I picked up the February issue of Elle (not because of the cover I might add) to find the most wonderful shoot featuring the gorgeous (is there any other word for her?) Chanel Iman. Born to a Korean mother and African-American father, at just 20, she's already been working as a model for six years. She was signed by Ford Models in LA at 12 years old and over the years of castings and catwalks has proved herself to be a real "super" with the ultimate model trophy - a prestigious contract with Victoria's Secret. Chanel Iman is calling the shots now!
I was immediately drawn to the Elle Spring/Summer 2011 shoot because of the simplicity of the styling and studio location; the looks are all so so clean and plain to see - it's all about the clothes, with a very high fashion, yet very pretty model to show them off. One minute, Iman is doing "fierce" in Georgio Armani and Maison Michel, next she's snapped laughing in Miu Miu - perfect!
The accompanying interview gave an insight into Iman's personality, which seemed to confirm the idea of a bubbly, fun, smiling young woman. So much so, that perhaps she seemed still to be very young, despite having worked in a tough industry for six years already. A better word might be naive, which, actually, to find in a successful and very beautiful woman, is quite refreshing. Just like her pictures.
Above: images from top to bottom from the February issue of UK Elle:
Image 1 - all Lanvin; Image 2 - Georgio Armani dress and skirt, Maison Michel head piece; Image 3 - Fendi, vintage sunglasses by Arckiv; Image 4 - Miu Miu, bag by Jimmy Choo.
