DOLCE AND GABBANA SPRING 2011 CAMPAIGN

Featuring the usual suspects in their Spring 2011 campaign, Dolce & Gabbana hired Steven Klein once again to shoot. David Gandy, Noah Mills, Sam Webb and a favorite of mine, Tony Ward are depicted in yet another old-worldly scene. Pushing boats this season, it seems. Can we anticipate another nautical theme?
Image from thefashionisto

Model Minute with Eric Bester

You are the new face for Stiaan Louw Menswear, how do you feel about that?

I love it! I first worked with Stiaan back in 08 when I featured in his show at Cape Town fashion week and was fascinated with his clothing. When he asked me to be the face of the 6 summer campaign I was all in. The new range is amazing to say the least and I am honoured to be the face of the campaign.

You are still studying, is that correct? How do you find time to juggle a modeling career and studying full time?

Yes, I’m busy finishing up my second year of B.Comm Management Sciences (marketing and logistics) at the University of Stellenbosch as we speak. It can be difficult getting through to town sometimes, especially in season when I have exams, but the bookers at Boss Models are the best and really try help me out as much as possible. 

How did you land up in modeling?

Well, I was at a school sportsday when I was about fourteen, I had blue braces and a mop of blonde hair when Linda from Boss came over and told me she would like me to join the agency. I went over there a week later and have loved it ever since.

Certain models can be catagorized by their look, what would you say yours is?

I don’t want to be catagorised into any specific look, I want to do it all. However, since Laurence Ellise shot me a few years ago for one small seed styling a 1920’s haircut, the clients have loved that ever since.

What would you like to achieve through your modeling?

The big dream is to finish up my studies and then model full time. I want to do a lot of travelling through my modeling, experience the world and shoot amazing pics with the best photographers around.

Where is Eric Bester in 5 years?

Well, I will be 25 years old and in the prime of my life. Hopefully travelling around the world, shooting campaigns, doing shows and just living every day experiencing what the universe has in store for me.

Outside of a world where you have a stylist and someone doing your hair, how do you dress?

I am usually very chilled, on a normal day it’s just jeans, a vest and some slops and I’m out the door.

Where do you shop for clothing?

Being a student I don’t do as much shopping as I would like to. However, Stiaan’s new range is making its way into my closet so I’ll be joining your best dressed men in the near future.

Is there any job you would flat out refuse to do?

Work is work, I’m comfortable in my skin and trust my agency’s judgment so if they book me for a job I’ll do it. I don’t have many inhibitions. Let’s shoot! 

What has modeling taught you about yourself?

Modeling has taught me to be confident. It has taught me how to present myself and to be comfortable with who I am as an individual. Last minute castings have also taught me a few F1 driving skills.

Model Minute with Warren McAslen

Born on Friday the 13th of July 1979, Warren McAslen has had a modeling career anything but jinxed for failure. Unfortunately this could not apply to a promising career in football that was cut short after two knee operations. His taste for travel and modeling opportunities lead him all around the world but McAslen decided his home-base would be Cape Town.  I caught up with him this weekend as he appears on the coveted cover spot of Men's Health. 

Firstly, congratulations on your October cover of Men's Health! What is that feeling like, considering all the fitness modeling you've done before?

It's a fantastic feeling of achievement as far as men's magazines are concerned.  I believe Men's Health is the pinnacle. It was one of my goals to get onto the front cover by the age of 30 and I'm 31 now, so im really thrilled.

There are a lot of Cape Town boys who are scouted for modeling that probably never considered the career before, how did it happen to you?

I was 21 and out at a club (Jet Lounge I think) and a guy came up to me, gave me his business card and told me he was a model scout and to give him a call, which i did. We met up for coffee, he showed me his portfolio and gave me an option of 3 differant agencies to join and thats how it all started for me.

You have quite the catalog of T.V commercials, would you say (despite the obvious pay difference) that they are more fulfilling than regular print and catwalk modeling? 

