For me, 14 was a noteworthy age, with fashion yet to be discovered underneath a mountain of homework, spots and heartbreak. Chanel was just a girl in the year below me who smelt of tomato soup and Givenchy was a bunch of mispronounced letters across mum's perfume bottle that i was specifically instructed to stop spraying without permission...
Halfway across the globe and almost seven years short of my encounter with this decisive age, a young girl named Hailee Steinfeld greets the mighty milestone of 14. Although perhaps met with the same enthusiasm and emotional apprehension, i suspect that Hailee and I would share very little resemblance beyond the numeric parallel of that age- you know, her being a huge Oscar nominated film star and all that.
Furthermore, it seems that Hailee's relationship with fashion has blossomed much earlier than mine, burgeoning with enough passion and maturity to secure a momentous flourish as she grows. In Prada stripes and Marchesa frills, she retains a youthful zest and her age becomes meaningless; drowned in irrelevance by a demure and mellow grace.
Following a trend to out-grow your years, Miss Steinfeld is just the newest affliate in the cavalcade of creepy Couture kids, alongside; Elle and Dakota Fanning, Chloe Moretz, Lourdes Leon and Willow Smith. Nevertheless, Hailee has taken no time to overstep her peers in an eminent advance as the new face of Miu Miu. As the youngest ever poster-girl for Prada's little sister label, Hailee's ad for the a/w 2012 collection will be unveiled in August, towering upon billboards and littering magazine pages amongst the most prestigious names in modelling.
Nay-sayers have, of course, raised their bitter heads, opposing Miu Miu's controversial manoeuvre. In addition to branding this as means of "furthering the sexualisation of children", they have also argued that Hailee's undeveloped physique will serve as an irresponsible influence upon fashion concious young women. With regard to these hateful comments, i believe that most mature human beings, with any sense of cultivated intellect, will correctly identify that a gangly limbed, pre-pubescent girl is by no means the physical ideal. As a global community, i am assured that we have enough social, cultural, and personal awareness to recognise that Hailee is merely modelling the clothes and youthful essence of the brand.
After all, age has become hollow and void in fashion with the resurgence of older supermodels like Stella Tennant and the emergence of fresher faces like Lindsey Wixson; who congregate together, embracing fashion for its inclusivity, rather than restrictions. Enhancing this movement is Marc Jacobs, whose new ad campaign for Louis Vuitton exposes a gang of younger models, uniformed in risqué adult attire, to render the insignificance of age. This message is also further empowered by last year's ad, featuring 46 year old Kristen McMenamy with 23 year old Freja Beha Erichsen, whose duplicated appearance, drove an understanding of equality, deeper than stereotyped age constraints.
(louis vuitton a/w 2012)
(louis vutton s/s 2011)
Halfway across the globe and almost seven years short of my encounter with this decisive age, a young girl named Hailee Steinfeld greets the mighty milestone of 14. Although perhaps met with the same enthusiasm and emotional apprehension, i suspect that Hailee and I would share very little resemblance beyond the numeric parallel of that age- you know, her being a huge Oscar nominated film star and all that.
Furthermore, it seems that Hailee's relationship with fashion has blossomed much earlier than mine, burgeoning with enough passion and maturity to secure a momentous flourish as she grows. In Prada stripes and Marchesa frills, she retains a youthful zest and her age becomes meaningless; drowned in irrelevance by a demure and mellow grace.
Following a trend to out-grow your years, Miss Steinfeld is just the newest affliate in the cavalcade of creepy Couture kids, alongside; Elle and Dakota Fanning, Chloe Moretz, Lourdes Leon and Willow Smith. Nevertheless, Hailee has taken no time to overstep her peers in an eminent advance as the new face of Miu Miu. As the youngest ever poster-girl for Prada's little sister label, Hailee's ad for the a/w 2012 collection will be unveiled in August, towering upon billboards and littering magazine pages amongst the most prestigious names in modelling.
Nay-sayers have, of course, raised their bitter heads, opposing Miu Miu's controversial manoeuvre. In addition to branding this as means of "furthering the sexualisation of children", they have also argued that Hailee's undeveloped physique will serve as an irresponsible influence upon fashion concious young women. With regard to these hateful comments, i believe that most mature human beings, with any sense of cultivated intellect, will correctly identify that a gangly limbed, pre-pubescent girl is by no means the physical ideal. As a global community, i am assured that we have enough social, cultural, and personal awareness to recognise that Hailee is merely modelling the clothes and youthful essence of the brand.
After all, age has become hollow and void in fashion with the resurgence of older supermodels like Stella Tennant and the emergence of fresher faces like Lindsey Wixson; who congregate together, embracing fashion for its inclusivity, rather than restrictions. Enhancing this movement is Marc Jacobs, whose new ad campaign for Louis Vuitton exposes a gang of younger models, uniformed in risqué adult attire, to render the insignificance of age. This message is also further empowered by last year's ad, featuring 46 year old Kristen McMenamy with 23 year old Freja Beha Erichsen, whose duplicated appearance, drove an understanding of equality, deeper than stereotyped age constraints.
(louis vuitton a/w 2012) (louis vutton s/s 2011)
Great post! These images are amazing!I think that as long as younger models are handled with the respect they deserve and styled appropriately to their age, then it is perfectly fine to include them in the fashion world!
ReplyDeleteVery thought provoking!
Love C x