“Strong and sensual is probably the character that suits me best. I like being sexy, but it’s all about power and how it contributes to it,” said the 31-year-old New Zealand-born model.
With her long limbs adorned with an array of broad-shouldered, structured blazers and opaque shirts – and sometimes, almost nothing, staring into the barrel of the camera lens, only to be covered by YSL’s long-coveted Anthony Vaccarello bag – It’s safe to say that the model nailed the brief. Her years of experience and versatility are clearly evident in the presence she brings to every image.
“I’ve been at IMG for 16 years now,” Fowler shared with a slight laugh. This longevity is what she is most proud of in her career.
Photographer: Nicole Bentley. Fashion Director: Naomi Smith. Hair: Michele McQuillan. Make-up: Anne Timper. Production: Robyn Fay-Perkins. Fashion: Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello.
With her perfect bone structure and a body that has been compared to Elle Macpherson’s, Fowler is eligible to register as a model when second looks at her, but it takes a lot more to make it (and even more to make a career) . the industry.
“You can have a pretty face and get a job, but clients will only rebook you if you do a really good job and have a great personality that day. You have to get the job – but then also work as hard as you can while you’re there.”
As one of the few models who has managed to go from editorial work and photographing covers to runways for designers to photographing catalog assignments, hard work comes naturally to Fowler. And her husband Nathan Dalah, the brains behind healthy fast food chain Fishbowl with over 34 locations across the country, shares the same traits.
Photographer: Nicole Bentley. Fashion Director: Naomi Smith. Hair: Michele McQuillan. Make-up: Anne Timper. Production: Robyn Fay-Perkins. Fashion: Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello.
“Nathan and I are both busy and motivated, but I think it kind of helps us understand each other. We work together to find the right balance between family and who we are.”
The (incredibly attractive) couple married just this year in an idyllic two-day affair in the Southern Highlands, where Fowler chose not just one wedding dress, but three: a custom strapless satin corset dress by Vivienne Westwood, a vintage tulle gown by Danielle Frankel and a mini dress designed especially for her by her brother-in-law, Australian designer Jordan Dalah.
“It was really special, we kind of designed it together. I wanted something sweet, fun and a little risqué,” Fowler said. “I needed a party dress. I really gave it my all on the dance floor.”
Photographer: Nicole Bentley. Fashion Director: Naomi Smith. Hair: Michele McQuillan. Make-up: Anne Timper. Production: Robyn Fay-Perkins. Fashion: Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello.
Although the pictures from her picturesque wedding colored many Pinterest boards, the model shared that it was actually the imperfections that made the day unforgettable. “Nathan and I love beautiful things, but in a very understated way. “We wanted to do a wedding that was beautiful, classic and timeless – but not over the top,” she explains.
And the model is trying to break away from perfectionism in general – especially when it comes to motherhood. In an Instagram post just last month, Fowler posed holding her one-year-old daughter Dylan in her arms, her growing baby bump visible, and the caption read, “Baby brother brewing.”
“Being a mother is a hard job. Trying to be perfect: the perfect mother, the perfect nurse, the perfect partner – everything – and still be your own person is quite an effort.”
Photographer: Nicole Bentley. Fashion Director: Naomi Smith. Hair: Michele McQuillan. Make-up: Anne Timper. Production: Robyn Fay-Perkins. Fashion: Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello.
Although her body is in many ways a commodity that she relies on as a source of income and that she stretches and alters to facilitate her pregnancy, psychologically speaking, motherhood has shaped it into much more, she says. In fact, pregnancy has allowed her to develop a deeper sense of love and appreciation for her body than she ever imagined.
“It’s a breath of fresh air – your body goes through so many changes but you can also appreciate it for what it has done and given. It’s not just an object, but an amazing working machine.”
So how does it compare to her pregnancy experience as a first-time mother?
Now, with a toddler “who constantly wants to be picked up and held on the hip,” as Fowler puts it, “It’s a different experience, but a very happy one.”
Photographer: Nicole Bentley. Fashion Director: Naomi Smith. Hair: Michele McQuillan. Make-up: Anne Timper. Production: Robyn Fay-Perkins. Fashion: Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello.
“I think the second round brings with it more concerns about how you’re going to divide your time and your arms, literally, between two small children who need you both so much… It’s a constant juggling act – one that I do too I’ll probably keep trying to figure it out as long as I want to work – and I love the work so much. It’s such a big part of my identity.”
And it will work – don’t expect this powerhouse to slow down any time soon. Having just watched “The Super Models,” a documentary that follows the careers of Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, Fowler felt inspired.
“It was exciting to see all these epic supermodels on every runway – women of all ages -…You don’t have to be 16 to walk in a fashion show anymore.”
Will we see pictures of her embodying a woman of strength and sensuality in Saint Laurent and walking the catwalk at 60?
“I don’t know,” she answered modestly, laughing, but quickly remarked with a touch of cheek – perhaps a challenge to herself – “We’ll see.”
Photographer: Nicole Bentley. Fashion Director: Naomi Smith. Hair: Michele McQuillan. Make-up: Anne Timper. Production: Robyn Fay-Perkins. Fashion: Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello.
