Chanel No. 1

Back when I barely had a notion that I might one day find my name and affiliation taped to a front row seat at Fashion Week in New York, I used to watch the shows on the local cable channels, daydreaming, wishing I were there. So much of the thrill of the shows to me was about the (black) models, whom we knew then by name: Naomi, Veronica, and later, Alek, Liya. At the top of the current crop of generously pigmented beauties is Sessilee Lopez, Arlenis Sosa, Jourdan Dunn, and Chanel Iman (pictured). Chanel happens to be one of my favorite posers right now. A rash of commercial and editorial work has followed her, from GAP campaigns to coveted spreads in Vogue and Teen Vogue. The girl can do Neutrogena-scrubbed clean as effortlessly as high fashion Marc Jacobs. The 20-year-old biracial model has been tabloid fodder for her dating choices (Ryan Leslie, Kanye), both real and imagined, but it's the strut that got my attention. She's gangly and almost equine (impossibly long limbs) off the runway, but under the flashing lights, playing dress up, she does her dual namesakes proud.