A Glowing Ashley Graham Is Our New Fashion Month Role Model

A moment for Ashley Graham during fashion month. The American model, who quite frankly should have been cast in more shows than the smattering she walked, made her presence felt known on the front row this season. From Dolce and Versace in Milan, to Lanvin and Schiaparelli in Paris, Graham played the part of brand poster girl, decked out in full looks that proved she’s a true fashion girl at heart.

While partying with Christian Louboutin up the Eiffel Tower and feting Edward Enninful’s A Visible Man at Lauren Santo Domingo’s house, Graham turned out some major outfits. We’re talking seriously major. Highlighting her knack for finding sassy party dresses and form-fitting tailoring that highlight her to-die-for curves, Graham showed her deftness of touch at pulling off liquid silk LBDs by Daniel Roseberry, sheer Casey Cadwallader for Mugler bodysuits and Rick Owens minis – each with a striking beauty look perfected by make-up artist Kale Teter and hairstylist Mashal Afzalzada. (A willingness to tag collaborators says a lot about a celebrity.)

Rubbing shoulders with Janet Jackson and Cynthia Erivo at Enninful’s exclusive soirée, Graham’s party trick was her lit-from-within glow. Her sheer ruched mauve slip with visible underwear looked classy rather than flashy (shout out to her stylist Emily Evans), while her fresh skin belied the toll new motherhood can take (Graham gave birth to twins Malachi and Roman at the start of this year). File it under: “aspirational model glamour” and “woman owning it”.

Graham has been much praised for her honest and unfiltered approach to documenting being a parent – from the highs and lows of pregnancy to the challenges of breastfeeding – but we love her candidness when sharing every aspect of her life. Her Paris Fashion Week photos, in particular, do not show a supermodel basking in the limelight, but a woman sharing her platform with her glam squad and highlighting the creativity of her peers. Not for Graham the curated street-style picture. Instead, it’s all wide smiles, home truths (her two ride or dies? Revlon make-up and her husband’s peanut butter chicken), and body confidence posts designed to raise others up. More brands should not only be casting Graham because she’s a gorgeous woman outside the size zero mould the industry refuses to let go of, but because she’s real, when that word lost its meaning long ago.