Abbey Lee poses up a storm in May's Vogue China PH: David Vaseljevic

I just got off the phone with Ms Abbey Lee and her question was "Are you just waking up?" . How I wish. But I just love how organic that girl keeps everything. Hippie chicks sometimes make for the best models. Cross that with a beach girl and you get something refreshing. To balance the scale on the current perception of newer models not being captivating, TI would like to give due props to the new school of girls who are poised to give it. Our beloved Jourdan is giving it. Can't say how, why and where but trust, that girl is THERE. . I'm off now to video 1's Aline W for MDX. This Balenciaga opener has booked every chic editorial bible that you could imagine. I wonder what she'll resonate in person? But back to Abbey Le, the stealth star of the season who is also totally there. The FW08 runway record? Flawless. The editorials? Non-stop and since the speculation is in circulation, we are very curious to see what her Gucci and CK Jeans spots might look like. When Spur Japan, one of my favorite gigs, did a New Faces survey in its last issue, Abbey came out on top. I find it fascinating that Asia is proving to be such fertile booking ground for the newer generation of models. Agyness, for instance has emerged as a massive star there and I've noticed that Korea has been feeding quite a few massive money jobs for the likes of Meghan Collison. Is the market in Japan, Korea and China an example of NY modeling agencies being forced to hunt outside of the traditional trade routes for revenue? TI thinks so. I keep getting told that the It-Girl Spur column I do is very closely watched in that market for booking cues, which I find flattering and a bit confusing at the same time. Sometimes it becomes odd when people start to looking to you and your tastes as an indicator of who will be a big hit model. Take Abbey Lee for instance. It was her energy (if you'll remember it from that MDC video) that drew me in. It was so relaxed, unaffected and pure you just simply liked the girl. In all honesty I didn't even dare to predict that there would have been such a booking storm. I'm so happy she became star though. There's hope yet, no?