a very expensive case of model obsession.

 the royal treatment ♡ entry no. 006

apparently, the victoria's secret fashion show is still living rent free in my head.

i could spend hours watching runway shows.

old victoria's secret fashion shows, vintage chanel collections, alexander mcqueen presentations, backstage interviews, fashion editorials from twenty years ago. honestly, give me a laptop and a little free time, and i'll somehow find myself watching a runway show from 1997 at two in the morning.

and i consider that a perfectly reasonable way to spend an evening.

there's something about modeling that fascinates me. the clothes are beautiful, obviously, but it's the women wearing them who really capture my attention. the way they walk, the expressions they make, the confidence they carry, and how some of them can turn a simple photograph into something you remember for years.

i've never been particularly interested in choosing one favorite model. that would be terribly unfair to the others, and frankly, i refuse to put myself through that kind of emotional distress.

so instead, i've decided to discuss ten women whose faces, careers, and runway moments i absolutely adore.

some are legendary supermodels. others are more recent favorites. some are known for their runway walks, others for their editorials, and a few have the rather unfair advantage of looking like they stepped directly out of a painting.

naturally, i have thoughts about all of them.

CLAUDIA SCHIFFER 

there is something about claudia schiffer that makes me wish i could experience the fashion world of the 1990s firsthand.

the blonde hair, the glamorous campaigns, the chanel runways. she had that classic supermodel beauty that seemed almost too perfect to be real.

and her work with chanel? absolutely gorgeous.

i love looking back at those collections. the tweed, the pearls, the little jackets, the gold accessories. everything looked so elegant, and claudia fit into that world beautifully.

she had the kind of beauty that could make an entire campaign feel glamorous without needing anything particularly extravagant.

if i could borrow anyone's vintage chanel wardrobe, i suspect hers would be very high on the list.

actually, forget borrowing. i'd like to keep it.

NAOMI CAMPBELL 

there are runway walks, and then there is naomi campbell.

i don't think i've ever watched her walk down a runway without immediately understanding why she's considered one of the greatest supermodels.

the confidence. the posture. the way she moves as though the entire runway belongs to her.

and for those few seconds, it practically does.

what i love about naomi is that she doesn't need to do anything particularly dramatic to command attention. she can wear an extravagant couture gown or something relatively simple, and your eyes still follow her.

there's a reason people continue watching clips of her runway appearances decades later.

and while i certainly wouldn't describe every chapter of her public life as graceful, her contribution to fashion is undeniable.

personally, i think every aspiring runway model should be required to watch at least one naomi campbell compilation.

educational purposes, of course.

TYRA BANKS 

oh, tyra.

where do i even begin?

first of all, i adore her modeling work. the photographs, the runway appearances, the victoria's secret years. she had such a gorgeous face, and she knew exactly how to use it.

her expressions were everything.

some models have one beautiful look that they rely on. tyra could completely transform the feeling of a photograph with her eyes, her smile, or the slightest change in expression.

and then, of course, there's america's next top model.

now, i won't pretend every moment from that show has aged beautifully. some of those episodes are genuinely outrageous.

but you cannot deny that tyra made modeling entertaining to watch for an entire generation.

the photoshoots, the makeovers, the dramatic eliminations. she turned the modeling industry into reality television, and people were absolutely invested.

i love a beautiful woman with a personality, and tyra has never exactly been short on personality.

SHALOM HARLOW

shalom harlow is one of those models who reminds me that fashion can be an actual art form.

if you've never watched her appearance in alexander mcqueen's spring 1999 show, please do yourself a favor.

she stood on a rotating platform in a white dress while two robotic arms sprayed paint across it.

yes, actual robots.

and somehow, instead of looking like a woman who had accidentally wandered into a car factory, she made the entire thing look beautiful.

the movement, the emotion, the way she reacted to the machines. it was theatrical without feeling ridiculous.

that performance is one of my favorite examples of how a model can contribute to the artistry of a collection.

shalom wasn't simply standing there while something interesting happened around her.

she was part of what made it interesting.

and that, honey, is modeling.

GEMMA WARD 

gemma ward looks like someone imagined a fairy-tale character and somehow brought her to life.

the wide eyes, the delicate features, the almost doll-like appearance.

there's something so dreamy about her early editorial work.

i particularly love how different her beauty felt from the more glamorous, bombshell look that people often associate with supermodels.

she didn't need enormous hair, dramatic makeup, or an elaborate outfit to look interesting.

sometimes the simplest photographs of her are the most beautiful.

there's a softness to her appearance that i find absolutely captivating, especially in those early-2000s fashion campaigns.

if claudia schiffer makes me think of champagne and chanel, gemma ward makes me think of an enchanted garden.

and yes, i'd happily visit both.

