MODEL -noun

n. a person employed to wear clothing or pose with a product for purposes of display and advertising.

My heart will always belong to The Supers and I love the otherwordly beauty of Natalia, all-American girls Chanel and Karlie, the bodacious and vivacious Gisele, Oscar de la Renta girl Arlenis...I could go on and on and on and on...

But this is a roundup of a few lesser-known names (although some have made it to the main board and are fast on the rise) that I happen to adore - and the fake cards I've made up for them.

First on the list is Miss Suzie Bird, formerly of Elite and now rocking it for Supreme. The 5'10" dark-haired stunner has modeled for the likes of Christopher Kane, Veronique Branquinho, Doo.Ri, Temperly and Marni. She has these fantastic sort of sullen and delicate features, almost doll-like but not so precious. I think she looks amazing on camera.


Next up is Cato Van Ee, one of the stars of Model.Live, Vogue's online TV project (watch episodes here on Hulu). The blue-eyed Dutch beauty, one of IMG's girls, has worked with Dazed & Confused, where she appeared on the cover last fall, as well as advertisements for D&G and Topshop. Her runway work includes turns for Prada, Miu Miu, Givenchy, Moschino, Marchesa, Donna Karan, Louis Vuitton...both Spring and Fall 09 were quite, quite great for the gal. And things are only going to get better.


Isabella, the next beauty in my top four, does not have quite as much on her roster as fellow Dutch mannequin, Cato, but has amazing potential. She's signed with Elite in Europe and One in New York, and has already walked for Armani, Marchesa, Sari Gueron and Hanii Y. I think she has a major future ahead in editorial.


Finally, there's Hyoni. I think this girl is awesome. Though the Korean model's real name is Seunghyun Kang, Ford bookers - after her big win of the 2008 Supermodel of the World contest run by the agency - decided her nickname, Hyoni, was a better choice. Working with d'management, she has booked shows for 3.1 Phillip Lim, House of Holland, Boy by Band of Outsiders, Trovata, Tracy Reese, Sonia Rykiel, Halston, Michael Kors, DKNY, Rachel Comey, Marc by Marc - a perfect blend of the major and the cool. Her campaign and editorial work includes V Magazine, Bazaar, Interview and Lacoste's current spring/summer campaign. She has quirky intelligence to her look and is only going to get bigger and bigger.


I'd recommend checking out the wonderful models.com and COACD for more on your favorites and new discoveries.



Photos courtesy of The Fashion Spot, Supermodels.nl, MIXitup.nl, Lexposure.net, V Magazine and Asian Models.