Abbey Lee Kershaw: Hippy Model (With Million-Dollar Bank Account)

"An elite performer is always put under some sort of extreme pressure that the rest of society can argue and might not quite understand."

Dubbed as the "Hippy Model (with the million-dollar bank account)," rising fashion icon Abbey Lee Kershaw graces Australian television show Today Tonight and talks about the "crazy, fast life" she lives in and the controversies surrounding crazy shoes and being thin.

Now at 22, she is ranked at the top 10 models of the world, hitting the US catwalks and turning heads wherever she goes. The fashion industry loves her cool, fresh-girl image - "so laid-back, so relaxed but at the same time so fashion perfect."

"I don't know if I have a plan B. I'm just waiting for plan A to get bigger," Abbey Lee Kershaw says of her rising modeling career.

"It's crazy. It's a very fast life. I generally spent most of the time on planes, at airports, in studios, at shows - like all over the place. It's very fast. It's always something going on. You'll never really got the time to do your washing a little and... breathe."

But aside from her hippy image, Abbey Lee Kershaw's popularity has also been ironically boosted by catwalk disasters. She has tore a knee ligament when she fell in Rodarte's spring 2009 show because of the super-high heels. She has also fainted at the Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2009 Runway from the combination of the tight corset she wore and her high heels.

"Hopefully (the shoes are) going to come back down soon, because health and safety regulations have to come into play at some point," she says laughing.

Speaking of health, Abbey Lee Kershaw replies with an analogy when asked about what she feels of the pressures at the top of the industry for staying thin:

"That's like asking a bodybuilder how they feel about the pressures to be incredibly muscly. An elite performer is always put under some sort of extreme pressure that the rest of society can argue and might not quite understand."

Having her biggest season in barely two years, Abbey Lee Kershaw is seen as one those "really good models" in the industry that clients intend to keep for the long run.

Top Korean Model Daul Kim Is Found Dead!

Daul Kim, 20 years old model from Seoul, Korea, was found dead in her Paris apartment yesterday morning. The cause of her death remained unknown, but it was rumored as suicide.


As top model, Daul Kim was known for her gorgeous hair, incredible street style, and passion for telling a good story - a model with real personality. She started modeling in 2006 with impressive editorials for Korean Vogue, and was most noted for impersonating supermodel Linda Evangelista for Vogue editorial photographed by Oh Joong Seok in January 2009.

Although most of her modeling career was with Vogue, Daul Kim has also walked the runways for top designers like Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo, Alexander McQueen, and Chanel. Her recent work was with Christopher Kane for a Topshop TV commercial and a photo shoot for the fall issue of Dansk.

Daul Kim's death came as a shock, both for family, friends, and fans of the Korean model. No cause of death has been released yet, but her agents at Next has confirmed her death in a statement:

"She was a top model and a great friend to all of us at Next. Please respect her family's privacy at this time of sadness. We will all miss her very much."

Modeling aside, Daul Kim was also an active blogger. She maintained a blog called "I Like To Fork Myself." Intriguingly, she titled her last entry "say goodbye to forever." The body of the post was a video of the song "I Go Deep" by Jim Rivers. Underneath the song, she wrote "best track forever."

Daul Kim's story is just like one of those sad stories shared by not a few people who are working in the beauty industry - they started with beautiful ambition, lucky enough to enjoy success at a young age, and mysteriously ended their glamorous lives in tragic deaths.

"what i do is not a bad occupation
someone is always willing to pay.

+i would find it

tiring.

-oh no , its quite ________,
almost peaceful

no need to believe in either side

or any side

there is no courage.

theres only yourself.

the belief is your own precision"

- Daul Kim, I Like To Fork Myself, 2009/11/06

World's Top Earning Models

Despite the sluggish economy, there are those who remain unaffected - the supermodels. Thanks to their gorgeous bodies, long and lean legs, and the popularity that surrounds their names, these top models continue to make millions and gain new contracts even in the midst of the fluctuating economy.


Forbes has measured the estimated earnings of these supermodels from June 2008 through June 2009 and came up with a realization: "The modeling industry has been hard-hit by the economic crisis, but the value of the beauties at the top is as strong as ever."


The World's Top-Earning Models Of 2009:

1. Gisele Bundchen - $25 Million. With lucrative campaigns behind her famous name, the newly-wed Brazilian beauty remained on the top list even without her Victoria's Secret contract.

2. Heidi Klum - $16 Million. This 35-year old Victoria's Secret Angel has gained much of her earnings from TV and endorsement career.

3. Kate Moss - $8.5 Million. The success of British clothing line Topshop and the return of lost contracts has helped this heroin chic earn millions.

4. Adriana Lima - $8 Million. After winning Ford's Supermodel of the Year, this Brazilian model is now the new icon of Victoria's Secret.

5. Doutzen Kroes - $6 Million. Known for her lips, this 24-year old Dutch beauty is now the famous endorser of Seven For All Mankind jeans company.

6. Alessandra Ambrosio - $6 Million. Another Brazilian beauty, Alessandra Ambrosio is also a top endorser of Victoria's Secret.

7. Natalia Vodianova - $5.5 Million. This lovely Russian is the new face of French lingerie company Etam.

8. Daria Werbowy - $4.5 Million. Being the face of major brands like Lancome and Louis Vuitton has contributed much to her earnings.

9. Miran Kerr - $3 Million. This rising, young Australian model is best known as a Victoria's Secret Angel.

10. Carolyn Murphy - $3 Million. Used to be famous on Playboy, this 35-year old American model remains on the top list with her Estée Lauder contract.

11. Emanuela De Paula - $2.5 Million. Another Brazilian, she is also a rising Victoria's Secret Angel dubbed as the "next Gisele."

Top Australian Models Fight Ovarian Cancer

For the first time, Australia's top models Miranda Kerr, Catherine McNeil, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Nicole Trunfio among other elite Aussie catwalk queens, have joined forces to help fight ovarian cancer.

The Australian models bandied to help launch the White Shirt Campaign, in conjunction with Aussie retailer Witchery. They also posed together for the November 2008 cover of Madison magazine (see photo above).

“With the purchase of any five specially-designed white tops (from AU$89.99), 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF).”

Check the video of top Australian models fighting ovarian cancer below: