Olandria Carthen's evolution from Love Island contestant to fashion muse should be studied. What started as a suitcase full of barely-there bikinis transformed into a wardrobe of designer dresses, like her golden haute couture mini dress for Rahul Mishra's January 26 front row.
Less than a year after finishing second in Love Island USA Season 7, the rising star made her Paris Haute Couture Week debut. Indian couturier Rahul Mishra invited Carthen to his Spring 2026 Couture show, but not before styling her in his Fall 2025 opening look. She blended right in with the models in Mishra's "Heart of Gold" dress: a boatneck mini dress made of yellow gold flip sequins. A matching, wave-like sculpture cascaded down and around the thigh-grazing mini, which connected behind Carthen's head. Zoom in to appreciate the bulging, vein-looking embroidery atop the anatomical curvature.
Styling duo Matthew and Reginald Reisman took creative liberties with the Fall 2025 Couture design, beginning with accessories. The Reismans traded the model's fishnet veil—also in metallic gold—for a glowing makeup look, courtesy of Ngozi Edeme. Next, Carthen slipped on pointy metallic pumps in lieu of strappy sandals. To finish, a fittingly French manicure replaced the model's yellow gold polish.
Carthen teased her first Paris Couture Week at the Bridgerton Season 4 Paris premiere on Jan. 14, when she posed for photographers in Look 35 from Rahul Mishra's Fall 2025 Couture collection. The strapless, ankle-grazing gown and plunging corset bodice were fit for the diamond of the season.
Dark rhinestones married the dress's drop-waist bustier and bubble-hem skirt. Pastel, mosaic-inspired prints—Mishra's signature motif across the 37-look line—added dimension to the skirt's satin exterior. The model's emerald necklace and earrings were nowhere to be found. Instead, Carthen covered her eyes, masquerade-style, with a partial lace veil.
On Haute Couture Week eve (late last night), Carthen confirmed via Instagram Stories her "first show" was coming. "I love it here and I love y'all," she told her devoted followers.
Carthen's next front row still remains a mystery, but Marie Claire will follow her adventures all week long, whether she's runway- or front-row-bound. Modeling isn't entirely out of the question, either. She walked down Sergio Hudson's runway last September, after all.
