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the runways' winningest new models

With the return of the old guard—Tatjana Patitz, Tasha Tilberg, Adriana Lima, etc.—and smaller castings due to recessionary constraints, it was tougher than ever for up-and-comers to stake a claim this season. Here, Style.com's favorite new faces. —Romney Leader

click here for our updated model dropdown (hundreds of new images of the girls you already know and love)

1. 1. alla kostromicheva (women direct)

   After some impressive cameos on the Spring catwalks, this arresting Ukrainian stomped onto the New York scene with appearances at Alexander Wang and Donna Karan. A streak in Paris yielded the first-exit honors at Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen.
   see full portfolio ›

2. 2. anna de rijk (dna)

   A lucky break on a Dutch reality show led this runway newbie from top London castings (Christopher Kane, Jaeger) to the most enviable shows in Milan and Paris. A moon-shaped face and a cleft chin are her standout features.
   see full portfolio ›

3. 3. dorothea barth jorgensen (women direct)

   Beguiling eyes and a Cupid's bow mouth helped this Stockholmer parlay the grand prize in a Swedish modeling contest into a runway takeover. Proenza Schouler, Marc Jacobs, Prada, and Chanel were just a few of her blue-chip Fall bookings.
   see full portfolio ›

4. 4. hanna rundlof (marilyn)

   With a look that reminds us of a young Cate Blanchett, this fresh-faced Swede was a steady presence on the Fall catwalks. Turns at Calvin Klein, Jil Sander, and Dries Van Noten (the latter of which she opened) are just the start of good things.
   see full portfolio ›

5. 5. jac (img)

   This Poland native caused quite a stir when she landed a succession of covers and an Hermès campaign at just 13. Two years later, she still had to sit out Paris due to age restrictions, but she closed Marni and was first and last out at Calvin Klein, the Fall campaign of which she scored last week.
   see full portfolio ›

6. 6. karolin wolter (supreme)

   A hectic month that included the coveted first exit at Jil Sander, coupled with a recent editorial in Vogue China, should yield an impressive campaign season for this regal-looking German.
   see full portfolio ›

7. 7. katie fogarty (next)

   Not letting a spectacular spill at last season's Prada show get her down, this Missouri teen proved herself a worthy strutter this time around. A stellar show list, including Balenciaga and Chloé, makes this her true breakout season.
   see full portfolio ›

8. 8. kendra spears (ford)

   She hails from the Pacific Northwest, but there's nothing laid-back about this sociology student's rise. After winning a Ford modeling contest via MySpace, Spears—who draws comparisons to Cindy Crawford—landed on the runways at Nina Ricci and Louis Vuitton.
   see full portfolio ›

9. 9. nimue smit (women)

   Not a newcomer in the truest sense—she's the face of the latest Prada campaign, after all—this doll-faced Dutch cutie decided against the exclusives that have previously kept her under the radar to claim spots in vet-heavy shows like Michael Kors, Bottega Veneta, and Chanel.
   see full portfolio ›

10. 10. tao okamoto (supreme)

    This Japanese mannequin has been spotted on the catwalks before, but a fresh look—a chic new bowl cut inspired the wigs at 3.1 Phillip Lim—led to multiple castings: She logged over 45 shows, including Miu Miu, becoming the first Asian model to walk for the brand in two years.

President-elect  Barack Obama calls it "the largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s." New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg compares it to the New Deal -- when workers built hundreds of bridges, dams and parkways -- while saying it could help close the gap with China, where he recently traveled on a Shanghai train at 267 mph.

Most of the infrastructure spending being proposed for the massive stimulus package that Obama and congressional Democrats are readying, however, is not exactly the stuff of history, but destined for routine projects that have been on the to-do lists of state highway departments for years. Oklahoma wants to repave stretches of Interstates 35 and 40 and build "cable barriers" to keep wayward cars from crossing medians. New Jersey wants to repaint 88 bridges and restore Route 35 from Toms River to Mantoloking. Scottsdale, Ariz., wants to widen 1.5 miles of Scottsdale Road.

