Abbey Lee Kershaw
Birthday: June 12, 1987
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
Agencies: Next, Chic
Abbey Lee Kershaw may have the big, wide-set blue eyes and sweet, angelic face of a child, but she’s the season’s rebel. She flashed her nipple ring beneath a sheer blouse at Calvin Klein, and wore her nose ring in other shows. And yet, that didn’t stop her from walking the more lady-like runways—Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, and Lanvin. Towering at nearly six feet, she was an exclusive at Gucci in Milan, and opened Givenchy.
Amanda Laine
Birthday: February 12, 1992
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Agencies: Supreme, Women
In December 2007, Amanda Laine was just a teenager (albeit a preternaturally tall one) grousing about her skinny legs. Then a model scout spotted her at a basketball game, entered her in V magazine and Supreme Model Management’s “V a Model!” contest, and next thing you know, she’s walking Alexander Wang in New York. In Europe, her strong jaw and bow-shaped pout stood out at Miu Miu, Alexander McQueen, and Louis Vuitton. “It happened so fast,” says Laine of her unusually quick rise, “and without the stress of waiting for a response from agencies based on your picture.” Lucky.
Karlie Kloss
Birthday: August 3, 1992
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Agencies: Next, Why Not
Karlie Kloss has a particular look—zombie-eyed expression, hypnotic head sway, and a slouchy strut atypical of the usual runway walk. And yet, it took her all the way through shows like Rodarte, Versace, and Marni, which she opened. Designers weren’t put off by Kloss’s unusual stance; this former ballerina was in an exhausting 64 shows.
Jourdan Dunn
Birthday: August 3, 1990
Hometown: London, England
Agencies: Women, Storm
In February, Jourdan Dunn was the first black model to walk Miuccia Prada’s runway in at least eight years. She’s garnering comparisons to Naomi Campbell, but Dunn is more delicate gamine than powerful glamazon. In addition to Prada, Dunn walked for Valentino, Vera Wang, and Carolina Herrera.