Miss Kathy's Supermodels

2005-02-16T11:36:00.001-08:00

Clarence Thomas is my homeboy.

How did I get so close to the youngest, cruelest justice of the Supreme Court?

Because we are both against affirmative action-him in academia, me in fashion. Whiners who complain about the lack of black models in Prada runway shows for the past 12 seasons are themselves inherently racist. Should Russel Marsch cast a model just because she is black, or should he cast her on hew own merits as a model? I think he, and Miuccia Prada are correct in casting the best models of the moment, regardless of their skin colour. To cast based on a quota, or by affirmative action would denigerate the true beauty of black models.

I do disagree with his anti-affirmative action stance on higher education. Colleges admit students based on a complicated formula, with variables such as SAT scores, grades, sports and legacy. Blacks are often denied the privelage of access to these variables, and are at a disadvantage. Clarence Thomas himself was fortunate to be educated by Irish Catholic nuns who were without the racism of his home state. To be taught without prejudice is an enviable experience few black people are gifted enough to experience.

However, modelling is an ugly business of beautiful women. It is based on looks and greed. And no amount of affirmative action will change that.

2005-02-13T21:22:00.000-08:00

Marc Jacobs is G*d.

In case you weren't paying attention, a lot of shit has gone down since the last fashion week. And since fashion reflects the times, it is appropriate that Marc Jacobs show reflected the times we live in also. Hence, Marc is king of fashion. That title is a phyrric victory since Jil Sander and Helmut Lang quit the business. "Teenage Suicide(Don't do it)", was a big hit in the 80's.

I can think of much less self destructive things to do then pair black tights with flat shoes.

2005-01-27T10:28:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I rapped at 'ya....

Editorial.. Let's not throw insults at people who think that Rupert Murdoch is the worst thing to come from Australia since Kylie Minogue. Definetly not saying you have agree with that view (I do, I wouldn't let my teenaged daughter be exposed to any of his jingo-istic, nastionalistic propaganda). Boys will be boys, and on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz I have never been more afraid. I don't like neo-Nazi's and believe neo-nazi's are awful evil people. I honestly believe this the NY Post & Fox News are really intended to instigate battles in the culture war.

President Bush: use better judgement. I have a busy day today. I can't play play God today :-) If I only could, I'd make a deal with God and get her to swap our places. I'd be running up that road, running up that hill, with no problems.

Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, sent out a fund-raising letter on Tuesday on behalf of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, drawing attention to her pointed questions of Ms. Rice during 11 hours of confirmation hearings last week.
"In order to put the brakes on four more years of misdirection in Iraq and reckless policies at home, we need to elect more Democrats to the Senate during the 2006 midterm elections," the letter said. "Because after Dr. Rice is confirmed, the Senate will face many more crucial decisions in the coming months: confirmation of President Bush's choice for attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, social security, Iraq and possibly a Supreme Court nomination."

"As we all know, our exit strategy in Iraq is based upon the ability of the Iraqis to defend themselves, and we are all working toward that day," said Senator Barbara Boxer, the California Democrat who took the lead in opposing Ms. Rice. "But you can't do it if you're not going to be honest about how it's going."

I just don't know how much more of this chicanery I can handle.

In fashion news:
Helmut Lang quit Helmut Lang, and Jil Sander quit Jil Sander for the 2nd time.

In model news:
Apparantly Raquel Zimmerman is not Jewish, nor is she Israeli. Allegedly, her family are Nazi's who slithered out of Germeany after WW2 into the comfort of Brasil. Stella Tennants great aunts were close friends with Adolph Hitler, and her Great Uncle was the leader of the British Fascist Party.

2004-11-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

The election is over. I stood there beside myself,thinking hard about the weather. Then came by a friend of mine-suggested we go out together. Then I knew it from the start:this friend of mine would fall apart.

Pretending not to see his gun,I said "let's go out and have some fun".

I know, you know, you believe in a land of love.