On the campaign trail, Obama said he would "rebuild America" with an "infrastructure bank" run by a new board that would award $60 billion over a decade to projects such as high-speed rail to take the country in a more energy-efficient direction. But the crumbling economy, while giving impetus to big spending plans, has also put a new emphasis on projects that can be started immediately -- "use it or lose it," Obama said last week -- and created a clear tension between the need to create jobs fast and the desire for a lasting legacy.

"It doesn't have the power to stir men's souls," said David Goldberg of Smart Growth America. "Repair and maintenance are good. We need to make sure we're building bridges that stand, not bridges to nowhere. But to gild the lily . . . where we're resurfacing pieces of road that aren't that critical, just to be able to say we spent the money, is not what we're after."

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak is proud that his city was able to quickly rebuild the Interstate 35 bridge that collapsed into the Mississippi River in 2007 while making sure to include capacity for a future transit line on it. But he worries that many of the road and bridge upgrades around the country will not be done in a similarly farsighted way, given the time pressures.

"The quickest things we can do may not be the ones that have the most significant long-term impact on the green economy," he said. "Unless we push a transit investment, this will end up being a stimulus package that rebalances our transportation strategy toward roads and away from [what] we need to get off our addiction to oil."

Mayors say there would be a better chance for a long-term impact if the money were focused on metropolitan areas where investments could make the most difference in reducing congestion and lessening dependence on cars. They doubt that will happen if infrastructure funding goes directly to state capitals.

In Seattle, Mayor Greg Nickels said that the list of projects submitted by Washington state included only one in Seattle, for a ferry dock, while the city has ambitious hopes for removing a hulking highway ramp in a revitalized neighborhood and accelerating a light-rail expansion.

"Metro areas really are the engines of the economy, and to the extent that this can go directly to the metro areas rather than a cumbersome state process, it will have more effect," Nickels said. "States can do a nice job in rural counties, but in metro areas it's not always a good relationship or very nimble."

As it stands, Congress, wanting to keep things simple, plans to disburse the money under existing formulas -- funding for roads and bridges will go to state governments, while money for public transit will go to the local agencies that receive transit funding.

State officials are playing down concerns about their proposed projects' value. New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine said repairing a swath of roads and bridges is ambitious in its own right. "We could spend money on further provision of rail to Port Elizabeth and Port Newark, but if the highways weren't paved, we actually wouldn't have the ability to have the trains get to the spot to take the goods to the local distribution outlet," he said. "Those deferred maintenance investments are fundamental to maintaining a capital infrastructure."

Oklahoma transportation director Gary Ridley justifies his state's wish list in similar terms. Its highway pavements "are probably 40 years old, and some of them have been replaced, but a lot of them haven't," he said. "It's not like we're grabbing these out of the air."

In the absence of an economy that allows us to do any proper shopping these days, the only way to survive, of course, is to shop vicariously. Thankfully, the USA—nay, the world—now has the ideal model on whom to hang our shopping dreams: Michelle Obama. Literally, in fact. One of my favorite pieces of Obama paraphernalia that I have purchased (and believe me, there is substantial competition in this category) is a book of Obama paperdolls, featuring outfits for all the family, including Sasha and Malia, of course, but with particular emphasis on Michelle.

Anyway, I digress. Lest this look like the sad squeals of a fashion freak attempting to impose her own minority interests on an international event, put this anecdote in your pipe and smoke it. I was in Chicago during the election and had breakfast with a member of his campaign team on November 6, a mere 48 hours after the result was announced. This charming young gentleman spoke dutifully over our bagels and coffee about how plans were shaping up for the upcoming changes, etc. and so forth, when I made some self-mocking reference to my excitement about Michelle’s possible inauguration outfits. My friends, this wonk’s eyes lit up brighter than if I’d dropped some scurrilous gossip about Bristol Palin. “Oh, I know! We’re all talking about that,” he said, and that’s a direct quote.


