We had this discussion over @ModelHommes where models are either on the verge, smoking hot or already regarded as supermodels. [ Note: You'll see the supermodels when the Top 10 and 20 are posted. ]  Of course, not all male models are created equal. Some get into the spotlight within days of their arrival, while some still can't get into a fashion shoot after 5 seasons already.

Finally, the 3 most important factors in ranking models: Prestige Campaigns + Fashion Editorials + Star treatment on the Runways: Gucci, Prada, Dolce and Gabbana, Versace, Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Jil Sander, Tommy Hilfiger, Burberry. Anyone who got into campaigns of these highly regarded fashion houses are already candidates for Top 50.

Fashion editorials featuring collaboration with the likes of Steven Meisel, Mario Testino, Mario Sorrenti, Hedi Slimane are big points too. Buzz on the runways are the least most important among the three, but for newcomers, they represent great prospects.

Is getting naked a plus factor? To put more perspective, it is usually a plus factor for a male model who managed to stay in demand for prestige fashion editorials, the ones carried by the likes of L'Uomo Vogue, Numéro Homme, VMan and AnOther Man. But if a male model continues to pose with only his underwear again and again and again... there might be some problem there (or is his agent just can't get enough of him nekkkid???) I mean, just how many times should an aspiring male model spread his legs, grab his crotch, and pose in almost uncompromising positions just to get noticed? That's a definite negative factor to me.

Supporting cast only... Then there are the fillers. They used to be groomed for stardom, but have been relegated as 'filling in' on the runways - no longer first face or the guy to close the show, but he's-there-just-for-the-sake-of sort. They are nowhere here of course!

Anyway, here are the Top 30!

# 30 - Clement Chabernaud : Timeline: the middle of 2009. The Subject: French male model Clement Chabernaud. Declaration: He's a man of mystery but what makes him tick?

Says MDC:

If one boy dominated the runways this season it was Clement Chabernaud. With his impressive streak of shows and his face gracing the Meisel-helmed campaign for Roberto Cavalli, Clement was the boy to beat in Paris and Milan. Clement’s austere good looks and refinement have made him a coveted commodity, but what does a boy in demand do on his days off? [ read more ]

From Clement himself, the circumstances of his becoming a model:

Some people stopped me in the street and then I came to Success kids, at 16 I moved up to the men’s board.

[ Click on any image to view | Scans via ModelHommes ]

- - -

[ Façonnable Spring/Summer 2010 campaign feat. Hugo Sauzay & Clement Chabernaud ]

Campaigns so far + Standing: He was the face of Jil Sander for several seasons which means his epicene features became instantly recognizable in every men's magazine on the market. With 4 seasons of Jil Sander by Willy Vanderperre, the current Roberto Cavalli by Meisel and a tremendous show season for S/S 10, Clement's distinctive profile makes his mark on the industry.

And the countdown continues... Right now, let's focus on one particular question: Can a male model who appeared on the scene in, say 1994, still get the chance to grab prestigious modeling gigs 5 or 10 years after?

The answer to this question is a big Yes!

Looking at the names on this list, we have Kelly Rippy, Nathan Bogle and Robert Konjic. These guys proved that they can still manage to grab some very lucrative modeling projects way way after their first or second seasons. Rippy started modeling more than 12 years ago, while Robert Konjic was 24 years old when he grabbed the prestigious Gucci campaign. Konjic is now 35. Nathan Bogle began modeling when he was 22 years old and now is about the same age as Konjic (Bogle is now 36).

I guess it has something to do with how these models treat each and every project that come their way. Call it professionalism or dedication to their craft or just being plain dead serious about everything... Doing the extra mile certainly gave them the edge.

So, here they are! [ Part 1 of the series is available here ]

# 40 - Kelly Rippy - Rippy is definitely one name on the list. Working for over 10 years as a top male model, Rippy has done it all - he has walked for the most prestigious runway shows, he has done the most lucrative fragrance and ad campaigns, and he has been involved in numerous fashion editorials under the helm of the most influential fashion photographers.

