Lily Cole, with her unfeasibly long legs and the face of a porcelain doll, is one of the hottest models that had recently made their catwalk debut. "She looks like Botticelli's Venus - I think she'll be huge," said fashion guru Isabella Blow. Designer Jasper Conran was similarly effusive, insisting Cole will be "very, very, very big".

Less than a year ago she was just another London schoolgirl, now, she has made one of the swiftest ascents to stardom - 16-year-old Lily Cole is gracing the cover of Vogue. The teenager is posing in a gold Versache swimsuit, appearing with Gemma Ward, Australia`s new modelling sensation.

She was spotted by creative boss of Storm Agency Benjamin Hart while chatting with her friends in a bar and had initially run away, fearing she has been chased by "some dodgy guy". Finally, she agreed to sign with the agency that had launched Kate Moss.

Storm managing director Sarah Doukas said: "Lily has a talent that all great models have, in that she's very good at interpreting and defining different looks from designers and photographers. She is unique in that way." Indeed, demand for Cole is so high the agency turns down many contracts because she has homework.

"There is a good feeling about Lily. She's got that X-factor. She's beautiful but a bit different."

Cole is poised to follow a long line of Londoners who became fashion superstars after being discovered by chance. Moss was spotted, aged 14, at New York's JFK airport as she prepared to fly home with her father. Naomi Campbell was 15 when approached while on a West End shopping trip, and Sophie Dahl was 17 when Isabella Blow saw her crying in the street after a row with her mother.

Cole has avoided the limelight so far, saying: "Sometimes I think I'd like to be famous... and sometimes I don't."