Elite Model Look 97 finals

Russian fashion models begin their careers in cinema
Last weekend, the Russian final of the world's leading modeling competition, Elite Model Look, took place at the Pushkinsky cinema. The models competed for two hours for the right to represent our country at the autumn international finals in Nice. However, only the winners of the Russian final from the Moscow region and Rostov-on-Don will continue to fight for the coveted first place (as is known, guaranteeing a two-year contract with the Elite agency and $150 thousand).

The current Russian final of the popular international modeling competition has become a revelation for professionals. It turned out that over the seven years of the competition (unlike other model competitions, Elite Model Look is held regularly in Russia), we have formed a new generation of girls who meet current world standards of beauty. Which, by the way, was discussed by all the members of the jury, the most prominent representatives of which this time were Vyacheslav Zaitsev, the winner of the last international Elite competition Diana Kovalchuk, Lyudmila Isaeva-Malakhova (seven years ago she was the first of our models to receive several Vogue covers at once) and a scout -Director of the Elite agency Domenic Caffa.
“Our girls will soon replace everyone here,” said Vyacheslav Zaitsev, a guest at the latest Paris fashion shows, about our models. “Wherever you go, there are all our models. Young, beautiful, it’s nice to look at them. But what’s surprising is the ‘old guard’ (speech It’s about 23-24 year old models who also participated in haute couture shows. - Kommersant) doesn’t lag behind the new one. Our “old ladies” are still very good and are not inferior to either the French or the English.”
According to the jury, each of the 21 participants, having learned a little how to walk and hold themselves on the podium, is already capable of working at prestigious shows. However, this circumstance forced the professionals to work hard, while a year ago the jury without much difficulty determined that the main contender for victory should be Diana Kovalchuk. By the way, among the current participants there were girls similar to Diana, but nevertheless obviously inferior to this new hope Elite, whose grace and beauty were especially noted by top model Linda Evangelista, who predicted a great future for the young model.
The winners, brown-haired Liza Shmakova (from Rostov-on-Don) and blonde Elena Buneeva (from the Moscow region), on the contrary, were very different from Diana. And this, in the opinion of the president of the Red Stars agency (organizer of the Russian Elite final), gave them certain advantages in the fight. It often happened at competitions that a girl did not reach the finals only because she looked like an already successful model. And sometimes the career of a little-known model was hampered by the claims of her well-known competitor: for example, Naomi Campbell, famous for her scandalous temper, at the age of 21, persistently demanded that the Elite management part with a younger dark-skinned model, in Naomi’s opinion, copying her manners and appearance. And since the “black pearl” had a special place in the agency, her claims were satisfied.
Young age is another important barrier for an aspiring model. The real star of the current competition was the still very young and rather clumsy red-haired Vika Mikhalevich (according to the competition organizers, she was found the day before the final). “This is real luck!” commented stylist Andrei Manovtsev on Vicki’s first appearance on the catwalk. “Another year and she will become a superstar in the manner of Kate Moss, Stella Tennant, Joddie Kidd. Although even today she can work quite successfully in advertising. The company will be lucky, who will enter into a contract with her."
By the way, the current finale turned out to be especially rich in secular characters, and especially in stylists, fashion designers and fashion photographers. Literally all prominent representatives of the domestic fashion world considered it their duty to appear in Pushkinsky, at least for a short time. This is what, for example, Valentin Gneushev, Yulia Dalakyan, Andrei Manovtsev and Natalya Naftalieva did (according to them, they stopped at Pushkinsky between important matters). But even in passing, professionals who looked at the competition noted the high level of organization of the current final and the significant capabilities of the reconstructed Pushkinsky cinema - a new and very successful meeting place for representatives of the Russian fashion world.

NATALIA Kommersant-ORLOVA

Newspaper "Kommersant" No. 125 dated 08/05/1997, p. 6