Top model considerations

[JenniferAnchor]

What makes a top model are many of the same characteristics that made top silent film stars. That almost indefinable quality that the model’s performance art blends with the designer’s creation in a way that can sometimes take your breath away. Kroes has it. Trentini has it. But many of the celebrated so-called top models don’t have it. That’s not to mean that they are untalented, it usually means that their performance art talents are limited, and that translates to a poor showing with some clothing, and often, a spectacular showing with clothes that match their talents. This can be amply demonstrated by Trentini’s recent GAP photo which took mass-produced very unhigh fashion items and brought out the best with face and mannerisms. You can see it at http://www.gapinc.com/public/images/...NE_5006_US.JPG

The best top models are really appreciated by their work, not by the media hype afforded them. Sometimes you have to look at performance artists in other fields to get a sense of excellence. In dance there was Nijinsky and, perhaps even better, Mikhail Baryshnikov. I saw the latter on stage as a teen and his art took my breath away, and I mean that literally. I stopped breathing while watching him. There was Mary Pickford, a silent movie star whose performances were so striking that they are studied today. So it is with top models. Only a few bring a Baryshnikovesque talent to their art. Yet, to be a conniseur of the fine art that top fashion models display, requires a sense of appreciation and education on the part of the appraiser. It is sad that too many critics in the media lack these necessary qualities and rely on the handouts of publicists and agencies to form their opinions. Because of this, the term “top model” has become degraded by the inclusion of highly promoted run-of-the-mill clothes-horses.