3 minute read
CHARLIZE COTTON
A Star is Born Charlize Cotton
Photography | Andrew Zaeh Contributing Fashion Editor | Ty-Ron Mayes (maxinetall.com) Make-up | Robert Moulton using Make Up For Ever (robertmoultonmakeup.com) Hair | Dominic Santiago using GHD Irons Photo Assistant | Noa Griffel Accessories | Heather Stein
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BY KIAN STAVE
Nicole Miller’s youthful, rock n roll inspired collection is splayed out on a massive kitchen counter in an empty East Side townhouse handpicked by power broker Heather Stein on the day of our shoot with Norwegian beauty Charlize Cotton. Six looks are meticulously paired with accessories while Celebrity stylist Ty-Ron Mayes reminisces, “I dressed Heidi Klum’s first pictures in New York and worked with a baby Adriana Lima. I see the same star quality in Charlize.”
Celebrity photographer Andrew Zaeh concurs, “Charlize has an iconic sixties look that we haven’t seen in a long time.”
Makeup artist Robert Moulton deftly applies false eyelashes to today’s inspiration, in keeping with a premeditated mood board inspired by the model’s physical references, the stuff of time travel. The overall effect is subtle. When his work is done and the first look is decided the room is abuzz.
At nineteen it’s hard to know if this month’s cover girl is aware of all of her doppelgänger predecessors, those sirens who personified the golden days of fashion photography like Verushka, Jean Shrimpton, and Lauren Hutton, but the artists on location certainly do.
It is said that models are those individuals who simply won the genetic lottery, and if one is in agreement with a set of seasoned pros, we have a big-ticket winner in Charlize.
Charlize Cotton loves modeling, and it shows. The daughter of a professional model, Siv Cotton, Char, as her friends call her, was first spotted at twelve by photographer and model scout Jim Jordan, her West Coast agent, who also discovered and nurtured the careers of Gigi Hadid and Taylor Hill.
“Charlize has an incredible personality, is street smart and tenacious,” says Jordan.
Despite such qualities she is not too old yet to ignore sage advice from her proud mom, who has encouraged Charlize to be an inspiration to every photographer she works with. But it’s the crew that Charlize takes her own inspiration from, the talented teams she’s encountered behind the scenes who make fantasy come to life.
On the location of our shoot Charlize tells me, “I love my job because of the people I get to meet and create magic with. I love the process and awaiting the results. When I walked the runway for Marc Jacobs 2020 Winter Collection I witnessed every kind model back stage, every shape and size. For me these things are the heart and soul of it, what makes it all so enjoyable.”
“Charlize Cotton is an extremely beautiful young woman and is a very gifted model. She is highly professional, has a great personality and is an exceptional artist. The qualities she possesses are rare. She stands in front of the camera and all of her bones fall into the right place. She understands how to create an image and will be a supermodel! I did
Heidi Klum’s first pictures in New York and worked with a baby Adriana Lima, Bridget Hall, and Tyra Banks. I see the same star quality in
Charlize! I can’t wait to see her star take off!”
