LILY NOVA

Brass earrings by AJE. Cream silk ruffle mini dress by ROTATE

The ethereal Lily Nova arrived on our 5’ELEVEN” set wearing Conner Ives’ now viral ‘Protect The Dolls’ t-shirt, which raises money for Trans Lifeline via sales. Friendly and curious with a fairy-like look and mystical energy, we sat down with Lily to get to know the international model and previous 5’ELEVEN” cover star.

Cheery, chatty, and familiar with most people on set, Lily is no stranger to the industry having started modelling at the age of 16, when she was scouted by Finesse Models during a shopping spree with friends in her hometown Adelaide, Australia.

Now, after daintily hopping quite literally across the world from Australia to live in London, she balances her work as a model with cameos on independent London theatre stages and in short films. Here, we caught up to chat about all of it!

Interview by Ella Mansell.

Photography by Edwin S Freyer. Styled by Tasha Arguile. Makeup by Anna Inglis Hall at Stella Creative Artists using Haus Labs. Hair by Michela Olivieri at Caren Agency using Maria Nila. Socials by Boram Lee Freyer. Hair Stylist assisted by Kathy Jung. Shot at Motherlight Studios. Lily appears courtesy of The MILK Collective.

Cream ribbed top, brass vintage gold necklace, brass vintage gold double Chloé belt, floral jeans and pink suede heels, all by Chloé

Hi Lily! This isn't your first shoot for 5’ELEVEN”! Tell us about your recent cover shoot.

Exactly! I was on the cover of issue 11 with a very friendly dog called Toffee. It was such a beautiful shoot. We shot it in this gorgeous house with huge gardens that felt very lived in, rather than just styled, and, of course, my co-cover star, Toffee. This part wasn’t planned: Toffee was running about everywhere and eventually ended up in the final shot. I loved that, as I am such a dog person. The whole experience was lovely.

So, tell me about yourself. Where are you from originally?

I'm from Adelaide in Australia, which is also where I was scouted. I was 16 shopping with friends on the Parade – a street full of shops in Adelaide – and I remember it was a really hot summer’s day when my mother agent Brigette Mitchell from Finesse Models saw me from across the street and started waving me down. There was this awkward interaction because I didn’t realise straight away that she was pointing to me. She then took a quick photo of me: not the best picture ever as my cheeks were all flushed from the incredibly hot weather plus I was 16 – just a baby – and quite shy. I think modelling has changed this about me. However, Bridget sent the photo to IMG and I was signed, which is pretty cool.

How has modelling changed you?

I feel like modelling brought me out of my shell and made me more "me". By this I mean more confident. Modelling has also shown me a different side of the world, where I have met so many people across the fashion industry. I have travelled to and seen so much of the world which I am truly grateful for, and that has made me feel bigger inside. My grandmother often says “Oh, Lily, you’ve been on such adventures!” I do wonder how I would have found myself in the same way if I hadn't been a model...

And now you’re based in London?

Yes. I moved to London a few years ago. I love it. I live in North London and enjoy finding all of London’s greenspaces and often go to Queenswood. I feel that being surrounded by nature is so healing and good for you.

Are you often able to travel back to Australia for work, to see family? 

Sometimes. However, the fashion market in Australia is more commercial and focussed around beachy girl aesthetics. Try as I might, that’s not me! Though I do love working on jobs that are very creative and slightly freaky in an avant-garde sense of the word.

Outside of the fashion industry, how would you compare living in London to living in Adelaide in terms of the quality of life, social life, the creative scenes?

Oh, I think both places definitely have a thriving creative scene, which is so fun to be a part of. Within this creative scene there is activism, art, and all kinds of making things. I think both places foster community within this creative culture which is very cool.

If you weren’t modelling, what would you be doing?

I really love acting and have been working more in this field recently, and having a lot of fun while doing so. I have also always wanted to be a writer of fiction books and short stories. I recently started a Substack – a wonderful platform that fosters a community of likeminded people – and have started publishing pieces I have written over the past few years alongside newer pieces too. I don’t have a fixed schedule for posting but it feels good sharing things that are important to me.

Cream ribbed top, brass vintage gold necklace, brass vintage gold double Chloé belt and floral jeans, all by Chloé

What inspires you to write? What have you written about recently?

