ABC Models celebrated its second birthday last week and threw a whilrwind of parties and shows to honor the occasion. The modeling agency hosted four days worth of high profile events, from January 27 through 30. Participants came from Russia, the Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and Kazakhstan.

Vittorio Zaviani, the president of Italian agency Why Not, Emma McKie, human resource director of the French agency Marilyn, Mauro Palmentiery, the fashionable Italian photographer, and movie producer Mario Berardi were some of the international names that showed up to be on the jury for the January 29 Russian Stars beauty competition held at Sokolniki.

The contest was held according to European rules-models wore minimum makeup, loose hair, and walked barefoot, except when they displayed evening creations from the Yerevan Fashion House and hairdos from Moscow+s salon Etual.

The international jury gave the gold to Yelena Tsyrfa, 18, from the Tiraspol Grande Prix Modeling Agency in Moldova, entitling her to participate in Italy's upcoming RomeoFoto 2000 beauty contest.

On January 30, the Mirage club hosted the agency+s official birthday party.

Russia+s pop celebrities, Irina Ponarovskaya, Julia Nachalova, Trio Litsei, and many other young performers showed up to greet the models. In response, the agency presented the Red Zebra souvenir awards to the best ones.

"Our agency has achieved a lot in the last two years", said ABC Models President Vladislav Metreveli. "ABC Models currently holds a solidplace among Russia+s best modeling agencies and was the first to set up a +department of stars."

"Russian women have always been renowned for their beauty" added Why Not president Zeviani. "We came expecting a lot from the Russian Stars contest. We are interested in picking up new faces. Yelena Tsyrfa is definitely poised to make a great career as a supermodel."