Sydney two years ago and then in September 2010, walked a Calvin Klein Collection exclusive in New York. Another Kiwi has just emerged from left-of-field to become one of the most buzzed-about models of the season: Emily Baker. Modelling for just six months, Baker has a smouldering, sunkissed beauty that is reminiscent of 1970s American modelling icons Cheryl Tiegs and Patti Hansen, blended with a little modern Lara Stone moxie. This morning Baker added Marc Jacobs to her bulging top show list. And she was joined by three upwardly mobile Australians: Julia Nobis, now in her third international season after her own Calvin Klein exclusive this time last year and Codie Young and Dempsey Stewart, both of whom are working in New York for the first time. You could say the antipodians are having a bumper season. And waiting in the wings behind them on some interesting options are several other new Aussie girls...