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The enigma has been solved. Science has found the answer. No, not the cure for cancer; the reasoning behind the Brazilian takeover in the glamorous world of super models. I, like 99% of women, experience Gisele-Bundchen-envy (substitute Adrina Lima, Ana Beatriz Barros, Alessandra Ambrosio interchangeably) every time I put on a bathing suit. But I no longer curse God for bestowing the Victoria’s Secret Angels with heavenly proportions and me with back fat and cellulite. Turns out that God doesn’t necessarily like Gisele more than me, the leggy Brazilian bombshell, and her equally beautiful Brazilian sidekicks, can credit their mind boggling good looks to science.

It was reported today that a Brazilian model named Ana Carolina Reston died earlier this week from an infection related to anorexia. The 5’8” 21 year old weighed a mere 88 lbs, and had previously suffered from bulimia as well.

Then there’s Luisel Ramos, the 22 year old Uruguayan model who was told by industry insiders that she could make it big if she just lost a few pounds. In August, she collapsed and died minutes after stepping off of a runway from heart failure. She hadn’t eaten in two weeks and three months prior to that had been surviving on Diet Coke and lettuce.

The idea of starving oneself to some seems insane or stupid or pathetic, but to others, it can seem desirable. It all depends on perspective. If you’re a young model trying to be the next Kate Moss, being thin is a professional necessity. Sample sizes that models normally work with are minute, yes, but it is also imperative to recognize the impact thinness makes on a runway. The reason super-skinny women make it big is because they are like hangers with legs – no meat, just bones – the perfect way to display clothes.

While I agree that models need to wake up and maybe even go to Peter Lugers for once in their lives, they are not the only ones who need to make changes. Have you ever tried on a suit or dress from Armani, Chanel, Moschino or Dolce & Gabbana? My normally size 2 or 4 frame fits into an 8 or 10 when meddling with that level of fashion – but I know I don’t need to drop a few.

In his spring 2007 show, John Galliano put on the runway a non-waif weighing over 110 lbs, styled and coiffed beautifully. Known for his outlandish design concepts, Galliano once again shook up the fashion world with this anti-fashion statement.

Although bold and outrageous, I choose to see this as one small step in the direction of normalcy on the runway, if normal means not having to die for you job, that is.

Beatriz Cristina Ferraz Lopes Bastos, a 23-year-old Brazilian teacher, died from complications of anorexia on Christmas Eve. Bastos was 5’2” and weighed 77lbs. Bastos is the fourth reported person to die from this disease following a string of models who also succombed to the disease.

While the fashion industry has started to closely examine this problem and try to reverse the damage done, it looks to be coming a little too late for some models and those who look up to them, but hopefully can prevent future deaths. Brazil will now be adopting the same measures that Milan and Madrid have implemented for their models. That is, no one under the age of 16 will be allowed to walk the catwalk and that every model must present a medical certificate deeming them in good health. While it’s a start, it’s a weak start at that.

Without knowing the exact details as to who and how a model is deemed in good health, I would wonder if there will be a more defined definition of what the fashion industry considers “good health” and if there are certain guidelines and criteria that have to be met. That said, would the medical certificate come from the model’s own primary physician or an independently appointed doctor to make this determination? A model could go unnoticed if she is bulimic, but still deemed in good health. I speak from experience, as my sister was bulimic and no one ever knew until a concerned friend approached my parents.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I think Spain’s off to the right start by giving a concrete standard of a minimum BMI of 18. Hopefully the fashion industry will come up with more concrete measures and work together as a collaborative effort that will not vary so much from country to country.

Well I saw this coming. Other countries are taking the issue of eating disorders in the fashion industry seriously with the recent anorexia-related deaths, while the Council of Fashion Designers of America gives a less than enthusiastic attempt at it. Their idea of getting involved? Keeping a more vigilant eye on models. How will they do this? Scheduling fashion-show fittings during the daytime instead of after dark to give models more sleeping hours, urging designers to work harder at spotting models with eating disorders and improving the quality of backstage catering.

Are you kidding me? When I first read what their new guidelines would be, I thought it was a joke. It’s very disappointing to hear that they won’t implement any rules or policies to ensure better health for their models, despite top designer Diane von Furstenberg’s comment that, “It is important as a fashion industry to show our interest and see what we can do because we are in a business of image."

That’s where they fall short…simply “showing their interest” without anything really concrete to be part of the solution. I could “show my interest” in people suffering from cancer, but if I never contribute in some way, shape or form concretely to help aid in furthering research for the disease with a donation or by volunteering to help my local ACS raise awareness of their support programs, then by merely “showing interest,” I am doing nothing.

