Dutch model Doutzen Kroes is one of the top supermodels of the 2000’s. She was a Victoria’s Secret Angel at the height of the brand’s influence over the fashion world; the Victoria’s Secret angels were plastered on billboards in cities around the world, were pictured in the brand’s iconic flagship stores, and of course entered the homes of people around the world through the fashion shows. She has been a brand ambassador for L’Oreal since 2006, and has been on the cover of several international issues of Vogue’s September issue, among other renowned magazines. She has also graced the catwalks for runway shows by Versace, Mugler, Balmain, Valentino, and Victoria’s Secret.

KENNETH WILLARDT - INSIDE CANNES, DOUTZEN ON A BOAT

Kroes’ charm is ethereal, feminine, and sophisticated, brought out by the fashion photographers who have shot some of her most iconic campaigns.

Kenneth Willardt is one of the most iconic contemporary photographers working today. A staple at Harper’s Bazaar, Willardt has shot for the most prestigious fashion magazines and brands, including Vogue, Vanity Fair, W Magazine, Christian Dior, Maybelline, and L’Oreal.

Willardt says his style is a mix of his Danish roots and cultural influences he has picked up living in both Brazil and the United States. His photographs masterfully blend a bold, feminine sense of power with a sleek, modern sensibility. His style is recognizable throughout his versatile portfolio, which spans close-up beauty shots of lipstick-tinged pouts and glittery eyeshadow looks to portraits of celebrities such as Robyn Lawley, J Lo, and Christian Slater.

Among the famous faces featured in Willardt’s celebrity portraits and fashion shots, Doutzen Kroes is a constant presence. The photographer has captured the model at the Cannes film festival in a glamorous series of photographs originally given to film festival guests. In one image, she has windswept hair and a glamorous cat eye as she pouts into the rear view mirror of a vintage car, in the next, she sprawls out on a boat with the iconic hotels of the Cannes shoreline behind here, and in the next, she wears a sparkling dress, her head turned to the side as she casually twirls her ponytail between her fingers. These images are marked by an effortless glamour that is the hallmark of Willardt’s style; she is slightly disheveled, never seeming to force a pose. She is constantly in motion, everything about her exuding confidence and a compelling charm.

KENNETH WILLARDT - INSIDE CANNES - DOUTZEN LOOKING AT THE REAR MIRROR, 2011

While Willardt captures the model in one of the most chic cities in the world, photographer Paul Bellaart takes Doutzen to the countryside, capturing a side of the model that is soft, natural, and completely at ease.

Paul Bellaart lives and works in Amsterdam, and the Netherlandish ease with oneself and embrace of nature is at the heart of his work. His models are often seen in nature, but not in the way many editorial shoots have a separation between setting and model, as if nature is just a backdrop to couture. Bellaart’s models are in harmony with nature. Often nude, they run along the sand, frolick in the fields, and dip in forest-lined lakes, creating an infectious energy that is both playful and content.

Similarly to Kenneth Willardt, Paul Bellaart has returned to Doutzen Kroes as a subject throughout his photographic career. In his images of the model, she is at ease, existing with her environment in a way that feels natural, symbiotic. In one photograph, she dances on the patinaed wood floors of an old house, revelling in the natural light streaming through the windows. In another set of photos, she walks through waist-high grass leading a majestic black horse.

Bellaart’s images of Doutzen are minimalistic; the model does not have the sleek hair or glamorous pout she is known for. Instead, the photographer strips her to a vision that is completely at ease; we imagine she has thrown her hair back, not caring for the flyaways that line her face, that she has forgone makeup, that she simply cares to commune with nature.

Both Kenneth Willardt and Paul Bellaart have been faithful photographers of Doutzen over the years, returning time and again to her unique beauty. Behind their lenses, the supermodel morphs, remaining true to herself while allowing different aspects of her personality to shine.

DOUTZEN KROES: MODERN MUSE