Is Agyness Deyn taking Kate Moss\'s crown?

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Is Agyness Deyn taking Kate Moss's crown?
By Richard Price
Last updated at 11:02 AM on 26th June 2008 Comments ( 17 ) Add to My Stories

As the night wears on into the early hours of the morning, astrikingly attractive, yet strangely androgynous blonde is deep inconversation amid the gaudy surroundings of London nightclub Punk.
Beneath a luminous portrait of Sid Vicious, oblivious to theblatant stares of the fashionable crowd who surround her, she leansinto her male companion and whispers into his ear.
'What is the best savings account to go for at the moment?' sheintones in a distinctive Lancastrian drawl.

Down to earth and clean living: Agyness Deyn is the polar oppositeto Kate Moss
'You get so much conflicting advice, sometimes I feel like shovingit all under the mattress and hoping for the best.'
As conversational gambits go, it is not, to say the least, standardsupermodel conversation. But then 25-year-old Agyness Deyn isanything but your typical supermodel.
This down-to-earth lass from Stubbins, Lancashire, famously startedout working in her village chippy, serving up - and often eating - portions of deep-fried haddock in a grease-stained tabard.
Today she is, without exaggeration, the most sought-after model inthe world - the face of the Noughties - and celebrities such asPixie Geldof, Sarah Harding and Kimberly Stewart are queuing up tohave their hair cropped into a peroxide blonde 'Agy'. Enlarge
Agyness Deyn attends Rebel Rebel - a Milk Gallery project presentedby The Art of Elysium last night in New York
To cap it all, she's on the brink of pop stardom, singing on arecord which is tipped for chart success following its release lastMonday.
Small wonder that Kate Moss - a frustrated rocker herself - isgreen with envy at this younger, fresher version stealing herthunder.
'Kate can't stand her. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that Agy isher nemesis,' a friend of Kate's told me.

'It's not about Agy's personality, but what she represents. She'syounger, fresher, everyone loves her and she's got everything aheadof her.
'Now she's singing with a band, something Kate has wanted to do foryears. Kate's 34 now and she realises her days as a model arenumbered. Everyone's calling Agy the new Kate Moss - and thathurts.' Enlarge
Agyness' mum Lorraine helped her create her stage name - itconsists of a mixture of her grandmother's name, Agnes, andLorraine's maiden name, Dean, with some extra letters added
Comparisons between the two British supermodels are inevitable.Each captured a fashion moment, albeit in separate decades, anddeveloped her own distinctive take on rock'n' roll chic. But that'swhere the similarity ends.
For where Kate has developed an image of sexy aloofness, oftenbordering on rudeness, Agy represents something entirely different.
'She has life, personality and she's very enthusiastic abouteverything she does,' says Vogue photographer Robert Fairer. 'Shejumps up and down, she plays the part and she is always happy.'
A happy supermodel? Surely not! And yet it truly seems to be thecase that fashion, a world renowned for its cold reserve, has beenwon over by the sheer, smiling enthusiasm of Agyness. Enlarge
Agyness has recently split with her boyfriend Josh Hubbard but hasa long line of suitors already queuing up
The camera loves her, but so do the people taking the pictures, thestylists, the make-up artists, the designers and practicallyeveryone she meets.
Whisper it quietly but there may be hope for the world of highfashion yet.
'For all Agy's new-found fame, she hasn't been spoiled in theslightest,' says a friend who has known her since she was at Bacupand Rawtenstall Grammar School.
'The Agy of today is exactly the same wide-eyed northern lass whomoved to London less than five years ago.

' Perhaps it has something to do with the fact she didn't make itas a model until she was in her 20s; Kate Moss was an internationalicon at 15.' Enlarge
Agyness Deyn with former boyfriend Josh Hubbard who split justweeks ago after and her boyfriend Josh Hubbard after a lengthyrelationship
Or perhaps it is because Agy, unlike other supermodels, remainsextraordinarily unaware of her beauty.
Friends say she is convinced she is not the slightest bit sexy('she realises that she takes a good photo, but thinks she lookslike a boy') and still worries about making basic errors on thecatwalk ('she does her housework in a pair of Vivienne Westwoodmonster heels to practise walking without falling over').
She has also, crucially, refused to become part of the Londonfashion crowd. 'Most of Agy's mates are from back home, and shecomes up here all the time,' says the schoolfriend.

'As far as we're concerned, nothing's changed, other than we get togo to the most fantastic parties with her.'
Agy's best friend, fashion designer Henry Holland, was a regular inthe chippy all those years ago.

He, like her schoolfriends, is the kind of companion she trusts.One explains: 'Agy's northern roots are important to her becausethe old crowd keep her feet on the ground.
She bussed a load of them down to London recently and put them upin a swanky hotel.
'Everyone had designer dresses to choose from and then they wentout and had a brilliant night partying. Agy paid for everything.' Enlarge
Agyness Deyn sings in a band - here she is performing with the FiveO'Clock Heros at Industry, Curtain Road, London last month
This generous gesture was not a oneoff. For her birthday last yearshe flew a crowd of old friends out to New York, where she nowlives.
Agy herself candidly admits: 'Yes I know lots of famous people. Butmost of my real mates are from back home. They're people I went toschool with.'
Her closest friend, however, is her mother, Lorraine, 55.

It was Lorraine who helped Agy reinvent herself from plain oldLaura Hollins and came up with the unusual name after herdaughter's modelling agency (she was spotted strolling down the OldKent Road three years ago) suggested she adopt a more exoticmoniker.
The name consists of a mixture of her grandmother's name, Agnes,and Lorraine's maiden name, Dean, with some extra letters addedaccording to principles of numerology to create the best karma. (Ifthis sounds wacky, it certainly fits the bill for a model whosesignature style she calls 'proper mad').
Lorraine, a nurse, says: 'The way Agy looks is an extension of herpersonality. There are no pretensions. She has an inner beauty,more of a sensuality than sexuality, and is the epitome ofclean-living. Enlarge
Supermodel Agyness Deyn seen riding a bicycle with friends aroundthe Meatpacking District after attending the Art of Elysium Benefitat the Milk Gallery last night
'People have said she's the new Kate Moss, but Agy has nevercompared herself to anyone.'
While that may be the case, Agy's success has seen her land anumber of lucrative contracts which a certain ageing supermodelwould once have regarded as hers by right.
Agy has been on the cover of every major fashion magazine, wonModel of the Year at the British Fashion Awards, has ousted Mossfrom her position as Tatler's most stylish woman and stands to make