And of course they are. Yes, part of the media excitement about having another stylish First Lady at last comes purely from relief at being able to brighten up dull news days on TV and in the papers with some pictures of Michelle looking fab. But there is also symbolic value. The last chic First Lady was Nancy Reagan, and she was stylish in a very eighties ladies-who-lunch way—all twig-armed couture skirtsuits and that sort of thing. Cindy McCain would have offered something very similar, which is fine in its way, but hardly suggestive of a new, modern world. Then we entered the age of Barbara Bush, who, like Laura Bush, took a defiantly “I’m the invisible wife, please don’t look at me; I’m only here to support my husband” approach to dressing, while Hillary Clinton’s phobic avoidance of anything that might be construed as feminine was just as old-fashioned.

With Michelle, we have a woman who is sufficiently confident in her intelligence, career, and personal status to know that enjoying how she looks will not signify that she is a bubblehead. So what should she wear on January 20, then? Well, newspaper reports are already claiming, unsurprisingly, that designers are nigh on falling over themselves to get her their wares. The comparisons between her and Jackie O are really just about their shared interest in style—their respective styles are actually very different. Jackie—and I don’t mean this as a bad thing—took a guaranteed, even safe approach to chic: She knew the conservative shapes that suited her and she worked them. Michelle fearlessly goes for something a little more awkward and, as a result, looks far more independent and modern and cool and appealing to women. This is not a gal to get out the cleavage. On the other hand, she doesn’t feel she has to wear a Comme des Garçons hunchback dress to prove her fashion-aware-but-still-cerebral credentials. Think of the red and black Narciso Rodriguez affair she wore the night of the election: not my cup of tea, personally, but you gotta admire a woman who worked such a number on the international stage.

So for all these reasons, I think she should stay with the smaller, niche designers. No, you cannot beat a de la Renta for guaranteed elegance, but Michelle strikes me as much more of a Milly gal—retro, but with a modern kick (and anyway, Oscar would have been Cindy’s choice, which rules that out). She’ll presumably have to stick with an America label—although it would be awesome if she picked up something from Swedish high street behemoth H&M, as she did when she was on the campaign trail, or maybe even Topshop. But a canny little Marc Jacobs number would make me very happy, too. Definitely a shift dress—that woman can really work a dress—and in a gorgeous block color, like the nigh-on-historic purple Maria Pinto one she wore earlier this year. And that, I think, is the likeliest scenario: something from her mate Maria, a plucky designer from Chicago pretty much no one had heard of at the start of this campaign but who by now has become very famous indeed and everyone is asking, how the hell didn’t we notice this piece of class before? I mean, really—is there a more apt choice for the Obama inauguration?

 

NEW YORK (AP) -- When Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton arrived at the White House, they brought with them styles that suited their hometowns in Texas and Arkansas, but that wouldn't have held up in any fashion capital.

Tastemakers have higher hopes for Michelle Obama, who is expected to fill her closet at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with sophisticated styles that match her modern image but maintain the sensibility inherent to Chicago.

The image of Obama walking the inaugural parade route in something like the domed, wide-brimmed hat that has haunted Clinton since 1993 seems unlikely. And she probably won't show up to the inaugural ball in mother-of-the-bride-style gowns with dyed-to-match pumps like Bush has worn -- twice.

Over time, both Clinton and Bush did grow more accustomed to their new surroundings, and their wardrobe reflected that. Learn more about inaugural events and history »

For example, Bush wore a Sunday-best peacock blue coat with sensible shoes to the chilly inaugural ceremony in 2001, but chose a chic winter-white coat ensemble with camel-colored high heels -- a top pick of fashion insiders -- in 2005.

Clinton also chose a modern, luxe gold lace gown by Oscar de la Renta for her second tour of inaugural balls unlike the fussy purple princess number the first go-around. (Remember the sparkly belt buckle?) Watch how extravagant should Obama's inauguration ball be? »

Still, Bush and Clinton fit into the expectations of what earlier generations thought a president's wife should look like. Obama has the opportunity to break the mold.