I certainly don’t mean to sound so harsh, however, our fashion industry plays a major role in the way we view body image. So many women (and men) become vulnerable to believing that they must be super thin in order to be normal and I whole heartedly feel it is the fashion industry’s responsibility to do all they can to contribute to being a solution to eating disorders and not be the cause of them.

It seems that each Country (except our own) seems to be trying to outdo each other in how they can energize the fashion world into promoting beauty as a form of being healthy. Spain was the first to mandate that fashion models have at least a BMI of 18.5, then followed Milan and Brazil’s ban on underweight and underage models from walking the runway and required them to present a certificate of good health from a doctor and now Spain is taking the lead once again by standardizing sizes in women’s clothing.

Spain’s government has signed an agreement with top fashion designers to reflect the actual sizes of women in their society. They do this in an effort to promote a healthier image in the hope to reinforce the idea that good health is beautiful. The program also mandates that clothing, no smaller than a size 38 (8 in the US, be shown in fashion store windows. Although a WWD’s article stated store mannequins would be “plumper” due to this regulation, I hardly think of a size 8 as being plump at all.

I have to admit that I love watching each Country basically challenge each other in who can be the most innovative when it comes to promoting good health through the fashion world. Obviously I don’t think this is the only industry that deserves regulation to promote health and educate women about eating disorders, however fashion is a major part of our lives and many times, seems to make the most impact.

What do you think? Will the trend of regulations continue in the fashion industry among each Country?

February 2nd:

The Tent: The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection 11:00am, BCBG Max Azria 3:00pm
The Salon: John Bartlett 10:00am, Marc Bouwer 5:00pm
The Promenade: Perry Ellis 1:00pm, Nicole Miller 7:00pm, Akiko Ogawa 6:00pm
W Hotel 594 Lexington Ave.: Yeolee
Roseland Ballroom: Baby Phat 8:00pm
Altman Building: Grey Ant 9:00pm

February 3rd:

The Tent: Lacoste 11:00am, Alexandre Herchcovitch 3:00pm
The Salon: Chris Han 10:00am, Alice Roi 1:00pm, Abaete 6:00pm, Venexiana 9:00pm
The Promenade: Maticevski 12:00pm, Atil Kutoglu 2:00pm, Sass & Bide 7:00pm
Showroom: Buckler 4:00pm, Cabbeen 8:00pm
Altman Building 135 W 18th St: Gustavo Arrango 5:00pm
Bumble & Bumble: Karen Walker 1:00pm
NYC Bar Association: James Coviello 2:00pm
Prince George Ballroom: ThreeAsFour 5:00pm

February 4th:

The Tent: Diane von Furstenberg 4:00pm, Naeem Khan 6:00pm, Matthew Williamson 8:00pm
The Salon: Lela Rose 10:00am, Twinkle by Wenlan 1:00pm, Terexov 9:00pm
The Promenade: Tadashi 11:00am, Tracy Reese 2:00pm, Tuleh 7:00pm
Showroom: Erin Fetherston 3:00pm
711 Greenwich Street: DKNY 12:00pm
Cunard Building 25 Broadway: Z Zegna 5:00pm
Exit Art: United Bamboo 3:00pm
Sony Music Studios: Luella Bartley 5:00pm
Waterfront Building: 3.1 Phillip Lim 6:00pm

Runway Fashion Videos: By Coutorture

Diane Von Furstenberg Fall/Winter 2007/2008 Runway Video Montage


Matthew Williamson Fall/Winter 2007/2008 Fashion Week Video Montage


Naeem Khan Fall/Winter 2007/2008 Runway Video Montage

Tuleh Fall/Winter 2007/2008 Fashion Runway Montage Video

Erin Featherston Fall/Winter 2007/2008 Runway Montage Video


Alexander Wang Fall/Winter 2007/2008 Runway Video and Designer Interview


James Coviello Fall/Winter 2007/2008 Runway and Designer Interview


Backstage and Makeup at James Coviello Fall 2007

Lacoste Fall/Winter 2007/ 2008 Runway Video

If there is anything that the whole zero model debate has done for the fashion industry, it is to slap them in the face with reality. The majority of the female population, at least in the US, is a size 12-14. So would it hurt anyone to start using models that most of us can relate to? One store in Britain has decided to start listening to its customers…make that size 12 customers.