[ Click on image to view larger version | Scan courtesy of 106984987 @ModelHommes ]

JD Ferguson mentioned top male model Kelly Rippy about 3 years ago:

Speaking of models, I'd like to give a personal shout out to an all-time hottie fave for his longevity and ability after all these years to remain at the top of a business where one day you're in and the next you're out. That would be longstanding Wilhelmina model Kelly Rippy, who, fashion insiders from New York, Paris, and Milan will tell you, has been at the top of his game for over ten years. I met Kelly in Paris a hundred years ago. Shy, humble, and never one to chase the spotlight, he is the working model's model to this day. So big ups to Kelly Rippy y'all. [ read more ]

[ Click on any image to view | Scans first appeared in Kelly Rippy's ModelHommes thread ]

View our complete profile of Kelly Rippy here. Right after the jump, the other male models on the Top 40!

I did a quick survey recently @ModelHommes asking What's the most important factor for a male model to be ranked as number 1? The most popular choice was the ability to project different looks that sell brands, which is quite true. A model is supposed to entice people to buy or patronize something... Which brings us to this list. I've been thinking about it since I started ModelWatch way back in 2001, which means I practically stalled it. But finally it's here and it'll be a regular thing.

This is Part 1 of a 5-Parts feature and I'll get into the mechanics as we go along. Right now, here are the first 10 names on the list!

# 50 - Eric Van Nostrand - It's the pouty lips, the constant stare and the mysterious face of someone who could be a real-life Prince from some distant lands, all of these were demonstrated by Eric Van Nostrand. Eric will go down in modeling history as the first-ever signature model of Dior Homme and of Hedi Slimane. While he disappeared from the scene under 'mysterious' circumstances, Eric Van Nostrand remains the definitive Dior boy.

[ Click on any image to view | Photography by Richard Avedon ]

From the May 2001 Issue of Vogue, an article that - virtually - announced the arrival of Hedi Slimane as a major player in men's fashion:

Led by Eric Van Nostrand, Dior's emblematic contract model, a battalion of svelte princelings marched down the low-lit runway to pulsing music performed live by Benjamin Diamond (a key player in the revitalization of Paris' electronic-music scene). The models' hair had been windswept to exaggerate the speed at which they moved (think of Dior's New Look mannequins in 1947 startling a luxury-starved postwar audience as their vast skirts knocked over ashtrays in a race through the salons on Avenue Montaigne). Stark backlighting reinforced Slimane's pin-thin silhouette, which suggested an entire generation of serious fashionistos might have to start cutting down on their muscle-pumping gym routines. (Slimane says he was partly inspired by Steichen's magisterial portrait of Princess Yussupov, the beautiful, androgynous and reed-slim wife of the effete Russian aristocrat who was involved in the murder of Rasputin.) At heart, Slimane structured the collection around the conservative notion of what he calls "very classical pieces—the black gabardine suit, flannel pants and a white shirt." But he reconfigured these elements via subtle tailoring tricks—a soft cigarette roll at the shoulder; a dropped, skinny lapel; sleeveless pieces with vestigial strips of leather or fabric at the shoulder; old-fashioned pleated pants worn perversely low on the hips. What you couldn't see on the runway were discreet dandified details—clear sequins scattered in the folds of those Dior-inspired pleats; carnation buttonholes made by Lemarié in black leather; belts shaped like the articulated metal straps of Swiss watches; T-shirts veiled in fine black tulle; a tiny emerald-cut diamond pin clipped, with subtle provocation, at the fly.

After the show had ended, Slimane came out to take his bow, walked over to Saint Laurent, now standing in ovation, and received an anointing embrace from the master, who pronounced what he had seen "formidable." [ read more ]

Notes: Eric did modeling from 2005-2006. His stint as Dior's Higher signature model was shortlive and Damien Van Zyl replaced him immediately after.

