Is the Fashion Industry Really Embracing Models Who Aren't a Size
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shape pluS-size supermodel crystal renn Is the fashion industry really embracing models who aren’t a size zero, or is it all talk, no runway walk? by Johanna Lenander he first half of 2010 will go down in fash- as Doutzen Kroes, Alessandra Ambrosio, Power photographers like Steven Meisel ion history as a season of political cor- Miranda Kerr, Rosie Huntington- and the duo Inez van Lamsweerde and rectness. The notoriously fantasy-driven Whiteley and Bianca Balti for the Prada Vinoodh Matadin, who launched the and non-inclusive industry experienced and Louis Vuitton Fall 2010 shows, she careers of several pubescent starvelings, an insurgence of reality and diversity. shocked front-row regulars who hadn’t now reportedly refuse to shoot anyone The French and American editions of seen hips on a catwalk since the turn of under 16 and 18, respectively. British Marie Claire put out special no-retouch- the millennium. At the same time, the Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman has ing issues, 40+ babe Kristen McMenamy once-ubiquitous wave of frail, childlike, criticized designers who send size zero returned to Calvin Klein’s catwalk almost transparently thin Eastern Euro- samples that fit only wispy waifs, and along with Stella Tennant and Kirsty pean models seemed to have washed up has stated that the magazine adds bulk Hume (both over 30), and there was on the has-been shores. It was as if the to ultra-skinny models in retouch. Anna an influx of up-and-coming black and industry wanted to apologize for the past Wintour has declared that American brown beauties. But the biggest—pun five years. “The prepubescent Russian Vogue will henceforth include a wider intended—part of this revolution was the girls aren’t so popular anymore,” says variety of body types. sudden expansion in model sizes. Ameri- Christopher Michael, a model agent at Will all this have a lasting impact? can plus-size supermodel Crystal Renn One Management in New York. “Now Maybe. And maybe not. Right now, the blazed through French Vogue, elle, V everyone is interested in gorgeous, industry appears to be in the middle of archive and Glamour, while rotund rocker Beth healthy girls with personality. The beauty a shift, but it’s hard to see trends clearly Ditto graced the premier cover of style ideal is turning more toward what’s con- while they’re still emerging. And, of trunk bible Love magazine. Meanwhile, the sidered beautiful by the general public.” course, add to that the famed fickleness by busty young Brigitte Bardot look-alike Is this change we can believe in? In of the fashion pendulum—what you see Lara Stone emerged as the model of the the new decade, the fashion industry now could just be a fleeting fad. moment. When über-stylist Katie Grand appears to be inching toward a healthier Fashion trends usually have some helped cast Victoria’s Secret models such image than it promoted in the last one. correlation to the world of finance. » photography 82 FASHION | AUGUST 2010 fashionmagazine.com shape It seems that the previous flavour of name a few.) Still, Gelband’s regime model created a bad aftertaste with doesn’t exactly make a girl zaftig. It’s consumers at a time when magazines more about being lean without being archive/corbis; and labels couldn’t afford to lose frail, and he works on his clients’ nutri- nast them. “The super-skinny thing started tion as much as their exercise routine. to create a bad cultural spinoff,” says “The agents see that it’s possible for the Michael. “Women are tired of trying to girls to be strong and muscular and still fit into clothes that have been made for fit in the designer samples,” he says. 14-year-olds. The economy has forced “They also notice that when the girls are schermann/condÉ the fashion industry to listen to what healthy, they look beautiful and have consumers want.” more stamina. They work better.” pierre That’s why Justin Gelband has been There’s something obscene in that by very busy lately. He’s a New York realization—it implies that an unhealthy celebrity trainer known for his ability lifestyle has been not just acceptable left her so skeletal that some designers to transform tomboyish models like among models, but encouraged. In felt that her legs couldn’t be exposed. cleveland Miranda Kerr into luscious Victoria’s 2006, I wrote press releases for several Others did not see this as a problem, Secret Angels. “For the past year, agen- high-fashion houses, and often over- however, and sent her out in micro cies have been sending me more and heard discussions about runway cast- minis. It was especially ironic to see more high-fashion girls to