Struggling with a sense of alienation following the death of his father in 2008, fashion designer David Delfin asked an orthodontist to insert a bracket to open a space between his two front teeth.

'It was a metaphor for the separation I was feeling,' said Mr. Delfin, who called his spring 2009 collection 'Diastema,' the medical term for a space between two teeth, usually in front.

It turns out Mr. Delfin was ahead of the fashion curve. At model casting calls for New York's fashion week, which begins today, one of the most coveted attributes is an affront to modern orthodontics: gapped teeth.

The look is a bold departure from recent standards of idealized beauty that have rewarded curvaceous and perfect-smile models, such as Doutzen Kroes and Miranda Kerr, with high-profile ad campaigns.

Instead of perfection, designers now want what casting directors call 'characters.'

'I think people want to see something different, something off,' says casting director Natalie Joos, who is selecting models for the runway shows of Lacoste and Cynthia Steffe this season.

Other distinguishing characteristics in demand this season include tattoos, piercings, scars and even albino coloring.

Some say the popularity of physical flaws reflects the skepticism of today's youth toward the air-brushed perfection of the digital age.

'It's a love for the imperfect, and the authentic,' says Stefano Tonchi, editor-in-chief of W magazine. 'These are values that are more and more important for younger generations. Originality, authenticity . . . in a world that is more and more digitally enhanced.'

In editorial spreads in Vogue and W, as well as ads for high-end brands like Chanel and Marc Jacobs, gaptoothed gals are having a moment.

In a new ad for Hudson jeans, Mick Jagger's pillow-lipped, gaptoothed model daughter Georgia appears open-mouthed and topless, locked in an embrace with a tattooed man.

Miu Miu's fall ad campaign features a young model named Lindsey Wixson wearing a fur vest and flashing long, neatly spaced teeth.

Even Lauren Hutton, a supermodel in the '70s and '80s known for her signature gap, is getting more work these days: She was featured on the cover of the September issue of Conde Nast U.K.'s Love magazine.

The diastema is also gaining traction in Hollywood, as high-profile actors like Anna Paquin, of the vampire series 'True Blood,' and Elisabeth Moss, of 'Mad Men,' grace the red carpet with their pearly whites -- and dark gaps.

In a recent issue of Us Weekly, Ms. Paquin said she considers it rude when people ask her why she hasn't 'fixed' her smile.

The gap has long been celebrated in many African cultures as a sign of beauty. But in Europe and North America, gapped teeth weren't always considered chic.

According to the medieval laws of physiognomy -- in which facial features were thought to dictatepersonality traits -- a gap was a visual signal that a woman was 'lustful and licentious,' says Colin Jones, a professor at Queen Mary University of London who is writing a book about the history of dentistry.

In the 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote in his Canterbury Tales of the gaptoothed wife of Bath, who says, 'as help me God, I was a lusty one/ And fair, and rich, and young, and well begone' -- old English for 'well-endowed.'

In more recent times, amply spaced front teeth have graced the mouths of a wide range of celebrities, from David Letterman to Madonna. But they have never been a widespread trend cultivated by the fashion and entertainment industries.

Sotheby's is currently exhibiting a series of photographs of gaptoothed model Ms. Wixson. The series, called 'I Remain, You Desire,' follows Ms. Wixson, 16 years old, as she attended casting calls and prepared for runway shows last year.

'Lindsey is one of these girls saying, 'This is my face. This is who I am,'' says Gabrielle Revere, the photographer who followed her on her rounds. 'People are responding to it, because it is unconventional.'

Jessica Hart, a 24-year-old Australian model, used to oblige when clients asked her to wear a prosthetic insert to cover up her wide gap. But as she gets more work because of her teeth, not in spite of them, she refuses to cover it up. 'If [clients] don't like my gap, I don't want to work for them,' she says.

Dr. Sheldon Peck, a historian and adjunct professor of orthodontics at the University of North Carolina, says diastemata are still something mainstream consumers see as a cosmetic mishap to be fixed, not a distinction to be celebrated.

But in the fashion industry, where getting attention is a primary goal of catwalk shows and advertisements, changing the aesthetic of the women who model clothes is one strategy to draw stares.

In the late '80s and early '90s, glamorous supermodels like Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell ruled the runways, only to be supplanted by the short and skinny waifs epitomized by Kate Moss. A succession of mini-trends followed. Voluptuous Brazilians gave way to androgynous Belgians, followed by tall, young and all-too-skinny Russians.

As the skinny trend persisted, fashion designers and modeling agencies came under fire for allegedly promoting an emaciated aesthetic. The reaction was a healthier curvaceous look, embodied by Lara Stone, who incidentally also has a gap.