- - -

Definitely one male model with impeccable reputation is Julian Feitsma. Discovered by Seeds Management while selling vegetables in a market in the city of Berlin, Julian still sells veggies even today (if reports are to be believed) while at the same time enjoying the prestige and glamour of fashion by modeling around the world. With such humble beginnings, one might be surprised to learn that Mr. Feitsma is one very successful model. Why? Aside from being one of the nicest guys around, he remained true to himself and continues to re-invent himself in the highly competitive world of male models...

[ Click on any image to view | Ford models' card via models.com | 2 Edits from GQ Italia via Bananas blog ]

But what really makes him more than just a pretty face? Here's why... [ just after the jump!]

As a sort of 'introduction' to Modelwatch's upcoming Top 50 Male Models list of all time, we're mentioning a few names who might be included in the Hitlist.

Kelly Rippy is definitely one name on the list. Working for over 10 years as a top male model, Rippy has done it all - he has walked for the most prestigious runway shows, he has done the most lucrative fragrance and ad campaigns, and he has been involved in numerous fashion editorials under the helm of the most influential fashion photographers.

[ Kelly Rippy for J Brand, one of his latest campaigns. | via Bananas Blog ]

JD Ferguson mentioned top male model Kelly Rippy about 3 years ago:

Speaking of models, I'd like to give a personal shout out to an all-time hottie fave for his longevity and ability after all these years to remain at the top of a business where one day you're in and the next you're out. That would be longstanding Wilhelmina model Kelly Rippy, who, fashion insiders from New York, Paris, and Milan will tell you, has been at the top of his game for over ten years. I met Kelly in Paris a hundred years ago. Shy, humble, and never one to chase the spotlight, he is the working model's model to this day. So big ups to Kelly Rippy y'all.

While models.com has this to say about Rippy:

Reminiscent of a young Elvis Presley, this Tennessee heartthrob has enthralled both Calvin and Tommy. All American and thoroughly appealing, Kelly's audience is both the young and the old, the hip and the conservative.

Get to know more of Kelly Rippy + selected photoshoots after the jump!

I know.... It's kinda unfair to be too critical about Baptiste Giabiconi and his top ranking at models.com... I really disagree with such gusto that perhaps I failed to see he's really awesome after all... right?

[ Baptiste Giabiconi appearing in Chanel S/S 2010-2011 collection in Paris ]

Why would MDC say something like:

With the male modeling industry facing a scarcity of long-term support on the part of clients for new and emerging faces, sifting through the blue chip SS/FW 09 campaigns to find a new heir apparent was no easy task. And then there came Karl Lagerfeld to the rescue as the last star-maker on the market ready to sweep a chosen male face to the heights of mass media exposure, multiple campaigns and guaranteed A-list editorial positioning. It’s a part of the game of fashion and now Mr Baptiste stands as the new No 1 on MDC Top 50 male models ranking with full buzz, the blazing spotlight and crackling controversy.

... and for Giabiconi to receive such superlatives...:

When Naomi Campbell met Baptiste in Moscow in 2009, she told him, “It’s not right: We all have defects. You have none.”  In an interview with WWD Karl Lagerfeld described Baptiste as “a boy version of Gisele [Bündchen]: skinny, skinny but with an athletic body — good for clothes and great with no clothes.”

Is he really perfect? I mean, Tyson Ballou appears to be perfect too, and so is Ivan de Pineda and Sean O'Pry and Matthias Lauridsen...

Amazing, gorgeous, expressive face. This may sound like a cliche but Sean O'Pry's face is destined to launch a thousand and one campaigns - I believe we're already started the countdown!

So what's the story so far? Count on super agent Lana Winters to discover the next male mega-model.

About 4 years ago, Sean was just like every young teenager creating his own MySpace page. The only difference is, unlike everyone else, someone saw the potential in him.