It's weird, in the beginning I always enjoyed the acting and tv commercials way more than the print work. I guess because I wasn't totally comfortable with it. However, nowadays I love doing them both. I have a huge appreciation for how lucky I am to be in this game. The catwalk stuff is a totally differant ball-game, particularly if it's a big show. There's so much more exitement and adrenaline backstage and in a few seconds its all over. It's brilliant.

While many people enjoy modeling as a way to earn a good money while traveling extensively it doesn't always pan out for everyone. Do you have any horror stories of your modeling career?

Fortunetly I've been quite lucky. It's not to say I haven't worked with some difficult people or haven't had a job I couldn't wait to finish. I did  a commercial once with a 2 year old girl who didnt want to be with anyone but her mom, that was pretty tough on everyone on set, it was booked as a 1 day shoot and went on to become 3 days.

On the flip side, what would you say was the highlight of your career?

Wow, there have been so many. Men's Health is obviously way up there, but I have been lucky enough to do the 'Positive Rocks show' at Sun City alongside Seal and John Legend, I've been pushed into a pool by Charlize Theron for a sun international commercial, I opened Dirk Bikkembergs 2010/2011 Spring Fashion Show for Milan and shot the catalog. 

But my best was being selected for the Marlboro Cigarette World Wide Campaign. I got flown business class to Buenos Aires and shot a stills and a tv commercial for 3 days. It was one of those jobs that came out of the blue, casting on the Saturday, confirmed on the Sunday and flew out on the Monday morning. It was surreal.

I've learned that some of the best local male models are not content with just modeling. You have a business on the side that keeps you very busy, right?

Yes i do. I have a 9-5 like most people, I'm just lucky enough to be able to sneak in the odd shoot or two. I'm a part owner of the family business DEMCA, we import valve actuators (look it up on Google) from around the world, we sell them, install, service and repair them. One minute I'm in a business meeting, the next I'm on site and the next I'm rushing off to a speedo casting. It can all be a bit crazy sometimes but it keeps me level headed and grounded.

Is there anything that you have outright refused to do on a shoot? If not what would that be?

Again I must be one of the fortunate ones. As I'm in a serious relationship I stay away from the hot and steamy castings, but I guess i wouldn't do anything that would jeopardise my name or career. I love doing my own stunt work, but again if there's a slight chance I could die by doing it, I say call in the pros. 

People might not know this but you are a genuinely nice and humble guy, do you think this has helped you in your career?

The modeling industry is just like any other industry. There are people you enjoy working with and then there are those that you only want to work with once. I think having a good attitude, being polite and just being a nice guy goes along way to being booked again and again by the same client.

What was the first major splurge you enjoyed from your earnings?

One of the first commercials I booked paid for my trip over to the States. I coached soccer in New York for three months and then headed over to Canada for a few weeks. That was when I realized I should treat this like a business.

What do the next five years look like for Warren Mc Aslen?

Well I hope to have secured a job as a presenter on TV. Become the face of a clothing or fragrance campaign, a succesful business that keeps providing an excellant standard of service to a growing client base. I'd be happily married with a child and the 2nd one on the way, but who knows what life throws at me as long as I'm healthy and happy.

Is there anything that you wish people would know about this industry? 

I wish people had a better idea of how hard it can be to be a model; constantly having to put up with rejection, sitting at castings for 2 to 3 hours only for the client to look at you up and down, flash through your portfolio and to shout out NEXT!... working in very tense enviroments when you are on set, with a hundred eyes watching you waiting for you to take the perfect sip from your beer or drink, whilst giving a slight smile and just a tiny raise of the eyebrow... and all this as the sun sets in the background. At the end of the day it's a job.

Bloomingdale’s Fall 2010 Style Guide featuring Noah Mills

Noah Mills of Wilhelmina heads up the Fall 2010 Style Guide for Bloomingdales. Featuring a mostly dark array of relaxed looks styled by Michael Kucmeroski. I particularly enjoy the shawl necks and cashmere overcoat that Mills is wearing. 

