Results tagged “models” from Styleblog

Agyness Deyn looks beautiful in these photos from French Vogue. This is a true "fashion" spread - these clothes are cutting edge, super progressive, sinfully expensive, and nearly unwearable except in the context of art. I love it. I also love Aggy. She may be overexposed, she may be last year's news, she may be phasing out, but you have to admit, the woman is a talented model.
 

No one does masculin feminin quite like Miss Deyn. Despite her boyish looks, she never comes across as mannish. She's a total lady, and she's probably the only model right now who can pull this off.

EW. I have nothing against Lily Cole, but this cover from French Playboy just puts a bad taste in my mouth. Creepy, infantilized, and styled like a terrible 80s teen movie? Apparently, the Playboy cover was inspired by Serge Gainsbourg's album cover for the 1971 classic Histoire de Melody Nelson, but after comparing the two covers, I have come to the conclusion that this is not a true statement at all. They look nothing alike.

What happened to the classy Lily Cole that stormed the runways all over the world? The Lily Cole who goes to deferred at Cambridge U? I'm not one to compare models but Gemma Ward would never pose for Playboy. That's all I'm saying.

Oh well. At least it's not your typical American Playboy cover. But do you think this will be good or bad for her career? Lily hasn't been on the runways in any of the 2009 shows, and I'm curious to see where her career goes if/when she returns to the catwalk. I'm skeptical - who goes from posing for Playboy to walking for Miuccia Prada? The same Miuccia who famously said, "The more sexy you make yourself appear, the less you'll have sex." Amen.

Something tells me these shoes aren't going to sell well. Two models fell and countless others stumbled their way through Miucci Prada's SS 2009 show in Milan. One model even had to be helped to her feet by audience members. One model fell OUT of her shoe. Embarrassing. Due to the models' falls, Miucci Prada promised the shoes would be lower when they hit the stores. She claims it was the little socks the girls were wearing, and not the horrific nature of the shoes, that caused the falls. Below, a video of the Prada show that includes the frill and trip-pery.

Laksmi Menon is a gorgeous woman. But I don't really understand why Vogue Paris decided to put Laksmi - who is Bangalore - in an afro and cast her in a shoot called "Afro Disiaque." I mean, that just seems culturally insensitive on many levels. If you put a white woman in a wig like this, and then styled her up like some Donna Summer disco diva from Detroit, you would never get away with it. So just because she's from Bangalore, and her skin is a darker shade, makes this okay? Um, no.

Oh, and that fedora is hideous. As are the bag, the ridiculous pink bandana in the front pocket, and those awful mom jeans. I won't even get into the shoes. Vogue Paris is so rarely wrong, it's weird how far they've missed the mark with this particular shoot.

Alice Dellal is a name you're going to starting hearing a lot in the fashion world. She's pretty, she's British, and she's so edgy that she's already inspiring designers like Proenza Schouler with her unique personal style. She's even being called the "new Kate Moss" because of her work with Agent Provocateur, plus her recent coke shame. The reason I like Alice is because she's one of the first people to fully embody in early 90s grunge look. She's got a great two-toned haircut with a razored side, plus she has a predilection for cropped shirts and lace-up combat boots. She's definitely got a certain look, and she commits herself wholly to it. Bravo. If you do something, don't half-ass it. Alice Dellal is grunge to the core.

If I could find a white wig like this, I'd be happy for the rest of my life. Linda Evangelista looks amazing in this very David Lynch-ian W Magazine shoot, by Steven Klein. The look on her face in the last picture is all, "Burying a body has totally ruined my manicure." I love photospreads that tell a story, and this shoot - aply titled "Love/Hate" - definitely brings to mind the beautiful as well as the beautifully sinister.

Daisy Lowe is a name that's popped up frequently on my radar during London Fashion Week. The unacknowledged love child of Gavin Rossdale, daughter of Pearl Lowe, ex-girlfriend of Mark Ronson and Will Blondelle, this 19-year-old has already sown the seeds for a future in rehab. Watching her is like watching the a trainwreck in slow motion.

