Charlotte for Britain’s Next Top Model

As a devoted fan of America’s Next Top Model, I’ve never been as big a fan of the British version (past posts excepted), but this current series is definitely the best yet.

The challenges have been imaginative, Elle is by far the better host (let’s face it, it is Britain’s TOP Model after all) and frankly, the mix of girls has been spot on. There is one for every girl to identify with and every guy to lust over, no matter what your type is.

However, there is one true shining star of this show and my winner by a country mile: Charlotte.

I don’t quite know what it is, an infectious energy, constant positivity or the fact that Julien had a go at her size (I mean, PLEASE) but I’m rapidly forming a rapid girl crush on this girl. Move over Emma Watson. Enter Charlotte Holmes.

And what’s more, for the first time EVER, BNTM is showing the final LIVE and apparently, we get to be the judges. How cool is that?! Put it in your diary now girls (4th October) and get your Blackberries/iPhones at the ready. Because this girl just has to win.

Emma Watson IS Burberry Spring 2010

(c) Testino for Burberry - Emma Watson poses with brother, Alex

Oh to be a Watson. What genes. And come to that, jeans too.

Sharing the sibling love this season is Harry Potter star and muse to fashionistas around the globe Emma Watson, with baby brother Alex (pictured above).

Not content with the Watson name taking centre stage in the AW09 campaign for the label, Emma was joined by younger sibling Alex on the Mario Testino/Christopher Bailey shoot for SS10. With gorgeous results.

Joining them this season are musicians George Craig (of Brit band One Night Only) and Matt Gilmour (son of Pink Floyd’s David) along with upcoming model/IT-boy Max Hurd.

Loving how she gets her brother to carry her stash

Em with Matt Gilmour, and model Max Hurd

And with One Night Only's frontman George Craig

Though according to Grazia, this is not 17-year old Alex’s first foray into modelling, nor is he a stranger to the Burberry brand. Currently the face of Burberry’s Beat for Men fragrance, Alex was apparently also rated in GQ‘s best dressed men of 2009. And at 17, thus technically not yet a man, that is no small feat.

Also worth checking out the behind-the-scenes vid from the shoot (also courtesy of Grazia) with George Craig’s very own vocal talents providing the backing music. Darn WordPress won’t let me embed as usual, but the thumbnail below will take you right there.

Click on the image to watch the video

When Vanity Fair captured the Olsens’ innocence

I haven’t seen my favourite twins around the place much lately (which I am hoping means they are hard at work on their various film and fashionista projects, instead of providing the usual cannon fodder for paparazzi), so I thought I’d add a little dedication here.

During some Twitter page updates this morning, I came across a reminder of the fab ‘Raining Teens’ cover feature in Vanity Fair (July 2003), where the twins were included in VF’s latest Young Hollywood photoshoot (always my very favourite issue of the year). The pic below pic adorned my bedroom wall for quite some time – in fact, the whole shoot was an indulgent homage to the fresh-faced, saccharine-sweet young teens dominating the pop culture market at the time. And now it adorns my Twitter wall instead.

© Vanity Fair 2003 / Mark Seliger

Aside from the Olsens, the VF feature in question saw the magazine become – for one special issue only – ‘Teen Vanity Fair’ in order to highlight the burgeoning talents in Hollywood at the time. Some of them have seemingly disappeared off the radar completely (well, to those of us who don’t subscribe to the Disney Channel at least) whereas others have reached the dizzy echelons of super-stardom, hitting headlines with varying degrees of credibility. Evan Rachel Wood, Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan, Shia LaBoeuf, Alexis Bledel, Amanda Bynes and the three Harry Potter kids (as they were then) all feature.

The full story and the complete image portfolio are still worth checking out now, both for the impressive creative art direction and a nostalgic reminder of what these kids were like in their pre-criminal record/rehab/drug habit days. Aw, bless.

© Vanity Fair 2003 / Mark Seliger