We seem to be on parallel courses here. I long ago decided that there was no point in shooting glamour models for a fashion portfolio. Your picture is only as good as the weakest of its parts. If you want to be a fashion photographer, you've got to be able to duplicate _exactly_ what your clients see in Vogue and Elle - and that starts with the model.(posted 8806 days ago)I was lucky to find a girl going to a nearby college that had a true fashion look (and was 6' tall!) who wanted to work for prints. That let me put together a decent first portfolio. I can use that to get good models and makeup artists. (I'm not really looking for paying work yet - I have a day job.) I also got a loan against my house so I can afford to spend a few thousand dollars putting together a pilot issue for an online music/fashion magazine. Even if I don't get investors, I'll have an outstanding way to showcase my skills. I'm using a variety of exotic and fashion look models - and if necessary, I'll spend the $600 to get a really good local model for the day. (E-mail me if you'd like to contribute something.)
By the way, fashion isn't about the clothes - catalog work is. As you note, it's the fantasy that we're selling. And the problem with designers is the same as with models (and makeup artists) - if they aren't top notch, then it will show in your pictures. You need to be extremely selective in what you shoot for your portfolio.