The girl next door

Petra Nemcova, the Sports Illustrated alum, has been busy the past few months — canoodling with actor Sean Penn at a couple of red-carpet rendezvous, promoting her reality show A Model Life and, just recently, pimping for Kamiseta.

The Czech supermodel caught the attention of Kamiseta shortly after her tragic experience with the tsunami. “Cris Roque, the spouse of Gonzalo ‘Gunn’ Roque III, president and CEO of Kamiseta, saw Petra on Larry King Live and thought that she would be the perfect Kamiseta endorser as she wanted someone fresh and not a Hollywood actress,” according to the company.

“Petra Nemcova is a beautiful person, both physically and spiritually,” says Gunn Roque. “Aside from being one of the top supermodels, she spends a lot of her time on her own foundation.”

The stunner hasn’t shied away from the tragedy that befell her in Thailand (she lost her boyfriend in the calamity), which could be why the clothing label was drawn to Nemcova in the first place.

The Happy Hearts Fund, founded by Nemcova, aids children in need who have suffered loss or hardship as a result of natural, or health-related disasters.

“There has always been a stigma with supermodels as being divas but Petra is one cool and nice individual,” adds Roque. “When you see the photos, you will see how beautiful she is.”

At the photo shoot for the Kamiseta campaign, it quickly became clear that her brush with catastrophe hasn’t turned her off from the water. The model came in “sporting a golden tan, as well as a wound on her right leg. Petra enthused that she got it from surfing in Hawaii and raved that the waves were amazing,” according to the Kamiseta crew.

Preppy, nautical pieces were trotted out for the model to wear, prompting Nemcova to say, “Kamiseta clothes are very well made and I just love the details on them.”

Expect similarly-styled apparel, like crochet-trimmed tees, colorful hoodies, lots of florals and pop-inspired prints to hit stores.

Kamiseta, which has grown to include branches in Indonesia, Guam, Bahrain and Dubai and has been named by Seventeen Indonesia as the top three brands for teens in Jakarta, has embraced shades as sunny as a summer day for the coming months. Standout pieces include a sunburst floral pattern (mimicking the ombre trend) A-line frock, preppy jackets in a nubby, light tweed-inspired cotton, chevron-print knits and loose boho-esque above-the-knee dresses with sweet embroidered details.

The fun-loving label has made it easy for everyone to update their wardrobes for the coming season in bright, bold prints. With clothes like these on the racks, you can color us there.  — Bea Ledesma