I don't really get the way the Brits pick their It-Girls. Some It-Girls, like Alexa Chung, are universally fabulous. I also heart Sienna Miller, despite her homewrecking ways and general trashiness. Kate Moss, the ultimate British It-Girl of all time, is my personal hero. But Daisy Lowe is one It-Girl I don't really see anything in. As for her replacing Kate Moss as the new face of Agent Provocateur? Please. PUH-LEASE. No way is she near Kate's caliber. 

LOVE Kate's new hair cut. While my opinion of her previous haircut was uncertain, I have no qualms with this one. I loved it from the get-go. It's fresh, modern, just messy enough, and is perfect for the texture of her hair. Equally lovely is her flapper dress, which is part of her current line for TopShop, which - lucky for us - just opened up their online store in the United States. Thank God for smaller shipping fees.

Left, Jessica Stam at Marc Jacobs. Right, Jessica Stam at Oscar de La Renta.

Do you see what a different a simple pair of eyebrows can make?

This crazy beautiful picture of Liu Wen REALLY makes me want to try orange lipstick myself. I love combination of the orange lip with the orange eye. I wouldn't wear so much orange makeup with an orange dress (really oompla loompa) but I like the way it contrasts with the buttery brown of the jacket. Yves St Laurent makes a really great lipstick that's creamy and smells amazing, and they've got a lovely color called "Indian Sari" which they describe as a "bright tangerine orange." Orange is the perfect cover to transition between summer and fall, so tis the season to experiment with color. Note that orange lipstick is not the best idea if you are extremely tan, or if you experiment with orange-hued fake-tanning products whatsoever. You will look like a pumpkin.

How gorgeous is Petey Wright? He was the winner of V Magazine's VMAN Ford Model Search and graces the current cover of VMAN, shot by Hedi Slimane (who also shot that gorgeous Vogue Hommes Japan cover I freaked out about yesterday).

Petey looksl ike a young Johnny Depp. Before this 20-year-old gorgeousness was discovered as a model, he was professional wrestling in Nashville Tennesee. Yes, professional wrestling. As in, the kind of wrestling where you dress in ridiculous costumes and fling chairs at your opponent's heads. Who knew someone with such perfectly chiseled features would ever be seen in a wrestling ring?

Not only is Petey super adorable, but he has a ton of personality as well. Check out his interview with Petey on Models.com. His crooked teeth are so cute!

For those here in the San Francisco Bay Area who aren't in New York City for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, a backstage pass is still available in the form of photographer Sonny Vandevelde, who takes us backstage at the hottest fashion shows with his fierce, candid photographs of models in various stages of goofiness and deshabille. Check it out!

 

Sonny's really got the 'models making goofy faces' photography down pat. It's kind of sick and twisted that these gorgeous ladies still look good while contorting their faces and bodies in a way that would look legitimately terrifying on anyone who is, well, a non-model. Thank the Lord I'm not in New York City for fashion week because, seriously, how depressing would that be?

...she was this.
 

Too bad she still looks adorable, even with that ridiculous hat. Nevertheless, I'm glad she's transformed from that to...THIS:

This is the new cover of the upcoming Purple magazine for Fall 08/Winter 09, photographed by Mario Sorrenti.

Helena Christensen looks ferosh on the new cover of Dansk. At 40, she looks simply amazing.

Helena is one of my favorite models because (1) she was one of the founders of Nylon magazine - bet you didn't know that! and (2) because she epitomizes bohemian chic and even sells antique furniture in her own New York boutique and (3) because in the 90s she didn't quite have the fame meter of models like Cindy or Christy or Naomi but her career has had greater longevity anyway and at 40 she's still totally still in the biz!

According to Dansk: "We say NO NO" is the theme of the next issue of Dansk, out 14 August 2008. From the very first page, the word no rules supreme. We love to say no. A big no to all things we really didn't want to do -- and to all those situations it's normally considered polite to say yes to.

Rather than featuring yet another teenage model with next to no life experience, our chosen cover girl is supermodel/mother/photographer and shop owner, Helena Christensen. In a personal interview, Helena talks about the things she's had to say no to, and what it's like to always be the centre of attention.

