Raquel Z is Editorial 24-7

2008: Year Of The Cat

The work of photographer Kikuko Usuyama

I've worked virtually every month for two years now with photographer Kikuko Usuyama on assignment for Spur magazine shooting virtually every cool young model who comes onto the market. Yet I've never known the full spectrum of her work until she showed me these portraits she did of an 83 year old shamen.

Given her upcoming bookings Adina Forisz, the 20 year old beauty from Budapest who opened the Prada SS08 show makes her Top 50 debut on MDC today. What is impeccable about the Adina Forisz narrative is the fact that she takes her time to let her path unfold properly. I like that she's been scarce and rare and that her management has been patient in moving her across the booking chessboard. Now that she's headed to NY for the shows, there's a big swell of anticipation. I was on my way back to CDG on that final Monday of Paris Fashion Week, when I popped into the IMG Paris offices to interview Adina for MDC+ my Spur magazine It-Girl column. I had been running around Paris with a little Flip camera in my back pocket, nabbing shots here and there so I just decided to tape the Q+A with it . My friend from frillr, Fabien saw the snippets and put together this 2 minute excerpt of my Adina moment. It ain't FashionFile slick but its the day-in-the-life truth. I love it when Adina smiles. Smart girl too. Though she doesn't flaunt it, the university she goes to in Budapest is extremely prestigious and very hard to get into . Much like Prada or Miu-Miu . Stay tuned for the full print interview on MDC later today.

Agyness Deyn is looking very supermodel ! Image via frillr.com

God bless Agyness Deyn. I won't name any names but when you Q+A models for a living, that occupation can sometimes be challenging. Some girls are so young and so sweet, they say little. Not Agyness Deyn. The Mancunian icon is the single best model interview I ever did in my life. This was a Q+A we did last summer (it was a blazingly hot day in NY) at Superstudio Industria for a Spur magazine cover story that was being shot at the time. Forgive some of the references to clubs now defunct (Misshapes, Boombox) but I just wanted you to get the unedited Agyness Deyn experience. I wish you could hear her voice while we spoke. I laughed throughout the entire conversation because of that mad and adorable accent. She looked like this cute little anime figure with her blonde shock of hair standing on end like she had an electric current running through her. Agyness' vivid eyes twinkled with fun and mischief throughout the whole talk. After being stunned by her veeeery soigne and sophisticated SS08 Armani/Samsung ads as seen on frillr.com I thought it would be lovely to pull her tapes out of the archives. Here's the amazing and audacious Agyness Deyn on the record about her back story, her personal style and her plans for the future. The tape started rolling just as I was telling Aggy about the joy of growing up in NY.

TI:Its such a big city you can get a whole spectrum of experiences from it.
AD...and then again I think its so small in a way. I think , like you hang out in certain areas

Rachel Clark: Supreme is super-glam for Louis Vuitton Cruise FW 07

My God! It's almost a year since I first met Rachel Clark and look how much she's grown! Last June I Q+A'd Ms Clark for my Spur/Japan magazine model column after hearing she was on set for Louis Vuitton Cruise FW07 with M+M and Ms Grand. I love me some Rachel Clark because she is the realest model I know right this minute. Here's the abridged transcript that's the proof:

Rachel Clark first surfaced on our model-watching radar while we were visiting Miami in December 2006. Her local booker dragged the unwilling 18 year old out for an impromptu meet and greet. "She's going to be huge!" he boasted and scanning Rachel quickly you could see that all the raw materials were there...the long clean body line good for runway and the angular, beautiful face that could be painted into anything you want it to be.

But there was a hitch. It was obvious that Rachel hated the entire proposition of fashion. In her tank-top, cut-off shorts and flip-flops she was so heedless to high fashion that it seemed unlikely she would catch on in a world where personal style was a dividing mark between working and non-working models. With her nonchalant stroll, her lazy way with a cigarette and her haste to run off to play video games with her beach pals, she seemed more like an escapee from a late period Larry Clark film (think "Bully" ) than a budding super-model

Agyness Deyn Ph. Dan Martensen for Spur Japan

You can love her for fantastic way with an outfit, or her mad Mancunian accent or her fearless dancing at Bistroteque.

Agyness Deyn Ph. Dan Martensen for Spur Japan

Or you can love Ms Agyness because she's a damn good model and unafraid of the limelight. Penned this feature story on her for Spur Magazine in Japan and the first sentence reads " Its one thing to be a model. That's the easy part. But to be an emblem of your times is an entirely different thing" And we meant it too.

Agyness Deyn Ph. Dan Martensen for Spur Japan

Agy's DJ-ing tommorw night Sept 6 at Marilena Borgna's "Rock n Roll Diaries" opening at the Dactyl Foundation's space (64 Grand Street 7-9). And you know its going to be a banging good time!