"Most previous first ladies have appeared to believe that displaying an interest in fashion and style undermines the importance of their role. They've subscribed to the old-fashioned view that a woman should de-sexualize herself or dress like a man if she wants to be regarded as intelligent and of good conscience," says Mandi Norwood, the former editor in chief of Shop Etc. who is now writing a style guide directed to Obama for publisher Avon A.

"Mrs. Obama, however, has a much more modern view," Norwood says. "She's demonstrated that it's smart to be stylish; that strong and positive statements can be made through the right choice of outfit."

The right outfit can't be too cutting edge, though, says Andrea Reynders, chair of the fashion department at the Art Institute of Chicago. This is where Obama's roots will come in handy.

"Trends seem to happen on both coasts, but in the Midwest we look for the value in clothing. Chicago is a wonderful place where you can find women buying garments with wonderful fabrics, detailing and fit. It lends itself wonderfully to a strong classic fashion with a lot of independence -- and not being too trendy will serve Michelle well in Washington," Reynders says.

While Clinton also grew up in the Chicago suburbs, her pre-White House adult life was largely spent in Little Rock and her eye adjusted to the local look, says communications consultant Ruth Sherman, who advises business leaders, celebrities and politicians.

So far, Obama has chosen designers that alternately appeal to style insiders and everywomen. They range from retail giant J. Crew to fashion favorite Narciso Rodriguez to Chicago's own Maria Pinto.

Pinto, who was a student of Reynders, epitomizes what Chicago style is -- and what Obama needs to do, the professor says: Take a good silhouette, embellish it enough to get noticed, but don't go over the top.

By making some off-the-radar choices, Obama already greatly reduces her risk of making the same faux pas as Bush did at a 2006 Kennedy Center Honors event when she wore the same red de la Renta gown as three other women.

There is so much to consider when developing a first lady's wardrobe -- and the rush to do it in a few short weeks between Election Night and moving day further complicates things, says Michael Faircloth, the Dallas-based designer who outfitted Bush.

He says he tried to add touches of Texas by using bright colors and native fabrics such as cotton and mohair.

"In creating Mrs. Bush's inaugural wardrobe, I wanted to convey confidence and graciousness, but there's a certain level of femininity and appropriateness that needs to be there too, and you need to strike a celebratory tone," he says.

A first lady should simultaneously appear graceful and formal, Faircloth adds, and the garments themselves must photograph well.

(Obama may have learned that lesson firsthand when the black sides of her red Rodriguez dress seemed to disappear into the backdrop in Election Night pictures.)

Once she arrives in Washington, Obama should stay true to herself, says Sherman, author of "Get Them To See It Your Way, Right Away."

But Sherman also wonders what will happen to Obama's sometimes-sportier look, one that likely resonates with the younger people who so strongly support her and her husband.

"If the Obamas are being considered the next generations of leaders, will the Obamas reflect that this generation is so much more casual? What does it mean when you see Michelle Obama in jeans? ... Are people's tongues going to be wagging or is it part of her job to appeal to that generation?"

Reynders hopes Obama will look further back in first-lady history and follow the model of Jackie Kennedy -- whom Obama has already been compared to many times.

"There was not a `don't' in the lot of Jackie's wardrobe. She matched the figure and fashion of the time," she says.

After Michelle Obama crossed the threshold of her new home yesterday to meet with its outgoing occupants, she was briefed on what would convey: certain pieces of furniture, the carpeting and the drapes -- if these met her tastes -- and, of course, a tremendous sense of history. Meeting privately with Laura Bush while her husband conferred with the president in the Oval Office, the incoming first lady was participating in a century-old Washington ritual that represents the softer side of the serious business of a presidential transition.

It's a tradition that may not rank with the passing of secret nuclear-launch codes, but the White House visit by Michelle and Barack Obama was no less freighted with significance. "They will literally become living symbols of the country to the world, for all of history," said Carl Sferrazza Anthony, who has written several books about first ladies. "It will redefine their identities."