I don't know about you, but I personally say YES to Helena.

Fashionista has transcribed the entire Kate Moss interview in this month's Interview magazine. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

Highlights:

"I wasn't the Amazonian girl that everyone in fashion was used to, with the big tits, all curvy and tall. I was small in comparison. It's funny, though, because I always thought I was as tall as, like, Christy, and then I'd be doing her makeup in the mirror and realize that I was 5 inches shorter."

"I wouldn't know what to do with a B cup."

"I hate dentists. That's why my tooth fell out. I was in the middle of a root canal and wouldn't go back, so it just dropped out when I was in the middle of Fifth Avenue. I had to do the Calvin Klein show without the tooth."

"I met James Brown! I danced with him on the runway at one of Thierry Mugler's shows. He was singing "Sex Machine" and I was dancing in a ball gown, and he turned around and danced with me. It took me a second to realize I was dancing with James Brown, I froze. His teeth were so white. He wasn't really singing. He was lip-synching. But he was incredible. And he was so nice. He said later, " You've got to come to my 50th-birthday party." I was thinking, Fifty? Right? I think he had lost count."

I am sort of obsessed with the original 90210. Seeing so much acid wash, so many scrunchies, and all that Esprit sends me into such a nostalgic tizzy, I get motivated to go thrift store hunting every time I so much as hear the opening guitar bars of the opening credits. The new 90210 promises not to disappoint by being so LA. On the show's very first episode, none other than Cory Kennedy, LA scenester extraordinaire, and Mark Hunter, aka the Cobrasnake, will make appearances. With Cory and Mark going on 90210 and Tinsley and Michael (Kors, that is) going on Gossip Girl, television promises to be pretty juicy this upcoming season.

Another initative to ban too-thin models from the runways bites the dust. Snore. From the Associated Press: London Fashion Week organizers have dropped plans that likely would have barred many size zero models from the catwalk, saying industry executives around the world felt they were not needed.

The idea of having such certificates grew out of an industry commission set up last year to address public concerns that excessive dieting damages the health of models and creates unrealistic expectations for young women.

I cannot foresee any sort of weight-based initiative actually passing amongst fashion week organizers. I will be the first to agree that some of the models out there look frighteningly, dangerously thin, and their presence does send the message that extreme thinness is the standard of beauty... But this is a societal problem, because despite decrying this standard of thinness, we are still snapping up fashion magazines with teeny models on the cover and funneling millions of dollars into the same industry that promotes these images. We are image obsessed, and we graviate towards the image that is most difficult to obtain. Because of our own twisted fascination, the fashion industry keeps feeding (unintended pun) us these unattainable fantasies. And because the fashion industry presents these fantasies to us, we keep feeding our own fascination. I don't want to sound cynical but this is a vicous cycle which I don't think will end any time soon. Before any sort of initiative on body image can pass, society as a whole has to really rethink our values.  

Kate Hudson or Nadja Auermann? At right, the current cover of W Magazine. At left, a September 1994 cover of Harper's Bazaar. Was it intentional? Blonde bombshells with vampy cat eye and scarlet lip makeup, with windblown hair, and a light blue shirt? My vote goes to Nadja all the way.

She speaks with the husky tones of a girl from Croydon who has smoked Marlboro Lights since she was fourteen. When asked if she has any intention of quitting, she replies, "No, because it's who I am. I don't want to create a phony facade. I think I just have to be myself; otherwise, I'd be a paranoid mess."

Read Kate Moss's Vogue interview. Read it now, and read it because she is quite possibly the most fabulous woman on the planet.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Vogue and IMG are teaming up to create a reality series called Model.Live, and according to the journal, "The show, called Model.Live, tracks three models as they navigate casting calls, catwalks and airports for fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris. The first of 12 eight-minute episodes will debut Aug. 19 on-demand on Vogue.tv, a site that runs advertiser-sponsored videos and allows consumers to buy the featured products. The shows will also be syndicated on sites such as Veoh.com and hulu.com. From Vogue.tv, viewers can connect to Bebo.com, a video-based social-networking hub, to watch updates and interact with the show's stars."

