inoubliablemodelarmy: Quiet Achiever

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Quiet Achiever

Chicago native Ava Smith is undoubtedly the dark horse of the NYFW Fall/Winter 2012 season. Appearing in the most lucrative NYFW shows including Alexander Wang, Altuzarra, Thakoon, Richard Chai and Calvin Klein with a minimum of hype or fanfare, Smith looks primed for more blue chip bookings as the season progresses. Smith may be an all-American girl at heart but she owes her sophisticated European looks to a mix of Lithuanian, French, German, Irish and English lineage.

Modelling since 2005, Smith was represented by Elite Model Management in the early days of her career and was featured by models.com on their Ones to Watch list in 2006. The auburn haired, blue eyed beauty quickly snagged a British Vogue editorial lensed by Paolo Roversi and also appeared in Russian Vogue. After a promising start, Elite were unable to build on the initial momentum and Smith's options quickly dried up. It wasn't until 2011 however, following a switch to Wilhelmina Models, that Smith resurfaced at the Spring/Summer 2012 shows looking renewed, refreshed and relevant. Casting directors agreed, with Smith's show list for the S/S 2012 season including Preen, Helmut Lang, DKNY, Ohne Titel, Peter Pilotto, and Thierry Mugler.

I am convinced that Smith has a stunning future ahead of her. At age 22, she has a face that is memorable off-set by the most captivating, piercing blue eyes. Amongst the hundreds of models appearing at the shows, Smith is an alluring standout. Smith's unique combination of classic beauty mixed with a cool, tomboyish vibe fits in perfectly with the current aesthetic that casting directors and designers are hankering for.