Her name is Lola. She was a showgirl

Kia Ora from sunny/rainy/sunny/rainy Auckland, where frockwriter is, once again, the guest of the organisers of New Zealand Fashion Week. Due to other commitments, we only touched down yesterday so missed some early shows. Beyond the event's spectacular new digs at the newly-unveiled Viaduct Events Centre, what has struck us so far is the fact that while it's not at all unusual to see Oz models on NZ runways, on this occasion, they seem a little more prominent than usual. To wit, Krystal Glynn, the face of Zambesi's Spring/Summer 2011/2012 campaign and also the covergirl of New Zealand Fashion Week's official 2011 handbook (bottom). Glynn is already en route to New York so won't be attending. Another Aussie will be opening tonight's Zambesi show - Lola Van Vorst. The name sounds familiar? A contestant on Australia's Next Top Model Cycle 5, Van Vorst has barely done any modelling in the interim, moving instead behind the camera as a photographer. But she suddenly finds herself much in demand in front of the lens. 

Signed, coincidentally, to Glynn's boutique Sydney management, The Agency, Van Vorst recently underwent a little image revamp, bleaching her hair and eyebrows.  In fact the statuesque former brunette is almost unrecognisable in her new high fashion incarnation. 

Backstage at last night's Stolen Girlfriends Club show (above), Van Vorst told frockwriter that she has never previously set foot on any Australian or New Zealand Fashion Week runways.

She is, nevertheless, up for 10 shows in Auckland this week, opening two other shows yesterday. Stand by to see where her career heads next.

Speaking of the Next Top Model franchise, the live finale of the second cycle of New Zealand's Next Top Model is due to be filmed at World's show tomorrow night.  

Krystal method

No surprise that Krystal Glynn has found herself much in demand over the past three months. The 16 year-old from Sydney's Penrith - who frockwriter first profiled in April, a week after she was scouted on Bondi Beach - popped up in 10 shows at Australian Fashion Week in May (including Friend of Mine). In the interim Glynn has been shooting back-to-back for Australasian fashion brands: Spring/Summer 2011/2012 campaigns for Saba, Country Road, Zambesi, General Pants, Valley Girl and One Teaspoon and lookbooks for Akira Isogawa and Michael Lo Sordo. Above and below: a first look at the Michael Lo Sordo SS1112 images (once again, an alert to RSS subscribers: you will need to head to the blog to view the photogallery). That's in addition to editorial shoots for Australian mags Madison, Grazia, Cleo, Russh (two editorials) and Oyster (four editorials). Busy, busy girl. 

There are two quite incredible omissions from this list. And they are two Resort 2012 gigs for one of the world's blue chip fashion brands for which, according to Glynn's mother agent, Lincoln Ferguson at Sydney's The Agency Models, Glynn was not merely optioned, but in fact booked. 

We are not at liberty to divulge either the name of the brand or the reasons why we don't believe this is just agency hype. Update: The brand she turned down was Prada.   

What on earth prompted Glynn's agents (including New York's DNA) to turn the offers down? 

Ferguson told frockwriter, "Due to the short length of time that Krystal's career has been going, we decided that we would take our time with launching her overseas. Krystal will be going to New York in January". 
  

photographer: holly blake at RP represents

stylist: marina afonina

hair and makeup: victoria baron at RP represents

shoes: michael lo sordo for peeptoe

printing and design: richard alma at grin creative

all images supplied exclusively to frockwriter by michael lo sordo

Friend of Mine's blonde ambition

Friend of Mine is a two year old Sydney label founded by Teale Talbot and Letitia McLean. It made its runway debut yesterday with a high energy show of cool girl clothes worn by a bunch of super cool girls, styled by one of the coolest in the business – Sydney model/blogger Alexandra Spencer, whose sexy, self-styled autoportraits have no shortage of net fans. Kitted out in the Flintstone fly leather shift dresses and lace bodycon dresses with destroyed hemlines, leather playsuits and an endless array of shorts, were a couple of model standouts, most notably Bardot-esque 16 year-old Krystal Glynn (above), who opened the show. Scouted by The Agency's Lincoln Ferguson on Bondi Beach in late March, Glynn seems destined for the first available international runway season. Another bottle blonde also stood out: 164cm Melburnite Anja Konstantinova who, although dwarfed by the rest of the lineup, has more charisma than more than many other girls who are the traditional runway requisite height of 5'10". That's Konstantinova pictured second and third, below. 

 

Krystal formation

justin smith

So Australia's biggest fashion event, Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, is just around the corner (May 2-6). Which new faces might it springboard? Frockwriter is betting that Krystal Glynn will be among them. Spotted on Bondi Beach a week ago by The Agency's Lincoln Ferguson, the 5'11" 16 year-old Penrith schoolgirl has, reports Ferguson, already been photographed by David Shields for New Zealand's Black Magazine and shoots tomorrow with Christopher Morris for the same title, with a booking from Rene Vaile to shoot for Oyster and Holly Blake for another magazine. And she is about to be signed to New York agency DNA. "It's a scouter's paradise" says Ferguson of his Bondi HQ, where he stumbled upon Glynn stretched out on the sand, soaking up the sun in a vintage white crochet one-piece. "Everyone walking past was stopping and staring at her, she was oblivious to everything. I thought I was looking at a shot from RUSSH or old school Vogue from the 1980s”.  

all images: justin smith. supplied exclusively to frockwriter by the agency