"The Model.Live series cost $3 million -- about $31,000 a minute -- to produce. That puts it among the biggest-budget Web-TV projects to date. By contrast, marketers spent an average of $4,500 for an online video in 2007, according to Forrester Research." Express, the clothing line, is the show's lead sponsor, and the models will be given closets of Express clothing - though, for the sake of authenticity, they will not be required to wear them (hah!).

Unlike airbrushed reality television, this online show promises to deliver the goods. In the sense that we will be privy to these models' insecurities, depressions, unhealthy eating (should it arise, which is inevitably will), castings, successes, and rejections. But this is Vogue. I doubt we'll see the crying, catfights, and drama of trashy television. In real life, models are friends. And this show also merely tracks them - it does not pit them in competition against one another. I'm really looking forward to seeing the result.

So the much hyped V magazine, graced by the buttocks of cover girl Gisele Bundchen, is finally here. Photographed by Mario Testino, Gisele's spread consists of a variety of NSFW pictures of her wearing clothes shredded to near invisibility. V magazine is one of my favorite periodicals, because it publishes pictures no other periodical would. But I'm not sure what I think about this photo.

Regardless, Gisele looks stunning in anything she wears, and she had some very interesting things to reveal about herself (besides her derriere).

On Mario Testino
"Only Mario [Testino] could make me take those pictures. Ah! The only person that can get me to do stuff like this is Mario. You know what he's like . . ."

On revealing her backside
"You know, people are going to say my butt is showing too much in these -- but, I'm sorry, my butt showed more in Victoria's Secret. For seven years my butt was in every catalog. It's hypocrisy: those [paparazzi] pictures ran everywhere, and everyone was talking about my butt. This is V Magazine--if you're going to do something like that, you do it for V."

On not wanting attention
"I've been a model for ten years and . . . I am the only person I know that does not have [a publicist]. Do you know why? Because I don't want them to talk about me. For my job I need an agent. Where am I going? What time is my flight? Who am I working with? That's what I need to know. I have nothing to say to people who gossip about me."

YES. YES YES YES YES YES YES YES. This is great news for two reasons. First, people don't get more gorgeous than Takeshi Kaneshiro, and we can see him modeling Armani underwear. Second, it shows that the modeling world is slowly becoming more diversified (or such is the trend right now with the all-black Vogue Italia and more South and East Asian models coming onto the scene). I really hope the fashion industry continues to highlight more minority faces.

Congrats to Takeshi - who's pretty much a household name in Asian cinema - for being named the new face of Emporio Armani.

"I am excited to collaborate with Takeshi on this new advertising campaign. He is a film and style icon in Asia where his fame transcends cultures both East and West. His sense of effortless style is very contemporary and sophisticated and together with his good look makes him the ideal testimonial for Emporio Armani," says designer Giorgio Armani.
 
In the meantime, for your Takeshi needs, catch some of his movies, listed here on IMDB.

Daul Kim is one of my favorite models. The Korean beauty is a lean mean modeling machine, plus she's got brains (and totally crazy brains to boot). She's one of my favorite models because she just seems so un-modely. You'll know what I'm talking about if you've seen her blog. Her writing reads like an abstract, absurd monologue that surprisingly makes sense when you stop and think about where she's coming from (a magical land somewhere far in the reaches of her head). Like this gem:

in korea

they say one's soul returns as a bird

i hate birds

i hate birds eyes

they are so cold

my friend kicked a piegeon

and it died.

I love crazy BIG hair, and I think for those brave enough, this haircut is perfect for summer. This hair cut is low maintenance, there is no hair at the nape of your neck bothering you in the heat, and she's got the perfect amount of enormous "Something About Mary" flip going on in the front to get her noticed. I am half-tempted to dye my hair platinum blond.

Aggy is so huge that now that faux-Aggys are popping up everywhere.

As she's getting more and more emulated, I wonder if this will push her into doing more and more extreme things with her appearance to set her apart from the crowd. Even men are copying her appearance now.

