Another fashion month means another chance for the models of the world to take on the runways of New York, London, Milan, and Paris. And while there are likely enough professionals out there to please every designer showing this season, sometimes, brands like to mix it up a little, and enlist names not necessarily known for their long legs and strong stride. Inevitably, a handful of designers will pluck from other groups for their show casting—actors, musicians, undefined celebrities—causing you to go, “Wait, is that…” as you see, say, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee or Showgirls star Gina Gershon turn the corner on the catwalk. Or, sometimes designers will say, “You know what, throw me in the ring,” and enter the model game themselves. We’re only through the first week of this month-long extravaganza, and already we’ve seen a lot of shocking faces on the runways. Below, we break down every surprising model as they appear throughout the fall/winter 2024 season.
The Desperate Housewives actress took on a new role, that of a runway model, at Vetements’ fall 2024 show.
But Cross was not the only surprise at Guram Gvasalia’s show. Georgina Rodríguez, Spanish influencer and longtime girlfriend of Cristiano Ronaldo, also walked the red carpet in a dress fashioned to look like one of the soccer star’s jerseys.
The famous partners were rounded out by AE, Cher’s boyfriend, who was also in the Vetements show. He was cheered on by Cher, who sat front row at the presentation.
And finally, there was Jelena Karleuša, the Serbian popstar who Drag Race fans may recognize as the woman Plane Jane just imitated on Snatch Game.
The face of Giorgio Armani’s advertising campaigns in the ’80s and ’90s, Gina di Bernardo, returned to the runway to open the brand’s fall/winter 2024 show in Milan. “I wanted to open the show with Gina for old time’s sake, and because I feel such affection for her,” Armani said, according to WWD. “She has such a beautiful face…She is also someone who has always truly understood my designs.”
The British icon tapped into her Absolutely Fabulous character, Patsy Stone, when she made an appearance during Completedworks’ show at London Fashion Week. Lumley performed a monologue titled, “Confessions of Lilith” for the audience while lounging atop a metallic-adorned bed, flipping through magazines, and eating toast.
A few months after her mother, Phoebe Philo, launched her eponymous collection, 18-year-old Maya Wigram, had a milestone of her own. The young model made her runway debut at the Burberry fall/winter 2024 presentation, closing out the show in a black leather jacket and plaid skirt.
Sylvester Stallone’s youngest daughter, Scarlet, made her runway debut at the Tommy Hilfiger presentation in New York. “Honestly, my biggest fear was tripping down the runway or knocking over someone’s drink,” the 21-year-old told Teen Vogue. “But the other models backstage gave the best pep talks.”
The Feud actress made her modeling debut at the Batsheva show, leading the parade of models—all of whom were over the age of 40—down the runway.
The titan of New York nightlife donned a star-striped power suit for the Christian Cowan show, joining many classic ’90s models who were also featured in the presentation.
The actress played the role of a runway model at Collina Strada’s NYFW show.
Julez Smith, son of Solange and, hence, nephew of Beyoncé, made his runway debut for Luar. His mother, aunt, and grandmother shocked the crowd by sitting front row to watch.
De Saint Sernin surprised guests when he opted to close out his New York debut himself.
Pachinko author Min Jin Lee made her runway debut at Prabal Gurung’s show. “Yes, I was scared,” she wrote on Twitter.
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