This is certainly the last time I put on a poll on national preferences -- so many beautiful girls, so little time!

Anyway, this is the first installment of the December poll's winner, Israeli models. Most of these pics were never available online, some were taken down. We'll begin with two Israelii models, Michaela Bercu and Nina Brosh. But first of all, a lot of you have asked for a hi-res scan of the December poll girl, Maayan Keret. The photographer is Tamar Karavan, daughter of French landscape artist Dany Karavan. Here you go (heavy file!)

Michaela Bercu was one of the pre-supermodels stars. She was the most photographed model of 1988, year of the "healthy" look. Cindy Crawford's ride benefited a lot from this typically American wave (Michaela seldom shot in Europe, and did runways only in NYC fashion week). A year later, the "supermodel" was born, and Michaela was history.

This is the first known picture of Michaela's modelling career, photographer unknown. She was picked up by the late Billy King, one of the biggest fashion photographers of the 80s. He shot her for an unknow Jeans company, Bonjour (She appeared a bit older than 16). Her Elite agent closed a deal by which she won't be paid, but her name will appear on the ads and billboards. It was the first time a model got credit on a commercial picture, and a star was born. The Bonjour ad was the most d/l ic of the same year, according to Yahoo!, but it was a low-res, small scan. This is a new scan of the ad.

Michaela immediately turned to the "it" girl of the moment. These are two pics from of her eds, by Ellen Von Unwerth and Steven Meisel. She then shot her best editorial for Vogue Paris with Pamela Hanson:
Vogue Paris 1
Vogue Paris 2
Vogue Paris 3
Vogue Paris 4
Vogue Paris 5
Vogue Paris 6
Vogue Paris 7

In 1989 she was one of the five original Revlon's Most Unforgettable Women in the World (notice Carre Otis on the right), and then her big momemt arrived: Anna Wintour, the newly appointed Vogue US editor, picked her for her now-classic "cover that shook the world".

Michaela was photographed by Ellen Von Unwerth (where are the days when young photographers received assignments from Vogue?) in the Place de la Concorde in paris, wearing a Couture jacket by Christian Lacroix and a blue denim by Guess?. You can see a small belly above her waist. This is the cover (bad condition, sorry).

This was the highest point of the "healthy look". It was also its last moment. Cindy Crawford moved from "healthy" to "sportive", bringing along Stephanie, Helena, Claudia and Christy. Michaela vanished from the Vogue-Harpers-Officiel pages. She made two "sexy" covers of Cosmo (here and here ), then turned to second-grade ads. In 1993 she tried a comeback, doing both an Oberson Swimsuits campaign and a Mirabella editorial; it was her last international cover.

Michaela Bercu never made a nude pic in her fashion career. But suddenly, after her withdrawal, she received an offer she couldn't refuse: Francis Coppola, the Godfather father himself, chose her for "Dracula". She is one of the three "brides" of Keenu Reeves, not only nude but convincingly engaged in what a movie critic described as "a demonic oral sex orgy" (sadly nobody was able to send me vidcaps, above is a studio pic).

Suddenly Michaela was everywhere, from the cover of Observer to the arts pages of the NY Times (Try that, Cindy!). But the studio's PR, for some obscure reasons, prefered to promote the second "bride", Sadie Frost, claiming Michaela's poor English would hurt the press junkets chances. Frost bombed as the sexy side of Dracula; Ironically, the third bride made a career from the oral scene. She was a then little-known Italian model called Monica Belluci.

Michaela Bercu, now about 32, is married and lives in Paris.

The Israeli Project, Part 2

Michaela was never naked; Nina was seldom clothed. But it is very difficult to post unknown pics of Nina Brosh, Israel's second international top-model, because bleufunk tribute has them all, being one of the biggest admiration sites ever put on the Internet. I'm jealous.

And yet I'll try...

Since I'm working on a story about the incredible comeback Nina is about to perform, I can't upload her recent pics yet. She is currently shooting for Vogue Italy (Tom Munro) and W. Above is an advance pic from the Munro portfolio (it will probably run in March 2003). This is a cover shot by Israeli fashion photographer Ron Kedmi, published last week in an Israeli magazine.

If you have seen all the bleufunk scans from Nina's rich history, you might find interest in those: this is an exclusive nude from the same photographer, from the Castro campaign; this is a Marc Hispard pic for Chanel; And this is a little-known ed from THE FACE.

But you'll probably prefer her private pictures, taken by a former boyfriend. They were taken down from various sites, probably for legal reasons, so hurry up!

Nina Brosh, now 27, has recently separated from her husband after less than a year. She lives in Paris with their son.

'Over 40s shunned by women's magazines'
By Mary Stevens The Press Gazette

Women in their 40s and 50s have been abandoned by magazines which celebrate youth and fertility rather than experience, according to US publisher Myrna Blyth.

The lifestyle of women in this age group, which is a rapidly growing demographic across the world, has changed dramatically in the past few decades, but most magazines on the market alienate the Baby Boomer generation, Blyth told delegates at the Worldwide Magazine Marketplace conference.

“This is an age group that remembers the way life used to be for women in their 40s and 50s and realises that life is so much better today,” she said.

Blyth is the editorial director of Meredith Corporation’s New York magazines and four years ago she launched More, the title for women aged 40 to 60. More has doubled in circulation and revenues since its launch and now sells 850,000 copies a month.

Publishing ventures which have tried to cater for this market in the UK, such as Eve Pollard’s Aura, and Chic, have been unsuccessful, as have previous magazines in the US, such as Mirabella and Lears.

Part of the reason More has succeeded, said Blyth, is because it is celebratory. It doesn’t feature models who are younger than 40. “Part of what we wanted to say is that it is not about looking young, it is about looking good, because that is how women of this age feel. It is not about wanting to be younger, it is about wanting to enjoy life at this stage, and it is a very positive stage.”

More published pictures of Jamie Lee Curtis, the 43-year-old Hollywood actress, without any make-up, hair-styling or air-brushing. The story and pictures were picked up by media all over the world.

Blyth said that women were no longer valued only for youth and beauty. “And that is one of the great differences today. For the first time, women are valued for experience - really the first time in the history of the world.”

She denied that women stayed loyal to magazines they had read when they were younger. “Marketing used to say ‘get a consumer when she is young because she’ll stay loyal to her brand’. Well, we always say this is the most divorced generation in history. They can change their husband - they can change their brand.”

The magazine covers health, beauty, relationships and travel. Blyth said: “One thing that is so interesting about this age group in the States - it’s the largest demographic and it is the richest demographic. That has never really happened before. This is a rare combination.”