Colette Pechekhonova // Five Years Later...

Another Nineties model who has recently resurfaced is none other than Colette Pechekhonova. Remember her? This Russian is skin-NAY.

Here she is walking in the Spring 2001 Prada show. Among all the Brazilians and “curvy” girls, Colette and her clavicles and shapely pin legs harkened to the recently runway-retired Kate Moss. Colette eschewed the typical skinny-girl hobble – think Stella Tennant grimacing while tottering down the catwalk - for a sauntering, arm-pumping wind-in-the-hair swing of a stomp that became her trademark.

Here she is in 2000. Bone, bone, bone. Among the big shows she walked in her first season were Oscar de La Renta – Gisele wore the blue version of that halter number that made headlines in Newsweek – and Dolce and Gabanna, where she tried to make wedges and a faux-supermarket set “fierce." After a few successful years she was gone from the scene.

Here she is in 2008, after resurfacing at the Givenchy show. Colette walked in her big return for Bottega Venata and in the big Chanel resort show down in Miami. A tad more muscular and nicely aged, the classy Colette fits the clothes better than most of the newer girls and could give them lessons on how to “work it.”

Her big return culminated in a lovely four-page beauty opener for French Vogue and the Cesare Paciotti campaign (she headlined with cool-girl Hye Park). Never discount a classic, sassy blond beauty.