Now 26, Ms. Stone is the face of Calvin Klein and was proclaimed 'girl of the year' by Vogue U.K in 2009. She is now widely credited for popularizing the gaptoothed look. In this year's September issue, she appears in a 12-page editorial spread, her gapped front teeth visible in every single image.

For Ashley Smith, a 19-year-old model who will be strutting the runways at New York's fashion week for the first time this season, her gap is her calling card. 'It's something that sets me apart from everybody else,' she says.

Ms. Smith was recently selected to model for Prada's resortcollection, a coup for a young model, and she appears in ad campaigns for Levi Strauss and Italian brand Sisley. 'If I am on set and smiling, but not showing my teeth, they are always shouting, 'Show us the teeth!'' Ms. Smith says.

Rachel Dodes

• collection [kə´lekʃən] n.收集；征收；募捐 (初中英语单词)
• medical [´medikəl] a.医学的；医疗的 (初中英语单词)
• departure [di´pɑ:tʃə] n.离开，出发 (初中英语单词)
• director [di´rektə] n.指导者；....长；导演 (初中英语单词)
• physical [´fizikəl] a.物质的；有形的 (初中英语单词)
• editorial [,edi´tɔ:riəl] a.编辑的 n.社论 (初中英语单词)
• hudson [´hʌdsn] n.哈得孙河 (初中英语单词)
• embrace [im´breis] vt.&n.拥抱；采纳；信奉 (初中英语单词)
• series [´siəri:z] n.连续；系列；丛书 (初中英语单词)
• carpet [´kɑ:pit] n.地毯 vt.铺地毯 (初中英语单词)
• weekly [´wi:kli] a.&ad.每周一次(的) (初中英语单词)
• celebrated [´selibreitid] a.著名的 (初中英语单词)
• personality [,pə:sə´næliti] n.人；个性；人品；人物 (初中英语单词)
• writing [´raitiŋ] n.书写；写作；书法 (初中英语单词)
• entertainment [,entə´teinmənt] n.招(款)待；联欢会 (初中英语单词)
• oblige [ə´blaidʒ] vt.责成；迫使；使感激 (初中英语单词)
• distinction [di´stiŋkʃən] n.差别；特征；卓越 (初中英语单词)
• primary [´praiməri] a.主要的 n.居首位的 (初中英语单词)
• succession [sək´seʃən] n.继任；继承(权) (初中英语单词)
• reaction [ri´ækʃən] n.反应(力) (初中英语单词)
• visible [´vizəbəl] a.可见的；明显的 (初中英语单词)
• resort [ri´zɔ:t] vi.求助；乞灵；诉诸 (初中英语单词)
• italian [i´tæliən] a.意大利 n.意大利人 (初中英语单词)
• insert [in´sə:t, ´insə:t] vt.插入；夹入 n.插入物 (高中英语单词)
• separation [,sepə´reiʃən] n.分离；分开；分居 (高中英语单词)
• perfection [pə´fekʃən] n.完美；极致；熟练 (高中英语单词)
• cynthia [´sinθiə] n.月亮女神 (高中英语单词)
• popularity [,pɔpju´læriti] n.普及；流行；名望 (高中英语单词)
• georgia [´dʒɔ:dʒjə] n.乔治亚 (高中英语单词)
• campaign [kæm´pein] n.战役；行动 vi.从军 (高中英语单词)
• signature [´signətʃə] n.签名；盖章 (高中英语单词)
• hollywood [´hɔliwud] n.好莱坞 (高中英语单词)
• dictate [dik´teit] v.口授；指示，命令 (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• historian [his´tɔ:riən] n.历史学家 (高中英语单词)
• bracket [´brækit] n.托架 vt.给...装托架 (英语四级单词)
• imperfect [im´pə:fikt] a.不完全的；未完成的 (英语四级单词)
• medieval [,medi´i:vəl] a.中古的；中世纪的 (英语四级单词)
• widespread [´waidspred] a.广布的；普遍的 (英语四级单词)
• incidentally [,insi´dentəli] ad.顺便一提；偶然地 (英语四级单词)
• designer [di´zainə] n.设计者 (英语六级单词)
• affront [ə´frʌnt] vt.&n.(当众)侮辱 (英语六级单词)
• originality [ə,ridʒi´næliti] n.独创性；创举；新颖 (英语六级单词)
• facial [´feiʃəl] a.面部的，脸部的 (英语六级单词)
• madonna [mə´dɔnə] n.圣母玛利亚；圣母像 (英语六级单词)
• cultivated [´kʌltiveitid] a.在耕作的；有教养的 (英语六级单词)
• revere [ri´viə] vt.尊敬；敬畏 (英语六级单词)
• mishap [´mishæp] n.不幸；灾祸 (英语六级单词)
• strategy [´strætidʒi] n.兵法；战略 (英语六级单词)
• calling [´kɔ:liŋ] n.点名；职业；欲望 (英语六级单词)