On TikTok, a midsize movement is forming, but models like Jill Kortleve are rarely cast in glossy brand campaigns or on the catwalks. Why not?
In Paris last month, at the Chanel couture show, there was something about one model that set her apart from the others on the runway.Strikingly beautiful, Jill Kortleve has almond-shaped eyes, dark bushy eyebrows and chiselled cheekbones. Since her runway debut for Alexander McQueen in 2018, she has appeared on many magazine covers; modelled in Versace, MaxMara and Jacquemus shows; and starred in advertising campaigns for Valentino Beauty and Fendi, to name but a few.
But what makes her an unusual star for the high-fashion industry is not the fact that she is 29, making her older than many of her peers, or that she is 5-foot-8, making her shorter than many of them, too. It is the fact that Kortleve is a US size 8 to 10 — or “midsize” — as the middle ground between petite and plus size is increasingly known. “Straight” size, or under a US size 2, remains, overwhelmingly, the fashion industry norm.
Plus-size models, typically those above a US size 12, have become better represented in high fashion. “Curve” models like Paloma Elsesser, Precious Lee and Ashley Graham have thriving careers.
For years, however, Kortleve has been one of the few midsize models of note. In January, she was the only midsize model cast by Chanel for its couture show. There were a handful of others at shows like Valentino, but last season, Kortleve was the only midsize model to be cast by the marquee names on the couture calendar.