In New York that Calvin exclusive has emerged as a major star-making platform (Irina K, Karlie Kloss, Toni Garrn Ali Stephens being Calvin XCL emeritus) .

Toni Garrn and Katrin Thormann Vogue Italia Nov 08 PH Meisel

After her one season stint as the face of Calvin Collection quite a few punters were ready to put Ms Garrn in the "short-lived" category. But today at lunch one of my devoted Hiss Squaders whispered in my ear that there was a major plan by a very directional client being built around Garrn

TI Friday,August 1, 2008.

Sigrid and Geidre for Prada SS09

extreme lengths one after the other
something to do with strong construction
a lot of play with the idea of bras in the styling
excess strapping and belting
seperates fused in a strange way
a really washed fabric..super soft super-light
suede
layered skirting

The Hiss Squad Predictions for Prada SS 09 on Sat Sept 20th

Toni Garrn is about to be given serious direction PH: Knöpfel & Indlekofer. for German Vogue

IMG Pernille is a shoe-in for Top 10 Newcomer SS09

Late last year I had the fun opportunity to hang out with Toni Garrn while interviewing her for Spur Japan. It was just me and my shaky hand-held Flip, Toni and the natural light spilling through the windows of Women offices in NY. In this clip Toni describes the moment she found out she would be the face of Calvin Klein SS08. Now here's a girl that million dollar dreams are made of.

Toni Garrn as the height of Teutonic Android Chic :Image via thefashionspot

Andre J +Carolyn Murphy /IMG: Vogue Paris: Nov 07: Bruce Weber

Gemma Ward : In the Days When She Walked Shows

At Haru while having lunch with the nicest model manager you could imagine, the following happened. As usual, the talk had turned to agency gossip. Not malicious, or particularly competitive but just...idle. " Yeah and Gemma Ward's been looking particularly happy these days". he said in a fairly loud voice, "Cause as we all know she's not always the happiest camper" I sat facing the door, so I could see, literally as he spoke the approaching figure of...Gemma Ward, in these little denim hot pants and a totally non-descript tank top with that model staple, an army coat thrown over it. She looked great, tall and slimmer than the last time we glimpsed her with long tousled blonde hair, looking very much like a beautiful teenaged tourist. She was with her IMG agent. I completely blanched and my lunch companion followed my eyeline to its conclusion. At that point we burst out laughing.If this were a scene in a movie, the audience would go..."Yeah Right!" Poor Gemma probably felt over scrutinized at this point and whether under the weight of our gaze or by pure chance, Maja and Gemma soon elected to take an outside table. I waved hello as they went by and left it at that.

Pilar from the Supreme SS08 showpackage as seen exclusively at MDC

I spent much of the morning of August 23rd circling the Soho/Chinatown district that surrounded the Women/Supreme offices, intent on being the first client to nab the Supreme show package. I was literally sitting in La Esquina, downstairs when I got the text that the damn thing had finally arrived. When I got to Paul Rowland's office, the scale of the production left me gobsmacked. An army of assistants were compiling these massive cards into huge black photographer's boxes, neatly wrapping the whole proposition with a black grosgain ribbon. "Now this is what you called boutique," I thought. I fled like a thief to the MDC offices to make sure that package got a priority scanning and uploading!
Sure enough, next day, the phone rings and its a symphony of dismissal and sniping. "Unnecassary" "pretentious" "over-done" were some of the more polite bleating that went one. But I love excess as much as I love discipline and was moved as to how commited and also how mad the whole production Paul had wrought, really was.