Does the new noir signal the return of black nailpolish? Candice Swanepoel, posing for the cover of Numero Tokyo in a sheer dress and beyond-perfect classic blond waves, makes the idea seem rather appealing.

Not only is Candice Swanepoel the 10th highest paid model in the world, she’s also Muse Magaazine’s latest, well… muse. Candice stars on four covers for Muse’s summer 2012 issue, two of them photographed by Cass Bird with a hint of the eighties’ rockabilly revival happening in Ethel Park’s styling and Akki Shirakawa’s wet look hair.

You might have a personal favourite model, but Forbes have a more concrete measure of success. As they regularly do, they’ve released the list of the world’s highest paid models. So who makes the cut?

There’s no denying that a shearling aviator jacket is an option both warm and stylish come the colder months. But while it’s easy to imagine it can only work with jeans or a slim-cut pair of pants, Candice Swanepoel demonstrates that a maxi skirt can work just as well. Her Missoni-knit skirt is the ideal colour palette for her tan bag and jacket.

It’s a cover of contrast, where summer’s patchwork prints pop against a dark set, as Candice Swanepoel takes the June 2012 cover of W Korea.

Remember the days when Victoria’s Secret shoots took place in your Grandmother’s living room, right beside the indoor potplants and floral chaise lounge? The same days when the Angels wore their hair in fluffy ringlets and spent less time at the beach and more time doing traditional feminine activities like making tapestries and pretending to read from leather-bound books, all the while threatening to transcend…

Be Bold. A suggestion? A challenge? A command? Whatever your reading of this shoot’s title, Candice Swanepoel considers the suggestion, accepts the challenge, and executes the command. The boldness here is multi-layered, from fearless clashes of colour and print to unabashed displays of skin and sexual confidence, not to mention a change of hairstyle with thick blunt-cut bangs.

It’s not really any surprise, but this photo sure confirms it: Candice Swanepoel has admirers. Given a long-stemmed red rose for Valentine’s Day, not to mention the attention of every workman outside this New York fashion week site, all it really takes for Candice is a pair of ultra-skinny jeans and a lace top.

Charlotte Free amidst the madness of Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights? Kayka Ko as Tamara de Lempicka’s Art Deco driver? Diana Moldovan caught up in the surrealist world of Dali? As far as model show packages go, IMG’s latest is a work of art. Literally. The artworks themselves may not be original but the concept of pastiching them to model photos as showcards feels…

The new go-to girl for sports-themed shoots? Candice Swanepoel maintains the toned, tanned limbs to pull off that title – one of the many upsides to having a contract with Victoria’s Secret, one would suppose. Last time it was a shoot by Terry Richardson for Harper’s Bazaar, now it’s this particularly bronzed looking photo series for February’s issue of Vogue China.