Lily Donaldson

Lily Donaldson

Every so often we hear about someone who we kind of know for their contribution to the fashion world, but very little else and that is undoubtedly the case with Brit model, Lily Donaldson.

We know she's big news across the modelling world, but other than that we're pretty much at sea, as lets face it, she isn't exactly as commercially well-known as her pal, Agyness Deyn is she?

That's not to say she's not as successful, it's just for some reason we know more about Agyness, so we thought we'd take this opportunity to find out a little bit more about Lily. 

Educated at the Camden School for Girls, Lily was scouted by Select Model Management when she was just 16, while out and about in London.

Since her introduction to the modelling world, she has become one of the most sought after models in Britain, landing campaigns for the likes of Dior, Jil Sander, Burberry and Dolce & Gabbana.

She has also appeared in ads for Balenciaga, Christian Dior, Jil Sander, Roberto Cavalli, Valentino and Max Mara, to name a few, in addition to becoming the face of Burberry and Gucci in 2009.

As well as her commercial likeability, Lily's appeal is also evident on the catwalk, as she has walked for the likes of Chanel, Dior, Marc Jacobs and Karl Lagerfeld in the past.

Lily's achievements have not gone unnoticed however, as in 2005 she was nominated for the coveted "Model of the Year" award at the British Fashion Awards, but was pipped to the post by Karen Elson.

Two years later Lily's name appeared on British Vogue's hotlist of talent to watch for the upcoming season, and later went on to appear on the cover of the fashion bible twice, in addition to landing the Australian Vogue cover too.

As if her professionalism wasn't enough to be proud of, booking agencies have also been quick to heap praise on the young model, who apparently describe her as down to earth and easy to work with.

Personally, we're a bit in awe of the fact that she's reportedly a model favourite of Lanvin designer, Alber Elbaz, which in itself is an immense achievement, we're sure you'll agree!

She's also pretty firm pals with her fellow models, which we're sure helps to dismiss some of the bitching and backstabbing rumours which do the rounds on catwalk shows.

All in all, we're pretty much in love with Lily here at FemaleFirst, so long may she reign as one of the top models on the runway!

FemaleFirst- Laura Terry