John Lewis, one of the UK’s leading department stores, has hired a 5’8” size 12 model, Lauren Moller (pictured above), to promote their new 2007 swimwear collection in their advertisements. After an in-store polling of their customers, they found that 80% of women size 12+ purchases their swimwear. Since their customers can’t relate to a waif model, they decided to forgo the norm and use a model that was representative of their customer base. Quite honestly, I think this move alone may help them sell more swimwear. Their customers will begin to feel a connectedness with the store once they can relate to the woman wearing the swimwear they came to buy. If it is representative of them, they will be more likely to make a purchase versus a model several sizes smaller wearing a swimsuit that the customer may feel is an unattainable fit for themself.

With yet another model dying from “complications of malnutrition,” which is just a fancy way of beating around the bush to avoid saying she was anorexic, I can’t see how we can continue to ignore the fact that the majority of women are not size zero, yet models in the fashion industry starve themselves to keep up an image that is not at all representative of most of us. Certainly I am not promoting representing an unhealthy lifestyle, but since size and weight are subjective in a sense without knowing a person’s height and bone structure, I guess I am just baffled why size (larger than zero) is made into such an issue in fashion. I hope many retailers follow John Lewis’s lead and I bet they will be laughing all the way to the bank.

We all noticed Leonardo DiCaprio with his mother on his arm at the Oscar’s while many of us miss Gisele by his side (although Tom Brady is not complaining). How much do you know about this gorgeous supermodel that is in the Guinness World Book of Records for being the richest supermodel to date with an estimated value of $150 million? She may be stunning, but there is a lot more to this model than meets the eye.

Gisele began as a model with Elite Model Management, but like Naomi Campbell did recently, she jumped ship and joined the ranks of IMG. Modeling has been good to her bringing her a reported $7000 an hour and covering campaigns such as Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Chloe, Louis Vuitton and obviously the one we all know her best for: Victoria’s Secret. Combined, she has literally hundreds of campaigns, magazine covers, fashion shows and editorials to her resume.

Dipping her toes into acting, just this past year we saw her in Apple’s Mac advertisement, on The O.C. and in The Devil Wears Prada. Prior to The Devil Wears Prada, she was also in the movie Taxi in 2004. Gisele also has a shoe line with Grendene through the Ipanema brand called Ipanema Gisele Bundchen. She also owns a hotel in Brazil called Palladium Executive.

Can this fabulous model do anything more? She is impressive with what she has been able to accomplish (over 400 magazine covers) since she was discovered approximately 13 years ago…in a McDonald’s no less.

Heidi Klum’s modeling career began when her friend persuaded her in 1991, then only 18, to enter into a national modeling contest called “Model 92.” A year later she wins the contest, only to pass it up for finishing school. A month later school is finished and she begins studying to be a Fashion Designer. In the summer of that year she decides to give up Fashion Design to pursue her modeling career and lands her first real job. In 1993 she comes to the US for a modeling job and decides to take up residence in Manhattan, she has resided there ever since.

In 1997 she began her career with Victoria’s Secret and makes her first runway appearance. In that same year, she becomes engaged and remains married until 2003. By 1998 she becomes the first German model to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and soon recognized as an international top model. In the next few years that followed she made her acting debut on Spin City as Michael J. Fox’s love interest, her first calendar is published, she makes her movie debut in Blow Dry, sings a tune at MTV’s Fashionably Loud and continues to rock the world with her images splashed on the covers of Vogue, ELLE, Marie Claire among many others.

In 2004 she became the host of the successful Bravo reality show Project Runway and soon after became the host for Germany’s Next Top Model which is co-produced by Tyra Banks. Klum has designed shoes for Birkenstock, produced two fragrances and designed jewelry for Mouawad. She is an accomplished painter and has had some of her work debut in art magazines here within the United States. Within the last few years she has put out a single called “Wonderland” which was intended for a series of commercials for the German retailer, “Douglas.” She has had a stamp in Germany in her honor and a rose named after her.

It’s amazing to me that a supermodel such as Gemma Ward didn’t willingly enter the modeling industry on her own. Just like Heidi Klum, Gemma was coaxed into entering a modeling contest while still in her early teens. While Gemma didn’t win the competition in 2002, it was then that she was discovered at 14 and signed on as a model at Vivien's Model Management in Australia. Not long after, she was scooped up by IMG in New York, where she currently resides. Gemma is currently listed on Models.com as the number 1 top models to look out for.

While Gemma will be 20 this year, she has already had a few “firsts” in her modeling career and an extensive resume of designer collections, fashion shows and magazines that she has been involved in. At only 16 she was the first teen model to appear on the cover of American Vogue and Teen Vogue. She is also the first model since uber model Kate Moss to be the face of Calvin Klein’s Obsession Night For Men. Gemma’s face can be linked to Louis Vuitton, Oscar de la Renta, Zac Posen, Prada and Valentino.

