She’s the daughter of INXS musician, Kirk Pengilly but she has shunned the coat-tails of her famous father by gracing catwalks the world over under the pseudonym — April Rose.
This week, the 20 year old model-turned-actor will be the face of the L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival, an honor formerly bestowed upon the likes of Australian actors Miranda Otto, Pia Miranda and Emily Browning.
The Australian beauty, born to parents Kirk Pengilly and Karen Hutchinson, dabbled in modeling during her days at the exclusive North Sydney school of Wenona and decided not to follow her friends to further study when she graduated in 2005, instead choosing to pursue a career on the catwalks with her first modeling job in Tokyo.
Pengilly has worked as Youth Ambassador for department store giant David Jones alongside other stunning Aussie beauties like Megan Gale and is signed to various modeling agencies around the world including Chadwicks in Australia, Storm in London and Wilhelmina in New York — this bright 20 year old is certainly in hot demand.
The L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival is one of the highlights of the annual fashion calendar and as well as her ambassadorial duties, Pengilly will take to the planks leading an ensemble of Australia’s finest models and wearing the creations of national and international designers alike such as Aurelio Costarella, Tina Kalivas and Viktor & Rolf for Myer.
While Pengilly may have been modeling since she was in Year 12, the catwalk jitters still get the better of her sometimes. She told The Sunday Magazine recently, “My male friends say, ‘It’s just fashion,’ but it’s very stressful. I have to walk in three shows and that’s always frightening because you don’t know what you’ll be wearing or if the shoes will fit. You worry you’ll fall flat on your face.”
Once the Festival draws to a close on March 22, Pengilly will focused on studying proof-reading and editing and promoting her new film Living Between Days which she stars in with fellow Aussie starlet Gracie Otto.
The L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival runs from 16-22 March. Visit www.lmff.com.au for more information.
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