This elegant breakfast tray belongs to model Thylane Blondeau’s Instagram page. Now 15 , Thylane — who has been hailed as the next Kate Moss — is lensed briefly by Eric Guillemain for Teen Vogue. I can’t count how many young girls have been called the ‘next Kate Moss’ this year. The phrase sells magazines — which is no denial of Blondeau’s poise and beauty.

It’s four years ago since Thylane stirred major controversy, appearing in a ‘shocking’ editorial lensed by Tom Ford for then editor-in-chief’s Carine Roitfeld’s Vogue Paris. A front page Google search of Blondeau still finds that controversy on Google results page 1.

Many industry insiders reported that the Tom Ford editorial led to the firing of Carine Roitfeld, an AOC favorite. (Vogue Paris is a shadow of its former self under the conservative, rocker-chic-loving, singular vision Emmanuelle Alt.)

Thylane’s images for Teen Vogue strike a beautiful balance of age and sophistication, and there is no doubt that she has a fashion model future. More thoughts on teen models after Thylane’s pics.

The Sweet Young Things Are Back In Action

Writing for the Financial Review, New York Times editor Vanessa Friedman shares her thoughts in Young models back on parade and in the lens again.

In spite of all the protestations from the fashion world about responsibility, the latest crop of hot new models are baby faces.

Sophia Mechetner, 14, on the runway for Dior. A season after the more mature figure was widely celebrated in ad campaigns, the fashion pendulum has, it seems, swung dramatically back towards youth. NYT“It’s not a fairy tale; it’s a cliche,” says Sara Ziff, founder of the Model Alliance, discussing fashion’s favourite new narrative, that of a 14-year-old Israeli (Sophia Mechetner) who went to Paris in search of a modelling career, met designer Raf Simons in a Dior store and ended up opening the Dior couture show this month. “It’s once again using girls to sell clothes to women.”

Coming on the heels of a season when mature women — as old as Joan Didion and Joni Mitchell — appeared in ad campaigns, the fashion industry may again be saying ” … been there, done that … as the pendulum swings to the sweet young things.

With Dior discovering Sofia Mechetner, Chanel has embraced Lily-Rose Depp, 16, daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis. Note that 16 is prime model age even for all the 21 global Vogues who have lived up to the Conde Nast commitment on young models. Any debate of age 16 being too young to model is a lost cause.

Carine Roitfeld used Kaia Gerber, daughter of Cindy Crawford in a photo spread for the September issue of CR Fashion Book. She’s 13. Friedman writes:

“We’re back in the days of Brooke Shields declaring, at age 15 (and in the 1980s): “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing,” and the 1990s world of photographer Corinne Day, a teenage Kate Moss and the waif. Almost two decades later, isn’t it time we moved on?”

Stay tuned. ~ Anne

Pics from the Thylane Blondeau editorial that landed Carine Roitfeld in big trouble.