Images from chimera87

Sean O' Pry for 7th Man magazine

His face is quite the commodity today. He can boast covers  and editorials with numerous magazines and campaigns with Emporio Armani, Uniqlo and Calvin Klein to name (with all seriousness) just a few.

In this months 7TH Man Magazine Sean O' Pry is styled by Julie Ragolia for the cover (which includes an editorial)  shot by Randall Mesdon. 

Numero Homme feat. Jon Kortajarena

Numero Homme in their latest issue treat the ladies to a fall editorial featuring Jon Kortajarena. Liz Collins photographs the Español model in a tree and makes it look easy. Chunky knits, grandad tops and pleats. Almost makes me wish Winter was staying around a bit longer. I said Almost.

The David Gandy Style Guide

Trust supermodel David Gandy to come up with this idea. An iPhone application he aptly calls the "The David Gandy StyleGuide" in which he aims to help the unfashionable or the fashionably timid learn a thing or two. Guess he has yet to hear of Man of the Cloth...

In other DG news, GQ.com just released a fantastic interview with the model going into some nice detail about his fashion loves and loathes.

The David Gandy Style Guide is available to download now from iTunes, priced £3.99. Read his blog on Vogue.com. davidgandystyleguide.com

Jon Kortajarena for David Yurman 2010

Photographed by Peter Lindbergh for David Yurman's 2010 campaign is none other than model-great Jon Kortajarena.

Joop! Real men wear pink

In a retelling of sorts for the fragrance JOOP! HOMME Photographer Ellen von Unwerth snaps up Clint Mauro and Bianca Balti for Fall/Winter 2010

Hedi Slimane and Jeff Aquilon for Vman #19

Hedi Slimane is a photographer famous for taking beautiful photo's of young athletic male models in editorials. 26 years ago, "the worlds first male supermodel" Jeff Aquilon was one of those boys.  Now back in 2010 he returns to modeling with a feature in Vman #19 (for which Josh Brolin is the cover model) which hit stores today. The third image is was taken back in 1984 by Bruce Weber and featured in Vman #9. It certainly shows you don't lose the ability to pose 30 years after the fact.

Are you Ready for Summer?

STRONG SUITS






PUBLISHED IN DETAILS MAGAZINE JUNE 2010
Matthias Vriens-McGrath - Photographer
Oriol Elcacho - Model
Ruben Cortada - Model
Timothy Reukauf - Fashion Editor/Stylist
Bertrand W - Hair Stylist

Model Minute

Antony Jerram from Red model management heads the 2010 Fall advertorial for Tommy Hilfiger. The ad, photographed for the September issue of GQ was styled by Michael Nash and photographed by Kurt Iswarienko. The check is a must-have shirt for the season and works very well with a suit and styled in this same way.



Having posted David Gandy only yesterday it becomes suddenly clear how similar these two models look. But forget that, where can I get that tie?

David Gandy was spotted at the V Festival on the 21st wearing a pair of Larkee jeans from Diesel. There have been mentions online that this is a new version of Levan but in fact it's a new version of Lemmen, which coincidentally I pulled out of my closet today for the first time in over a year. Maybe it's his build or the way he's standing but these jeans seem to fit him a little more snug than mine. Especially around the calf. Perhaps he had his tailored to be more slim. It's a tough denim that will need some wearing in but still a great option because it's quite a masculine build. You know, like Gandy.



Available in Diesel stores nationwide! (021 425 5779)

(Gandy image: fashionisto)

Justin Wu get's Chad to dance

David Gandy proves he isn't just another pretty boy

The male supermodel found himself in Oxford University's esteemed Union on Monday night as fashion had a brainy moment. Gandy was joined on a panel by photographer Tony McGee, the V&A's senior curator Claire Wilcox, fashion consultant Frances Card and VOGUE.COM editor Dolly Jones to chat to the students about how to make it in an industry not usually associated with the lofty intellectualism of Oxford.

While the students were happy to hear about each of the panellist's careers and to ask plenty of questions, there was no doubt that all eyes were on Gandy - fresh from an appearance on the Friday Night With Jonathan Ross show and looking as Dolce & Gabbana-gorgeous in real life as he does in his little white pants in the ads.

