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 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.