I love writing stories about women and their relationship with beauty and the soul. These ideas stem from my work as a model because modelling can alter your own view of yourself; your character as well as your body. I explore this in my writing. I also recently wrote about missing my best friend who moved back to Australia. I miss our life together!

On the subject of friendship, do you ever find modelling lonely? There is a preconception that the fashion industry can be a lonely one with all the travelling it involves.

Modelling can be lonely. I felt this more when I first started. I was 17 or 18 and unsure about how to make friends in a new country. However, I have since discovered the bond there is between other models. There is a real solidarity in understanding what the industry feels like to work in as well as in sharing these experiences. We live these extra-ordinary lives and it’s refreshing not having to explain how that feels to one another. I have friends all around the world thanks to my job, and I stay in touch with even those who don’t model anymore. I have found friends for life, and feel so grateful for it.

So, tell me about acting!

I got an acting agent (she is quirky but I love her!) which is so exciting. I have worked on a couple of short films and was recently in a play which had two runs in London, one at the Applecart Theatre. It was based on the Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp trial but involved many of Shakespeare’s heroines written in Shakespearean English; I played a hero from Much Ado About Nothing.  It was set in the afterlife, so we were all in purgatory waiting to be told if we were good or bad and would be sent to heaven or hell.The reality is, we are not either all good or all bad, we are more complex. It was an incredible script and such a fun experience!

Polka dot ball gown by Carolina Herrera

The play sounds very intriguing, who wrote it?

Jen Tucker. She's so young as well, it's unbelievable. She's definitely one to watch out for. She’s very cool and conjured up such a creative concept that I would never have thought of. She also wrote another one called The Nine Day Queen based on Lady Jane Grey where a girl is in a coma and is visited by Lady Jane Grey. The concepts are great.

Tell me about the films you starred in.

I was cast for the first film during the pandemic (as the rules started to relax again) while I was in Sydney. I had just finished a bad day at work when a woman chased me down the street and asked if I had ever acted. She then put me in her short film which – in terms of aesthetics – was based on Picnic at Hanging Rock. It was beautiful, I love working on pretty things.

Would you like to do more film or theatre?

I think in hindsight, I want to do more films, because I now have a post-show stage fright! I sometimes think to myself “Oh my God, anything could have happened on stage!” However, any production where I can play an interesting character I would take. I love storytelling, which is one of the aspects that drew me to modelling: there is always a story to portray or tell.

Do you find modelling and acting are interchangeable in any way? Is there anything you have learnt as an actor that you have taken back to modelling and vice versa?

I think so. Modelling taught me how to step into a different emotional side and perform these emotions on set. From modelling, I also learnt to become very aware of my body in terms of movement and presence in a way I don’t think I was before modelling. Acting has also awarded me with more confidence and more range. I feel like I am more playful with everything now.

Brass earrings by AJE. Cream silk ruffle mini dress by ROTATE

Back to modelling: any career highlights that immediately spring to mind?

I met the Muppets and I still think that's crazy. I danced with Miss Piggy and Kermit on a shoot for Love Magazine a few years ago. It was such an unusual, creative brief and I loved it. The Muppets were wearing mini Miu Miu too. It was insane. Later at a Love Magazine party, I watched The Muppets DJ. Overall, I feel like I have a beautiful montage of families right now around the world, and I have been very lucky to participate in weird creative things with fun people.

Does an unusual brief draw you to a shoot?

Definitely. I think it’s my favourite thing. A story – something beyond just being visual and aesthetic – draws me to a shoot. I think playing a character makes the clothes (and everything) look better.

How would you describe your style outside of modelling? Does it change a lot?

It does change a lot. At the moment, I love a long dress, specifically a sailor-style dress. I love vintage fashion, and I am actually secretly loving 2010s style at the moment, but I don’t think I am allowed to dress like that because I was there! Surely I can’t go back to dressing how I did as a child … But it’s so interesting how fashion trends always come back around – even the things you can’t imagine ever wearing again. If I had to summarise my style, I would say it’s about playing a maiden character in a beautiful dress who has a secret sword hidden away. It’s about the unexpected.

Finally, if you had a day off in London, how would you spend it?

I'd go to the Queenswood Cafe because it's a beautiful place and it rejuvenates me. I'd also write and make art, and then go out for good food and coffee, maybe with some charity shop shopping thrown in between too.

Small silver plated brass ball stud earrings by Dinosaur Designs. Polka dot ball gown by Carolina Herrera