Besides modeling, Gemma was also cast in John Mayer’s music video for “Daughters.” Gemma is said to be insanely popular in the fashion and modeling industry due to her angelic features and naivety regarding just how beautiful she is. Two things that are a rarity in the modeling industry.

Mathias Lauridsen hails from Denmark and is currently one of the most in demand male models of the moment. This uber gorgeous model with his piercing blue-green eyes has mastered all aspects of modeling in just a short period of time: runway, editorials and campaigns. This makes him the most diverse and most marketable than his male model counterparts.

Lauridsen was discovered in 2003 on the streets of Copenhagen and immediately did some modeling for a few local magazines. It was when he modeled for a Jil Sander campaign that other major brands took notice and within two years his face has been a part of campaigns for Christian Dior, Hermes, Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Perry Ellis, DKNY, Lacoste, Kenzo, Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, and Gucci.

It’s Lauridsen’s boyish charm and small scar on his cheek that has given him the appearance of rugged naivety. He’s walked the runway for Fashion Week many times and leaves fashion editors swooning in their seats. The rumor that he is shy has created an aura of mysteriousness and intrigue that has commanded the attention of fashion brands and designers across the globe.

Everyone’s attention lately has been on trying to fix the fashion industry, which when it comes to the whole modeling/weight/eating disorder issue, is in need of some serious PR. Each country has their take on what should be done, the CFDA doesn’t appear to really want to “weigh in” too much on the issue, but now the very talented Donatella Versace can no longer be apart of the masses that are in denial about the issue, as it has been confirmed that her 20 year old daughter suffers from Anorexia.

Seeing pictures of Allegra Versace with a feeding tube in her nose as she walks down the street is certainly one reason to make you stop and think. I can only imagine the pressure and microscope she lives under being surrounded by the industry and all the good and bad that comes with it. However, the title to this post is two-fold as Anorexia is not only hitting home with the Versace family, but also with mine. Tonight we spoke with family who let us know that my niece is Anorexic.

This gorgeous young girl, only 15 who I have always admired for her height (5’7”) and fabulous figure, was forced out of the closet when her parents found a purse-full of diet pills hidden in the basement this weekend. When they went into her room, they discovered pictures of ultrathin models from the best fashion magazines taped to her walls. This hadn’t previously set off alarms, but it all began to make sense now with the diet pills and also the discovery that she had been visiting “pro-anna” sites on MySpace that were teaching her how to hide her disease from her parents. Her mother had noticed her recent obsession with the model reality shows and how her eating had become substantially less. This week she took my niece to the pediatrician who confirmed her BMI as 17; my niece only weighing in at 110lbs.

Jockey’s latest collection called 3D-Innovations has a new “body” to show off the line. One of the biggest heartthrob’s in New Zealand is Rugby player, Dan Carter. In New Zealand he is basically the equivalent of David Beckham, certainly not just due to his Rugby skills and ability to capitalize on his fame through endorsements, but he has those stunning good looks to match.

While Carter has been promoting Jockey since 2003, it is with the launch of 3D-Innovations that he is becoming their international spokesmodel, and well, you won’t hear me complaining. However, his international campaign seems to be falling short of the US and will only be promoted in Europe and the UK.

The new Jockey 3D line offers cotton spandex underwear that incorporates technology, so as to enable them to mold and reflect the movements of human body. It is said to offer an excellent comfort fit and hugs the body like second skin. While the line was launched in New Zealand today, it is also offered in the US and can be seen on their website, just without the fabulous imagery of Dan Carter wearing them.

This blonde haired blue eyed soon to be 21-year-old Canadian model was discovered at age 16 at a restaurant in Ontario by an agent for International Model Management and later went on to win the Los Angeles Model Look Search. She has quickly become a name you will often hear mentioned by anyone discussing a top ten list of models, which is no surprise when she has had a spectacular start to her modeling career.

Stam, which is also the nickname she is known by, lit up her career when she was placed on the cover of German Vogue. Since then she has appeared in ad campaigns for Marc Jacobs, Anna Sui, Vera Wang, Atsuro Tayama, Cerruti Jeans, Valentino, Miu Miu, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Holt Renfrew, BCBG, and Banila B. Marc Jacobs has even created a handbag and named it the Stam Bag in her honor.

Stam is a beauty whose face and body can convert to any fashion vice without looking out of place. Despite participation in such high profile ad campaigns, she remains well grounded and certainly not full of herself. This down to earth quality makes her all the more attractive considering that most supermodels attain a diva attitude when they are in such demand.

Stam will continue to strut the runway until her gorgeous piercing blue eyes go out of style. The fact that she lives in New York City (one of the Mecca’s of modeling) and is represented by IMG (who represents a majority of the women and men we call supermodels), I have a feeling she has a long modeling career ahead of her.