Admitting that it hadn't been easy to break into the industry when he started modelling "because the trend was for skinny, androgynous guys who had bodies more like girls", the very masculine Gandy had all the women giggling like schoolgirls throughout - and the boys joined in when he told a shocking story about finding himself in someone else's hotel bathroom during a recent shoot. (Caught short and in a desperate hurry, he mistook somebody else's beach hut for his own, only to walk out of the bathroom - refreshed - to find a surprised honeymoon couple wondering what he'd been doing in there).

As well as building his own profile into one to rival any of the super-girls ("I saw a gap in the market"), Gandy has also taken it upon himself to help men for whom fashion is still a mystery. "Men are still quite scared of the connotations of looking gay, even in 2010," he said. "But dressing well can be incredibly easy. You don't have to buy a suit from the most expensive labels - you can pick one up from the high street and for an extra £20 or £30 you could have it tailored to fit you perfectly - and nothing really looks better than a tailored suit. And because we're limited to jeans, T-shirts and suits, it's important to be confident with accessories to look good and be different - it doesn't have to be difficult."

While styling might be another of his talents, however, modelling is still first and foremost. "I've managed to just about cross the line from model to celebrity which puts me up against David Beckham and Jude Law when it comes to modelling jobs," he said. "It's an amazing feeling to be on that level - but on the other hand I do kind of just think, 'I wish they'd sod off - I want those campaigns!'"

From GQ Magazine, Gandy had this to say: "There's a bit of a Zoolanderesque presumption about about who you are. And in some ways I'm trying to break that trend... [Modelling is] opening up many doors." Come in David Gandy, your time is now.



{source}

David Gandy by Greg Lotus for GQ Style Germany

Legendary model David Gandy gets snapped up in scuba-gear by photographer Greg Lotus for GQ Style Germany. These are actually some gorgeous images. We don't really know what they're selling but I bet no one really cares. I suppose Gandy really is the embodiment of masculinity and he's said to be a treat to work with. He is also very gracious to his fans. Enjoy!

{source: fashionisto}

Ooh Girl, you da man!

There's something to be said of a male model who can act this camp and still look butch. Photographed in Craig Port swimwear on the Sea Point boardwalk, local model Bryce Thompson in a 'South Beach' editorial.





Lip gloss and tiny pooch not included. Sorry.

Model Minute, Zack van der Merwe

Cape Town is known for it's male models. We have a knack for producing some of the best looking boys and girls in the world which makes modeling a viable career option. Come Summer time a flurry of models arrive for the seasons work and go again for the European Summer. Zack Van der Merwe, of Ford models gets this months 'Local Love'. He is currently in Hamburg along with many of our boys.

So how did he get into modeling then? Zack was in Cape Town visiting his girlfriend, when a friend suggested he call photographer, Byron L. Keulemans. Needless to say it went well and he was asked to join Boss, where Keulemans was working at the time.

When asked what his alternative career would be to modeling Zack is sure he would be doing triathlons since he's already such a fitness freak.

His style icon is Brad Pitt because

"he can pull of something as simple as a hoody and also kill anyone in a suit!"

and in true essence of a South African boy turned model his answer to my final question wasn't all that surprising. "Jeans, t-shirts and flip flops" sit atop the list of his favorite style items.









Email me your suggestions on a future Local Love!

MODEL MINUTE Feat. Bryce Thompsonve

With hobbies like dirt biking and paint-balling it's really no wonder how Natal native Bryce Thompson landed on not one but 3 covers of Mens Health -- although, sometimes it's just genetics, right?

Yeh, who am I kidding.

Bryce has swiftly become one of South Africa's leading male models with a lot of major work overseas (He is currently in Europe). You may have caught Bryce in the new Nivea tv Commercial alongside fellow local Janez Vermeiren.

If you want to know how to get his abs then click here












Representation: Boss Models Cape Town. Special thanks to Byron for the extra images!