Catherine McNeil

This young Australian model recently went from being a slightly masculine pretty girl who liked to fix motorcycles to an It Girl. Mario Testino, with whom she signed a 6-month exclusive contract last May, had a lot to do with it.

Their collaboration could be a blessing to Catherine McNeil's future fashion career, in the image of the big model/photographer duos like Steven Meisel/Linda Evangelista (whose resemblance to McNeil is somewhat troubling). The Testino/McNeil duo may very well cause fireworks; the combination of an artistic eye and a model's aura often leads to success for both. One improves his style and the other moves up in the ranks with every photo.

Testino experienced a veritable shock when he discovered a few Polaroids of McNeil that were sent to him by her agency. "I just said to myself, 'Wow, this girl is incredible! I see beautiful girls all the time, but most of them do not work more than one season. I look for something that goes further than appearance, because when you photograph a girl, if she is photogenic, you have a beautiful photo, but nothing more.

If, on the other hand, the girl gives off something else, something intimate and unique, then you have something sublime, timeless, that can sometimes be captured by the camera. I sincerely believe that Catherine has that something extra that will make her an extraordinary model." In order to have the privilege of introducing her to the world, Testino offered her an exclusive contract.

A risky gamble? Perhaps, but this is not Testino's first try. He was the first one to believe in Gisèle Bundchen when everyone found her Amazonian physique unappealing. He was the first to photograph Kate Moss and made her into what she is today. He was also the one who taught Carolyn Murphy to walk in order to put her on the catwalks.

Testino does not make mistakes, and McNeil has found her lucky star. But what about her life before her path crossed Testino's? McNeil spent her adolescence in Australia, between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. School did not interest her; she preferred to spend her afternoons tinkering with her father's cars rather than doing her homework.

She wanted to become a mechanic; however, her destiny had other plans in mind for her. In 2003, she found herself in the Australian Model Search; she won -- she was 14 at the time. She continued her schooling while participating in Sydney's fashion week and posing for different advertisements.

At 17, she moved to Sydney to be closer to her management, The Chic Model Agency. Then she decided to take off for New York (accompanied by her grandmother) to find other contracts. She was quickly noticed and appeared in many ad campaigns, including Zimmerman, Cue, Simona, Alannah Hill, Myer, Colorado and Myer, and made an appearance in Vogue US.

She traveled constantly between Paris-Sydney, Milan-Sydney and New York-Sydney. She was booked in almost all the Fall-Winter 2007-2008 shows, e.g., Roberto Cavalli, Etro, Pucci, Versace, Fendi, Dior, Valentino, Stella McCartney, Christian Lacroix, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Chanel and Balenciaga.

McNeil was the event of the season. Her particular face, athletic build and youthful presence made her "the girl to watch" according to Vogue U.S. Then came Testino's offer, the cover of V magazine, and the Dolce&Gabbana and Hugo Boss ad campaigns. More recently, she co-starred with Kate Moss for Versace's campaign.

Everyone was excited about her, from Conde Nast's Domino's editor-in-chief who proclaimed that she would put everything on McNeil, to Harper's Bazaar's Brana Wolk who added, "She walks well, she is tall and has the little something that makes her attractive and mysterious." The New York Times preferred her to the Slavic girls who (in their opinion) were too popular on the catwalks. The vote for McNeil was quasi- unanimous, and she was only 18.

When she is asked about her fashion preferences, she replies with sincerity that the profusion of shows in which she participates has left her with a pretty vague impression, but if she had to choose, she would take Stella McCartney. Catherine McNeil has tamed the god of photography and won over the most difficult fashion editors, and she seems to have good taste...