Michelle Obama had already made clear that her first priority will be smoothly settling her daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, into this new life. She squeezed the White House visit in between trips to the private Georgetown Day School and Sidwell Friends School.

The transition team and staff at both schools in the District refused to discuss the visits. So it fell to a 10-year-old boy, Nicolo Pisoni, to offer on-the-record confirmation of her trip to Georgetown Day's campus on MacArthur Boulevard.
 

"I thought it was awesome because I saw the future first lady," the fourth-grader said. "I got really excited, but we weren't supposed to get excited. Not out loud. Our teachers told us not to get excited but to show Michelle it was a regular school day and that we aren't crazy kids. They didn't want us asking her for her autograph."

Isabel Dorval, a 10th-grader at Sidwell, said she was running on the field at the middle/upper school campus on Wisconsin Avenue a little after 4 p.m. when a convoy of cars arrived. About 45 minutes later, the motorcade drove off as Sidwell students waved. Michelle Obama rolled down the window and waved back: "It was cool," said 15-year-old Isabel.

Past presidents have sent their children to both public and private schools. But sources familiar with the process say they expect the Obamas to select a private school, where tuition for both girls would total more than $50,000 a year. The girls attend a private school now near their Chicago home, and Michelle is on the board of trustees.

As is customary during transitions, the outgoing first lady led her successor on a White House tour that focused primarily on the upstairs private residence, including three bedroom suites and three living areas. These areas, along with the Oval Office, are subject to redecoration, as opposed to the public rooms. A stop on the tour always of particular interest, Anthony said, is the first lady's sitting room, whose windows afford a direct view of the Oval Office below: "She can really keep an eye on who's coming and going, who's meeting with the president."

Michelle Obama and Laura Bush also spent time discussing "raising daughters in the White House," Stephanie Cutter, the Obama transition spokeswoman, said in a statement. "Mrs. Obama was honored to finally meet the First Lady, who was a gracious hostess." It was Michelle's second visit to the White House -- she was there once before with Malia and Sasha around the time of her husband's swearing-in to the Senate.

On MSNBC, Anita McBride, Laura Bush's chief of staff, said the first lady showed Michelle Obama where the Bush daughters, Jenna and Barbara, lived.

"She thought the rooms were beautiful and would be perfect for her two little girls and that they could decorate in a way that would be appropriate for young children," McBride said. "And it is a historic room. The Kennedy children lived there. The Johnson girls lived there, Chelsea Clinton as well . . . and Amy Carter."

Sen. John McCain said Tuesday night that he was "looking forward to the election results."

"We had a great ride. We had a great experience. It's full of memories that we will always treasure," he said aboard his election plane.

He and Sen. Barack Obama were both expected to be watching the results come in from their home states.

The first polls closed at 6 p.m. ET in parts of Indiana and Kentucky.

CNN does not project a winner in any state until all polls have closed in that state.

At 7 p.m. ET, all polls will be closed in Georgia, Indiana and Virginia, three states where McCain and Obama are in a close race.

All polls close in Ohio and North Carolina close by 7:30 p.m.

No Republican has won the White House without winning Ohio.

McCain has been campaigning hard in Pennsylvania, a state that voted for the Democratic candidate in the past two presidential elections.

Polls there will be closed by 8 p.m., as will polls in Florida, another key battleground.

The first exit polls out Tuesday reflect what voters have said all along: The economy is by far the top issue on their minds. Watch more on the top issues »

Sixty-two percent of voters said the economy was the most important issue. Iraq was the most important for 10 percent, and terrorism and health care were each the top issue for 9 percent of voters.

The economy has dominated the last leg of the campaign trail as Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain have tried to convince voters that they are the best candidate to handle the financial crisis.

Voters expressed excitement and pride in their country after casting their ballots Tuesday in what has proved to be a historic election.

When the ballots are counted, the United States will have elected either its first African-American president or its oldest first-term president and first female vice president.

Besides choosing between McCain and Obama -- or a third-party candidate -- voters were making choices in a number of key House and Senate races that could determine whether the Democrats strengthen their hold on Congress.