Is this kind of exposure good or bad for her career? It's sure caused some rivalries. Kate Moss, if we're to believe the reports, can't stand the younger model. Christopher Bailey dropped Agyness from being the face of Burberry due to what he called "overexposure." Not good. Then again, Aggy just replaced Angelina Jolie as the new face of Shiseido. Looks like things are still all good in Aggy's house.

Sophie Dahl, the beautiful model and granddaughter of Ronald Dahl is now a writer herself. According to her Bloomsbury author's biography, Sophie was immortalized in the Ronald Dahl novel, The BFG. Word!

Her new book is called Playing with the Grown-Ups, and the Independent UK gave it this review: "Call it unreasonable, but a 'somewhat autobiographical' first novel by a supermodel whose grandfather happened to be a good writer doesn't always fill the heart with joy. Envy, perhaps. Schadenfreude. But not joy. Particularly when the cover glitters with fairies. And the blurb describes a character as a 'silver-eyed beauty'. This is a shame, because this novel is really not bad. Which obviously doesn't help the envy or the schadenfreude."

Of course Dahl pales in comparison to her famous grandfather, but her first novel wasn't exactly bad in my book. Trite, yes - sentimental, yes - but not unreadable. I did experience schadenfreude while I read it, but not enough for me to hate it (although, seriously, who describes themselves in an autobiographical novel as a 'silver-eyed beauty'). I could have done without Sophie calling herself beautiful in every other page, but her novel is a good summer read for those Dolores Park afternoons or while sunning on Baker Beach.

Ruslana Korshunova, the beautiful Vogue and Elle cover model from Russia, died yesterday in a fall from her Water Street apartment in New York City in an apparent suicide.

Born in the Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, Ruslana became a successful model who has worked for Marc Jacobs, Donna Karen, Vera Wang and Nina Ricci.

She has been described as having a face out of a fairy tale. She was only 20 years old.

Does anyone read The Economist? My father got me a subscription for my birthday (um, thanks Dad) and I have been known to peruse it from time to time. In the latest issue of the mag, something interesting caught my eye. A new bill is going to allocate more visas be given to fashion models looking to work in the US. A lot of foreign models are denied entry to the USA because of the limited number of H-1B (temporary work) visas the government issues. Anthony Weiner, the NY congressman, promised a bill that allows models to get their own special classification and would free up more visas. Should the bill pass, 1,000 models will be allowed to walk US runways each year as opposed to just 349 in 2007. Critics are accusing Weiner - a bachelor himself - of proposing the bill just so he can land a hot date. Steve King, the Iowa congressman, nicknamed the bill "The Ugly American Act," because it sends the message that America doesn't have enough attractive people. I don't know if the bill will pass - The Economist predicts it will be a long shot. According to the magazine, "Luckily though, supermodels like Gisele Bundchen are in the clear. They are eligible for O-1 visas, given to those with 'extraordinary ability,' like Nobel laureates."

Oh my GOD! Yes! Vivienne Westwood sent us a bear on her runway show in Milan. I love it!!!! Not that I don't love the parade of svelte, petal-faced Eastern European boys who sashay down the catwalks in skintight pants, but the hirsute Sergio Lo Re (a model and bodyguard, no less) shows us fashion from a different, meatier perspective - and it's fantastic. He's even wearing mandals, a favorite look in my heart for summer. It just goes to show, you can still be a macho man and still wear buttery brown, ankle-strap sandals in the summer. Now - men - please do us all a favor and throw away those gnarly Reefs and Rainbows. Invest in something that will make you look like less of a San Diego frat boy and more like a Greek sailor.

Kate Moss wore this see through dress on a night out in Istanbul earlier this week. She is attending an exhibit of the works of late fashion photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. She is accompanied by her daughter, Lila Grace. When you were Lila Grace's age, did you see your mother wearing anything quite this revealing? Kate is wearing a tiny thong and decided to leave the bra at home. Lila is only five years old. At least Lila is wearing an age appropriate frock. Kate is 34.


Whatever. We all love to party!

