When Kate Moss wed Jamie Hince in Gloucestershire in early July, she arrived in a silver Rolls-Royce, glittered in a John Galliano dress, and smiled for pictures by Mario Testino. During the ceremony, she was surrounded by 15 towheaded flower girls, each in a white eyelet dress and flower crown. But one stood out from the rest: Charlotte, Kate’s 13-year-old sister, who stood quietly in the back row, towering over the other girls.
Now it’s her moment. Known as “Lottie” to her family, the teenager has just completed her first photo shoot, called a “test shoot,” organized by Storm, the British modeling agency that discovered her older sister at 14 as she strolled through John F. Kennedy airport. When the photos hit the Internet late last week, the blogosphere exploded with excitement.
She has her older sister’s wide-set eyes, high cheekbones, porcelain skin, and slender nose. In the black-and-white photos, shot by frequent Vogue contributor Andrea Carter-Bowman, the 13-year-old sits on a wooden stool in a series of outfits: short-shorts, platform heels, leather pants, and a pair of studded go-go boots. Though the photos are far from sexual, Lottie wears thick mascara as she flashes the camera a come-hither stare.
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Now several agencies are reportedly rushing to sign the younger Moss. “It’s early days, really,” Peter Moss, father to Kate and Lottie, told the Daily Mail. But despite intense interest, it seems he’s already committed to the agency that discovered Kate. “Storm felt that it was worth giving Lottie a test shoot and seeing how she turned out. She had a lovely time and she seemed to come out quite well—so everybody’s happy.”
Lottie is the daughter of Peter and his second wife, Inger. She’s reportedly already helped out around the house, modeling vintage clothes at the family’s store in West Sussex. As fashion expert Karen Kay told the Daily Mail: “She’s the full package. If she plays her cards right, she could eclipse Kate.”
For now, Peter says, the family isn’t rushing into anything—as Lottie has yet to turn 14. Apparently, they’re entrusting everything to the agent that discovered Kate, Sarah Doukas. “It will all be left to Sarah and Simon to decide what the best way ahead is,” he said, explaining that they’re going to strategize about next steps in Lottie’s career in the coming months—possibly for Christmas. Mario Testino is rumored to be lined up to photograph Lottie next.
This year, high-end fashion labels have embraced pretty young things like never before. Though runway models have an age minimum of 16, there are no regulations that dictate age in editorial spreads and ads. As The Daily Beast first reported, Miu Miu chose Hailee Steinfeld, the 14-year-old star of True Grit, as the face of its fall 2011 campaign. Thirteen-year-old Elle Fanning appeared in Marc Jacobs ads, and 10-year-old French sensation Thylane Blondeau caused a stir with her racy photographs.
But for Peter Moss, there’s no question Lottie should make the most of her talent—despite her tender age. “You have to take advantage of any opportunities that come along, haven’t you?” he said. “If things work out for Lottie and she eventually gets some work, it could help in her future. It’s getting harder and harder to get jobs, university and things like that—so if she can get a couple of jobs early on and get something behind her, maybe it makes life easier.”