A friend of mine who is in the modeling industry forwarded me this great article written in the Daily Mail today. The Daily Mail is a UK news site that I also read at least once a week to gain perspective on how those outside the US view our beauty and fashion industry (plus I cannot resist their celebrity gossip, it’s always entertaining). This particular article speaks of our fashion industry and model standards and how here in the Western World, we have a great love for fashion models with little meat on their bones.

Previously I had raved about John Lewis Department Stores forward thinking by using “average-sized” models in their swimwear campaign. Average being a size 12 and not a size zero. What I found most interesting today was the Daily Mail’s discussion on how those with curves and “average-sized” women are those who are most sought after in the African fashion industry. It’s really quite interesting to hear that high profile and in demand models such as Kate Moss or Jessica Stam, would rarely get a second glance if they hit the runway in Africa. Our idea of beauty is the complete opposite to those in Africa, where a healthy looking body is the sign of wealth and status. In the West, a healthy looking body means maybe you ate 3 meals today instead of 1.

While our ideals of what beauty in fashion means spreads throughout the world, I have to say it is refreshing to find a Country not caught up in it and relishes in their shapely figures. According to the Daily Mail, even Levi Strauss made changes to their red label jeans to accommodate those in Africa wanting to dawn a pair, yet couldn’t fit in the jeans aimed at Western shaped bodies.

I do find the modeling industry fascinating and I surely love the fashion industry, but you can’t help but love how another country is sticking to their ideals despite the pressure of conformity from Western society.

What do you think about seeing more average-sized models on the runway; does it take away from the beauty of idealism or does it represent our society today?

Ford Models can now do more than just strut on the runways or land a designer print ad campaign; they can also star in the new web series by Ford Modeling focusing on beauty, fashion, modeling and fitness tips. In a time when many companies are trying to spread brand recognition through viral marketing with web videos, Ford Models seem to have found the right formula of a high quality video, the right beauty and fashion professionals offering attention-grabbing behind the scenes tips, content to keep the viewer interested and of course, beautiful models to look at.

FordModels.tv has several different web series to choose from: Beauty Tips, Fashion Flash, Model Fitness, Ford Models 360 and Model Lifestyle. All episodes are under 3 minutes, most ranging from 30 to 90 seconds, making load time much faster and offering content that is simple and to the point.

Beauty Tips is just what the name implies; Fashion Flash are quick fashion trend “flashes” of fashion; Model Fitness focuses on fitness tips by Ford fitness model Kim Strother; Ford Models 360 is a blend of episodes about the season’s latest trends, while Model Lifestyle has the entertaining, “Changing Room Confessional” series. If you are a Blogger and your niche is beauty, fashion or fitness, FordModels.tv offers a variety of code to fit into a variety of blog formats including MySpace, RSS feeds and your typical blog. Code for the web series is provided by Revver, an online video service similar to You Tube, however those who produce videos and use the Revver service to upload them earn money each time their video is viewed.

FordModels.tv is a great way to get behind the scenes in the fashion and modeling industry in a pretty down to earth manner. I’m most in love with their Beauty Tips series, but have loved watching many of their fashion webisodes. Since FordModels.tv is a new venture for the modeling agency, it will be interesting to watch how these webisodes evolve.

Whenever we see any behind the scenes photos at fashion events, many times the models are seen with cigarettes in hand. Many even say they smoke to fill a hunger void. However, as we’ve seen with Camel taking on the beauty angle with Camel No.9, Davidoff Cigarettes decided to promote its brand at a pre-fashion week party in Australia last night.

Davidoff Cigarettes, a German cigarette company, collaborated with Belvedere Vodka to promote their cigarettes on the bar and through scantily clad promotional girls handing out free packs of cigarettes. The pre-fashion week party this was held at? A Red Ribbon Foundation party, which is an AIDS charity fundraiser, held by Fashion TV. I suppose you could say Davidoff was simply trying to help fundraise for one health issue while ignoring the fact that cancer is another. The double whammy of course being that cancer caused from smoking and AIDS are preventable deaths.

In Australia, they have a Public Health Act, and promoting a tobacco product by giving away free samples is an offence that could result in a fine anywhere from $5500 to $20,000. I’m not sure I understand why free cigarettes were promoted at an AIDS event, but I can only conclude that Davidoff was capitalizing on the fashion industry and glamour that has been associated with smoking and fashion in the past.

What do you think: Was it in bad taste for Davidoff to promote their cigarettes at an AIDS fundraiser? Do you think that the cigarette company was glamorizing a deadly habit through this fashion event?