I recently opened Friday’s WWD, and the quote of the week was on Badgley Mishka’s choice of Sharon Stone as the face of the brand.
“She personifies what we always stood for with our collection,” said Mark Badgley.I then thought about the many actresses who are now the faces of many high-end fashion brands. Jessica Simpson and Lindsay Lohan are on every cover of Elle, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan. Where have all the models gone?
As glamorous Hollywood starlets grace the pages of top fashion mags, the need the “Super Model” has dwindled. Back in the late eighties, we would see Cindy Crawford or Naomi Campbell on the cover of every magazine. These iconic beauties are remembered and instilled in our minds with the famous black and white photo by Herb Ritz. But now, our idea of top models are the girls that grace the pages of a Victoria’s Secret Catalogue. Instead of being featured in Elle or being the spokesperson for Louis Vuitton, models are immortalized by their roles as Victoria’s Secret Angels.
Magazines and high end brands created the idea of the “Super Model” by keeping their faces in the public eye. The depletion of the “Super Model” can be attributed to the people who made them. As long as Hollywood’s elite stay stunning and glamorous, sought after campaigns will remain arduously attained by struggling models.