Poll workers reported high turnout across many parts of the country, and some voters waited hours to cast their ballots.

Reports of minor problems and delays in opening polls began surfacing early Tuesday, shortly after polls opened on the East Coast.

Among them: Palm Beach, Florida, reported minor sporadic voter machine failures, and wet voters in rainy Chesapeake, Virginia, were being asked to dry off before voting because they were getting their optical-scan ballots wet, according to election officials in those locales.

CNN is asking people to call its Voter Hotline at 1-877-GO-CNN-08 (1-877-462-6608) if they witness any problems or irregularities. Read about election problems

But many said the chance to vote was worth the wait.

"It feels great to be an American today. The best hour and a half of my life," exclaimed Jude Elliot, an eighth-grade social studies teacher in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

Elliot, who has been voting in Orangeburg since 1998, said it usually takes him five minutes to vote, but on Tuesday it took about 90 -- and he arrived at 6:45 a.m.

"Polling station was packed: young, old, black, white, disabled, not," he said. "It was amazing."

Rick Garcia's motivation for voting was more personal. His brother was killed August 1 by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan while he served in the Army.

"It's the main reason why I came to vote: in his honor," said Garcia, of West Palm Beach, Florida. "He would have wanted everybody as American citizens to do it." Watch a voter explain how he's honoring his brother »

For many voters, Election Day began well before dawn.

Ronnie Senique, a math teacher from Landover, Maryland, said he got up early and was the first one at the polls when he arrived at 4:10 a.m., almost three hours before the polls opened.

By the time he left, "the lines were around the corner. They snaked around the school. They went into the street," Senique said.

Tuesday was Senique's first time to vote in a U.S. presidential race. Senique, who is from the Bahamas, became a U.S. citizen about three years ago.

High turnout was not necessarily a theme at every polling station around the country. iReport.com: Share your Election Day experience

"I was there at 10 in the morning, and I jokingly said the [entire] line was my wife -- and that's only because I let her through the door first ," said Nathan Grebowiec, a 27-year-old resident of Plainville, Kansas.

The presidential candidates both voted early in the day before heading out to the campaign trail one last time. Watch Obama family at polls »

iReporter Lindsey Miller, 23, votes at the same polling place as Obama. She said Secret Service agents were checking names off a list and using metal-detecting wands on some would-be voters as they entered the polling place. The line was around the block at 6 a.m., she said.

"A lot of people were in pajamas. I know I was; not the time you want to be on national TV," the University of Chicago graduate student said. Read what Obama is up to Tuesday

Tuesday also marked the end of the longest presidential campaign season in U.S. history -- 21 months -- and both candidates took the opportunity to make their final pitch to voters.

As McCain and Obama emerged from their parties' conventions, the race was essentially a toss-up, with McCain campaigning on his experience and Obama on the promise of change. But the race was altered by the financial crisis that hit Wall Street in September. Watch how this election is history in the making »

Obama began to pull away in the polls nationally as well as in key battleground states. A CNN poll of polls calculated Tuesday showed Obama leading McCain 52 percent to 44 percent, with 4 percent undecided.

Obama also opened a lead in the race for electoral votes. As of Monday, CNN estimated that Obama would win 291 electoral votes and McCain would win 157, with 90 electoral votes up for grabs. To win the presidency, 270 electoral votes are needed.

Although most of the attention has been focused on the presidential race, the outcome of congressional elections across the country will determine whether the Democrats increase their clout on Capitol Hill.

Few predict that the Democrats are in danger of losing their control of either the House or the Senate, but all eyes will be on nearly a dozen close Senate races that are key to whether the Democrats get 60 seats in the Senate.

With 60 votes, Democrats could end any Republican filibusters or other legislative moves to block legislation.

Many political observers also predict that the Democrats could expand their majority in the House.

Voters will also weigh in on a number of ballot initiatives across the country, many of them focused on social issues like abortion and affirmative action. Check out the hot-button issues on the ballot