Fashion / The Face

Lily Jean Harvey

DAVID KOMA top; SIMONE ROCHA pants.

At first glance she’s a ringer for Calvin Klein-era Brooke Shields – the hair, those brows, a look that speaks to decades past. But our new digital cover star is decidedly modern: scouted before a One Direction concert, then tapped as the face of Topshop’s SS 17 campaign. On an autumn morning in London, the kind that eases between slow rain and dappled sunlight, we got to know our Face of October: Lily Jean Harvey.

“I’m a Cancerian through and through – sensitive, creative, intuitive, moody and emotional. I love a good cry.”

ISABEL MARANT jumper from Matchesfashion.com; TOPMAN pants; CHANEL collar.

“I did my growing up in Newark-on-Trent, a market town not far from Nottingham, also not far from long hazy walks in summer with my neighbour and oldest friend Ella, and magnificent tones in autumn.”

Harvey was born in London, but calls the town of Newark-on-Trent home. She was scouted back in the big city – “I was swinging on the birdcage swing outside Kings Cross ... I can only describe my feelings that day as bemused” – and quickly caught the eye of industry heavyweights. Her first shoot was in front of the lens of Alasdair McLellan, an experience she describes as “surreal. Really ... Many people never get the opportunity to work with photographers as good as Alasdair. It was an honour to start my career like this.”

DAVID KOMA top; SIMONE ROCHA pants.

When she’s not in front of the camera, you might find her getting in touch with her creative side or reading a selection of the classics. “ ... Probably something by Nabokov, or actually I just finished Gabriel Tallent’s My Absolute Darling after seeing it advertised on the tube – it will blow you away.” She’s a realist, holding grudges is a waste of her time, and she lives by the personal mantra that “things will work out in the end - they always do!”

“[I most enjoy] travelling and meeting new people, especially from different backgrounds than me. There’s so much to learn from others.”

STELLA MCCARTNEY jumper; HELMUT LANG bodysuit; RAEY socks (all from Matchesfashion.com).

"The things people don’t know about me are my trump cards. I treasure having some privacy."

ACNE STUDIOS coat, top and pants.
PROENZA SCHOULER cardigan from Matchesfashion.com; MARNI pants.
STELLA MCCARTNEY jumper; HELMUT LANG bodysuit; RAEY socks (all from Matchesfashion.com).

PHOTOGRAPHY Sam Hendel
FASHION Bridie Gilbert
MODEL Lily Jean Harvey @ Viva London
HAIR Blake Henderson
MAKEUP Crystabel Riley using Ere Perez Natural Cosmetics
STYLIST’S ASSISTANT Alesha Jivanda

Photographed at Darnley Road Studios.