'She's a super duper model': Robyn Lawley becomes first plus-size beauty to grace pages of Vogue Australia

By Daisy Dumas
Updated: 04:57 EDT, 3 August 2011

She has graced the cover of Vogue Italia and French Elle and has added her inimitable poise to countless editorials.

Now, Australian model Robyn Lawley is enjoying her first starring role in her home edition of Vogue magazine.

And, breaking 52 years of Australian Vogue protocol, Ms Lawley is the first ever plus-size model to appear in the glossy's pages. 

Stunning: A flawless Robyn Lawley looks bold and beautiful in the Belle Curve shoot

In the ten-page 'Belle Curve' piece, Ms Lawley strikes a fine figure in strong tailoring by Australian designers Alex Perry, Willow and Carla Zampatti.

Vogue Australia editor, Kirstie Clements, said her tradition-changing decision to cast the 22-year-old model was not based upon her size.

'She’s really beautiful and you have to make the judgement about whether a girl’s special or not, so it really wasn’t about size or to make a statement.'

Writing in the editor's letter of September's Vogue Australia, Ms Clements says she 'was transfixed by Ms Lawley's beauty and poise. She is a truly super-duper model.

Thigh high: The plus size model is the first ever non straight size model to feature in Vogue Australia

A woman's confidence: Ms Lawley breaks the magazine's 52 years of using only 'skinny' models

'When a plus-size model first turns up to the studio, she may be an anomaly to a team normally used to working with size-6’s, but once photographer Max Doyle started shooting Robyn, we quickly readjusted our preconceived notions of beauty.'

Ms Lawley, an Australian size 14 who lives in New York, said in a recent Models.com interview that she feels designers are beginning to have the confidence to design for plus size models. 'Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and always has and always will,' she said.

She joins a select few plus-size models who have featured in the pages of glossy magazines recently.

Curvaceous: Ms Lawley feared she would not be accepted as a model until seeing the work of Crystal Renn

Swing it: The photos channel Ms Lawley's independent, strong spirit. Having learnt he ropes in Australia, she now lives in New York

Crystal Renn, also a healthy size 14, has modelled for Jean Paul Gaultier, Jimmy Choo, Vogue Paris and graced the cover of Vogue Mexico in April this year.

The September issue of Vogue Australia is out now

She famously penned a book, Hungry, chronicling her battle with anorexia nervosa and her subsequent rise to superstardom in the fashion world.

Tara Lynn graced the cover of Elle France's first ever plus size issue in April 2010, dedicated to changing industry stereotypes of body size.

Ms Lawley famously featured on the cover of that magazine's April 2011 plus-size issue, shot by Steven Meisel.

Their stories remain few and far between in an industry where plus-size is a novelty rather than a norm.

Ms Clements wrote: '"She doesn’t actually look plus size to me at all now." I said to a colleague on set later that day, "And men like curves don’t they?" He looked at me like I was an idiot.

'"Ah, yes Kirstie, we certainly do" was his laconic reply. It’s an interesting conversation: the world of high fashion and fuller-figured women. One that needs to be continued,' said Ms Clements.

Vogue Australia's September issue is on sale now, for more details visit vogue.com.au.