In Italian Vogue's July issue, photographer Stephen Meisel was given 100 pages of photos to fill, and chose fill them using only photographs of black models. This is a reversal of most fashion magazines, who routinely feature only white models in their spreads. The new issue of Vogue Italia hits American and European newsstands later this month. The four beautiful models that grace the fold out cover are, from left to right: Liya Kebede, Sessilee Lopez, Jourdan Dunn, and Naomi Campbell.

Cathy Horyn, fashion editor of the New York Times, states: "The irony in fashion is that it loves change but it can't actually change anything. It can only reflect a change in the air. But what changes fashion? What would finally move American designers to include more black models on their runways? That 30 percent of the country is nonwhite? That black women spend $20 billion a year on clothes? That an African-American is the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party?"

Hopefully, this new Stephen Meisel spread will help change some of fashion's ingrained prejudices and allow us all to recognize that beauty is an international concept and comes in every color, shape, and size.

"They said, 'You need to lose more weight -- the look this year is anorexia, and although we don't want you to be anorexic, we want you to look it,'" she recalled. "My question is, how do you look anorexic unless you actually are?"

Coco Rocha, one of the most highly sought after models in the fashion industry, spoke to an audience at a CFDA discussion on "The Beauty of Health: How the Fashion Industry Can Make a Difference."

The fashion industry has long been lambasted for promoting unhealthy levels of thinness and marketing them as the standard of beauty for women. The appeal of extreme thinness is the difficulty by which it is attained. Unless you're given a metabolism of unhealthy efficiency, the only way to be rail-thin is to massively restrict the amount of food you consume. But because it's so rare and so hard to come by, thinness is for many people a highly valued commodity. The fashion industry thrives on this (mis)perception. StyleBayArea thinks that people ought to be healthy and value individual beauty. That said, it's not the fashion industry's fault that we have an obsession with thinness. Our obsessions are a symptom of a graver issue. What that issue is, I don't know, but it's definitely bigger than fashion, bigger than models, and bigger than just a few glossy magazines.

Image courtesy of Style.com

One of my favorite new models is Liu Wen, a Chinese model with one of the most exquisite faces I've seen on the runway this year. She just made her debut in the Fall 2008 lineup of fashion shows and already the buzz machine has started humming about this exotic beauty. Along with Du Juan, Daul Kim, Anne Watanabe, and Sunny Zhou, Liu Wen one of the brigade of beautiful Asian models who've seen success on the high fashion runways.

Chanel Resort - 2009

 

Maison Martin Margiela - Fall 2008 Ready-to-Wear

 

Burberry Porsum - Fall 2008 Ready-to-Wear

She's only been been on the runways for a year, but she's already walked for Chanel, Hermes, Jean Paul Gaultier, Kenzo, Maison Martin Margiela, Burberry, and Pollini just to name a few. And did I mention she's only 17? Expect to see a lot of Liu Wen in the future.

(Photos courtesy of Style.com)

I love the style of London's swinging sixties. The Carnaby Street culture of Mod London was so hedonistic and vapid, wholly preoccupied with style over substance, or rather - style as substance - that it feels like a complete reversal of the movement in the Bay Area going on at the same time, when people were protesting the war and organizing sit-ins at People's Park. Watch Antonioni's film Blow Up, if you haven't. It beautifully and thoughtfully encapsulates the mood of that ideologically jejune but stylistically brilliant era. One of my favorites faces from that time is Jean Shrimpton. 

 

She was so stunning, and the first real supermodel. We often think of Twiggy as the great mod supermodel but Jean Shrimpton was her predecessor and, in my opinion, remains the face of the swinging sixties.

  

Which makes it sad for me to report that, these days, Jean Shrimpton is a scary cat lady. Seriously.

Look at this video.

 

Why did Jean just give up?? She's only in her 60s. Look at Madonna! Look at Cher! Look at Sharon Stone, who's at least 95 these days. 

Sorry. I know. She's aging gracefully. Even without botox and plastic surgery, you can still see she's stunning. I like that she moved to the country and eschewed the artificial world of fashion to focus on the simpler and more important things in life. But, girl, you knew you were going to be interviewed... you could have at least did something with your hair. Jean Shrimpton, don't let yourself go! We love you!