help them ings and who should wear what. There her rattling about in clingy, revealing popperfoto/getty; gain more curves,” he says. (He works was one model in particular who cre- dresses by a designer who claimed the by with Irina Shayk, Anne Vyalitsyna, ated sartorial issues. She was a major collection was inspired by “womanly Behati Prinsloo and Suvi Koponen, to star but her struggle with anorexia had curves, hips, breasts and buttocks.” » twiggy archive/corbis; THE IT GIRLS nast clarke/condÉ henry by veruschka archive/corbis; nast 1950S Lisa Fonssagrives The original supermodel (take that, 1960S mclaughlin-gill/condÉ Janice dickinson!) was Veruschka a swan-like former as the youthquake 1960S archive/corbis ballerina who was on started to shake up frances Twiggy 1970S 1970S nast by more than 200 Vogue the early ’60s, fashion Twiggy appeared PaT Cleveland Lauren Hutton covers. early- to mid- turned to a sexier almost asexual with Time for va-va-voom The sporty tomboy 20th-century fashion and younger look. her childlike body again. Cleveland’s captured a casual stern/condÉ was geared to wealthy, Veruschka embodied and saucer-sized sultry beauty and mood that celebrated fonssagrives grown-up women, the strong and feline eyes. her exaggerated flamboyant persona androgynous bodies bert by and the ladylike ideal of the moment makeup reinforced the meshed perfectly with and quirky features Fonssagrives stayed on with her lean impression of a little fashion’s resurrection of like the gap between hutton top for three decades. and muscular figure. girl playing dress-up. 1930s glamour. hutton’s teeth. photography: 84 FASHION | AUGUST 2010 fashionmagazine.com shape I wasn’t the only one who had Some models, like Rocha, are able lost runway jobs because I had breasts,” a reaction. In 2007, the Council of to stand up for themselves and their she says. “And an agent once told me to Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) natural body type. Others, like the lose weight by dropping the not-so-subtle introduced its Health Initiative, which Dutch model Kim Noorda, succumb to hint that she wanted to see more of my raised awareness of the rampant eating the pressure. Noorda wrote candidly in collarbones.” Forsling’s life is unusually disorders among young models, and American Vogue’s April issue about her grounded for a model; she’s a happily included guidelines on how to address struggles with weight and body image. married mother of two who spends more the issue. (Previously, other fashion week It’s hard for an average-sized woman to time at the playground than in the gym. cities like Milan, London and Madrid understand how a lanky and long-limbed While she still loves the business, she had attempted to install catwalk bans girl can feel overweight. But your eyes says it hurts to be rejected because of her on underweight girls, but were thor- adjust to what you see around you. size. “It makes me so angry when I think oughly ignored by designers.) At a panel “When you work as a model, your about all the young, insecure girls that discussion, Coco Rocha—who at size perception of a woman’s body becomes don’t have a support system,” she says. four is considered too large for many completely skewed,” says Caroline fashion industry’s perception of body “Models are so lonely. You’re always on runways—spoke about the demands she Forsling, a Swedish model who has been type is completely surreal. “When your own in a hotel room with way too faces from agents and clients. “They working steadily for over 15 years for cli- they talk about people like Lara Stone much time to obsess on this stuff.” said, ‘You need to lose more weight—the ents like Sports Illustrated and Michael being a plus-size model—not even “Modelling can be very demeaning for look this year is anorexia, and although Kors. “You can’t see that a normal-sized a plus-size model but a voluptuous a young girl,” agrees Hicks. “And, you we don’t want you to be anorexic, we figure is attractive. You completely lose model—it’s just mental!” she exclaims. know, the saddest part is that you’ve want you to look it,’” she said. “My touch with reality.” At five-foot-11 and 124 pounds, got these incredibly beautiful, beautiful question is, How do you look anorexic Designer, former model and British Forsling is still sometimes turned down creatures out there and they have no unless you actually are?” royalty India Hicks agrees that the for jobs because she is too big. “I have self-esteem whatsoever.” » archive/getty o’neill/hulton usa terry by moss usa; collection/rex mail/rex everett by brinkley marriner/daily neville by blanch/getty; andrea campbell by 1980S carangi GIa CaRangi 1980S disco fever turned Paulina preston/corbis; 1970S into a darker mood.