Happy B'Day, Laetitia

(An article on Laetitia Casta)

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I don't believe in God, but when I see Laetitia, I might change my mind.

- Vivienne Westwood

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Like Bardot, laetitia Casta has an insolent beauty with just a hint of childishness, and a feline charm that involuntarily draws the eye. Her persona conveys no sense of a prefabricated image, or of a dressed-up doll. On the contrary, much of her appeal lies in the very real, indivisual personality that she is able to project on the page.

Meeting Laetitia for an interview requires focus: It would be easy to do nothing but look ar her. We wanted, however, to find out more about this young model, who compelled British designer Vivienne Westwood to comment: "I don't believe in God, but when I see Laetitia, I might change my mind". And the renowned French photographer Dominique Issermann - another woman who is used to looking at models, and who doesn't frequently express undue enthusiasm - has called her "the most beautiful girl in the world".

In the U.S., Laetitia is beginning to be spoken of as if she were a recent manifestation of the innovative French spirit that produced the high-speed TGV trains. Ever since she was featured in the now-famous Guess campaign, "the new Briggite Bardot" has been raching up covers and contracts on both sides of the Atlantic.

In the ballroom-size booking room of the Madison agency in Paris, Veronique Tuil, the booking director, and Valerie Sarfati, a booking agent, revealed some additional insights about their protegee's evident assets: "Her freshness, her sensuality, and her figure are in sharp contrast to current standards", remarks Valerie. "To find a successor to Stephanie Seymour for the Elseve campaign, L'oreal saw hundreds of girls. It took two years to find Laetitia!"

The two women describe Laetitia as "a pearl"; a variety of which had all but vanished from fashion magazines when she began to model. perhaps a reflection of economically gloomy times, magazine pages at that time were peopled with the pale, doleful-eyed waifs who had replaced the sexy stars of the 80's.

That state of affairs, however, couldn't - and didn't - last forever. Women tend to want to see models that they can identify with as well as admire - a factor that the androgynous, asexual look of the grunge era took into little account.

While Laetitia certainly fills these requirements, one of her strengths is that she doesn't fit fashion's standard physical categories. It's not customary in this profession too see five-foot-seven-inch top models, but, paradoxically, it's precisely the lack of a couple of inches that has helped Laetitia get ahead of her beautiful colleagues. This may seem strange, but it's not entirely surprising in a world where criteria for beauty are nororiously unstable. With her relatively small stature and feminine curves, Laetitia sometimes looks like a creature from another planet next to other tall, rake-thin models - but it's a look with enormous appeal.

When Laetitia suddenly appears in the booking room, sliding on the parquet, bestowing kisses upon the small team of Madison agents, the smile on her face is like an imitation of happiness for those about to cross her path: She radiates cheerfulness.

Before anything else, she first picks up her fan mail. Some overly insistant fans, she reports, propose immediate matrimony; others are more romantic and will suggest a glass of champagne; most often, the letters are purely curious, asking questions like "Do you make a lot of money?" or "Where do you live?"

This kind of public attention has been a factor for almost of four years now, so Laetitia knows how to insulate herself from the pressure. Her agency, Madison, also helps by acting as a second family who will take care of her and provide advice. Madison knows how important Laetitia's fame is for them, but they also know that the yound model needs to be protected from the stress, fighting, and dengers of sudden limelight that has often destroyed promising talents. (The film industry, for example, has been beckoning, but will have to wait a while.)

Laetitia has another gaurdian angel - her father - who watches over her, and his two other children, with the tenderness and concern typical of a Corsican parent. He is proud of her success but always on gaurd on her behalf.

"My father came with me to my first meeting at Madison", Laetitia explains, looking delicious in her black 501 jeans, a white prada ribbon in her hair. "He trusted me, but, as he often tells me, he doesn't want anyone to hurt me. I always remember a beautiful thing he once said to me: There isn't a minute in the day that I don't think of you, that I don't fear for you. I want you to be strong, because I won't always be there".