Lara Stone

This young German has been making fashion headlines since 2006. The intriguing Lara Stone (think Sharon for her beauty and Vanessa for her smile) has won over the highest echelons in the fashion world. Carine Roitfeld's protégé and the darling of the hype photographers (e.g., Steven Meisel, Craig McDean, and Inez van Lamsweerde), the stormy Lara has just been put on the cover of Vogue France for March.

With a haughty yet child-like face, a mysteriously vindictive pout, an unusual walk and a model's body, Lara Stone is one of the most mentioned names in the exclusive VIP fashion circles. Her name is so well known that when she first appeared on the catwalks, everyone asked if she was related to Oliver or to Sharon; however, the young newcomer has no prestigious show-business relatives opening doors for her.

Stone was born in Germany and grew up in Holland with her German mother and Anglo-Saxon father. She was a serious student and a tomboy. Her strange, classic yet rebellious beauty, however, pushed her to enter an Elite competition at 15 that took place near her home. She was not selected, but she was scouted by a Parisian agency that proposed that she come to Paris when her studies were finished.

Over a year later, Stone found herself in Paris and began to zigzag round the city going from casting to casting. She lived the normal daily life of the "non-top models," i.e., long waits, rejections, criticisms, and cheap photo sessions. However, the young Stone, with her ethereal rock allure, believed in herself and did not give up. It was not until she was 20, however, that the Berlin IMG Agency opened the doors to her future success. She signed with the agency and became part of IMG New York.

Her time had come. The ink on her contract was still wet when she found herself booked to appear in ads for the fashion stars. Her first contract was to be the face of Sisley; then in February, she walked for Miu Miu and Cacharel in Paris. Carine Roitfeld, editor in chief of Vogue France, took notice of the newcomer's glacial beauty and slender yet curvaceous figure.

Roitfeld immediately became Stone's fairy godmother, dedicating several Vogue editorials to her, having her appear in the magazine's 2008 calendar, and offering her 2 covers. Roitfeld (Mario Testino's former collaborator) may have been among the first to recognize Stone's potential, but the fashion world was not far behind.

In 2007, she made the cover of Vogue Italy, became the icon for Calvin Klein jeans and cosmetics, walked for Givenchy as well as became the face of their ad campaign, posed for Meisel, closed numerous shows and became one of the top ten most requested models. In 2008, she posed for the Just Cavalli summer 2008 campaign and opened for Max Mara and Fendi, and closed for Diesel and Stella McCartney.

At 24, Times critic Cathy Horn called her the "anti-model", and she continued to make her way slowly but surely in the world of fashion. Less scatterbrained than Agyness Deyn and more noticeable than Raquel Zimmerman, Stone posses that air of detachment that only makes people want to get closer to her.

She is also considered the second most beautiful woman in Germany after Heidi Klum. As for her style, she prefers casual, and can wear anything she wants.