DOUTZEN KROES 

doutzen kroes is one of those women who makes me wonder whether being that beautiful is actually a little inconvenient.

i mean, seriously.

the blonde hair, the bright eyes, the smile. she has that radiant beauty that i immediately associate with the victoria's secret fashion shows i love watching.

and what i particularly adore about doutzen is how effortlessly glamorous she looks.

she can be wearing enormous wings, sparkling lingerie, and enough hair extensions to supply a small salon, and somehow she still looks completely comfortable.

that's a talent.

i love the energy she brought to the runway. she looked confident, happy, and genuinely beautiful without seeming like she was trying too hard.

and honestly, the entire golden, glowing victoria's secret aesthetic suits her perfectly.

MIRANDA KERR 

miranda kerr has one of the prettiest smiles i've ever seen.

there. i said it.

her dimples alone deserve recognition.

what i love about miranda is how soft and feminine her beauty is. she has that sweet, almost angelic appearance that worked beautifully during her victoria's secret years.

and speaking of victoria's secret, some of her runway looks are still among my favorites.

the wings, the curls, the sparkling makeup. everything about that era felt so glamorous.

i also love that she could look playful on the runway without losing that polished, elegant quality.

some models have a very serious, intimidating presence, which i absolutely appreciate.

but miranda had a warmth to her appearance that made her equally memorable.

she looked like the kind of woman who would compliment your outfit while casually looking ten times better than everyone in the room.

rude, really.

BARBARA PALVIN 

barbara palvin is another model whose beauty i could talk about for an unreasonable amount of time.

the eyes. the lips. the gorgeous features.

she has such a distinctive face, and i love how beautiful she looks in both glamorous campaigns and more natural photographs.

there's something about her appearance that feels simultaneously classic and modern.

and i absolutely love her victoria's secret work.

she has that soft, romantic beauty that looks gorgeous with the big hair, sparkling makeup, and feminine styling i associate with the brand.

i also enjoy seeing her personality in interviews and behind-the-scenes clips. there's something refreshing about watching a model laugh, joke around, and act like an actual person instead of maintaining a permanently serious expression.

beautiful AND entertaining?

how terribly unfair to the rest of us.

GIGI HADID 

gigi hadid is one of my favorite examples of a model who can move between different sides of the fashion industry.

one minute she's doing a glamorous runway show, the next she's appearing in a high-fashion editorial, and then she's walking for a completely different designer with an entirely different aesthetic.

and somehow, it works.

i love her blonde, California-girl beauty, but i also appreciate how much her look can change depending on the styling.

she can be glamorous, sporty, polished, or edgy.

and i think that's part of what makes her career so interesting to follow.

i also have a soft spot for her victoria's secret appearances. there's something so fun about seeing high-fashion models step into that much more playful, theatrical world.

gigi is proof that you don't have to belong to one particular era of fashion to become one of its recognizable faces.

ANOK YAI 

and finally, anok yai.

oh. my. goodness.

some faces genuinely make me stop scrolling, and hers is one of them.

she is absolutely stunning.

her bone structure, her expressions, the way she photographs. everything about her appearance is so striking.

and on the runway? incredible.

i love how powerful and elegant she looks, particularly in dramatic high fashion designs.

she has the kind of presence that makes you want to look at every detail of a photograph.

the makeup, the lighting, the clothes, the expression. everything seems to come together beautifully.

and what makes her particularly exciting to me is that she's part of a generation of models whose careers we're still getting to watch unfold.

i love looking back at the careers of legendary supermodels, but there's also something wonderful about seeing an extraordinary model working right now.

fashion history isn't finished being written.

and anok is certainly someone i'll be watching.

A FINAL WORD FROM THE PRINCESS.

if there's one thing this little collection of beautiful women has reminded me, it's that there isn't one correct way to be a great model.

claudia's glamour is completely different from gemma's ethereal beauty. naomi's commanding runway presence is different from miranda's sweetness. shalom's theatrical performances are different from doutzen's radiant victoria's secret appearances.

and that's exactly why i love them.

each woman brings something different to the fashion world.

i love the elaborate runway productions, the breathtaking editorials, the vintage campaigns, and the moments when a model manages to make an outfit look even more extraordinary than it already is.

but most of all, i love the women who make fashion feel exciting.

the ones whose runway clips i replay and whose careers i find myself reading about when i should probably be doing something considerably more productive.

and no, i won't be choosing a favorite.

i have enough difficult decisions to make without creating unnecessary problems for myself.

besides, a princess is allowed to admire more than one.

xoxo,

the princess ♡