George Bush as president means nothing and everything to me. I will live the same life I lived before. However actions we take will now make us criminals. If I want control of my body, and want an abortion, I will become a criminal. The Supreme Court will outlaw abortion, overturning Roe vs Wade soon.

A Hispanic Attorney General is not a civil rights gain, when the Hispanic is Alberto R. Gonzales. Alberto R. Gonzales is the man who helped shape the doctrine that the president may unilaterally authorize torture - the doctrine that led to Abu Ghraib. This is the man who, in a memo, called some provisions of the Geneva Conventions "quaint."

Iraq is my generations Vietnam.

In 1965 Vietnam seemed like just another foreign war, but it wasn't. It was different in many ways, as so were those that did the fighting. In World War II the average age of the combat soldier was 26...In Vietnam he was 19. In Vietnam the combat soldier typicaly served a twelve month tour of duty butwas exposed to hostile fire almost everyday.

Hundreds of Thousands of men who saw heavy combat in Vietnam were arrested since discharge. Their arrest rate is almost twice that of non-veterans of the same age. There are no accurate figures of how many of these men have been incarcerated. But, a Veterans Administration study concludes that the greater of Vets exposure to combat could more likely affect his chances of being arrested orconvicted.

This is one legacy of the Vietnam War. All those who remember the war-they won't forget what they've seen..Destruction of men in their prime whose average was age was 19.

After World War II the Men came home together on troop ships, but the Vietnam Vets often arrived home within 48 hours of jungle combat. Perhaps the most dramatic difference between World War II and VietNam was coming home.. .none of them received a hero's welcome. None of them.

According to a Veteran's Administration study Half of the Vietnam combat veterans suffered from what Psychiatrists call Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. Many vets complain of alienation, rage, or guilt. Some succumb to suicidal thoughts Thirty to Forty years after coming home almost eight-hundred-thousand men are still fighting the VietNam War.

Was it worth it?

The shooting and fighting of the past four days continued today in Falluja. I really am not sure what is going on.

Abu Ghairib is my generations Auschwitz.

Some people defend the war by comparing Saddam Hussein to Hitler. My reply? Barbarism begins at home. George Bush is trying to add bigoted amendments to the US Constitution that will restrict freedoms for certain minorities. Restricting the freedoms of minorities, eastablishing concentrations camps (Abu Ghairib, Guantanamo Bay, etc.)....Now who resembles Hitler?

Women will still take control of their bodies, no decision of the Supreme Court can change that, However, women who pursue illegal abortions will expose themselves to the danger of unlicensed practioners and prosecution.

Homosexuals will still fall in love. Lack of credit in the straight world will not diminish that love. Denying them the right to marry consigns them to the status of "having a good time".

They cry in dark,so you can't see their tears.They hide in the light,so you can't see their fears.Forgive and forget,all the while...Love and pain become one and the same in the eyes of a wounded child.

And you know that their little lives can become such a mess. and you shouldn't have to pay for your lovewith your bones and your flesh...It's all so confusing,this brutal abusing...They blacken your eyes and then apologize..."Be daddy's good girl,and don't tell mommy a thing"..."Be a good little boy,and you'll get a new toy--tell grandma you fell from the swing."

Because--hell, hell is for children! They are the real victims of this fascist regime. "No Child Left Behind" is an awful idea, and with no funding from the Government, an empty and shallow promise to children.

2004-10-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

Whatever. I am at a loss for words.

http://www.wwd.com/content/article.cfm?ID=%25%22%2DP%24PUT%20%0A&xart=1&CFID=773677&CFTOKEN=85638961

"MARIO’S FOCUS: Mario Testino is shooting Versace’s men’s ad campaign in London and reports are that he’ll next head to Los Angeles to shoot the women’s — with none other than Madonna. The rock star-style icon-children’s book writer is poised to ease into Donatella Versace’s spring looks like the candy-colored satin dresses, scarf-printed numbers and touches of metallic details. As a further sign of Versace’s changing times, Testino’s lens will replace that of Steven Meisel, who has shot the house’s ad campaigns for years. While a company spokesman confirmed Testino will shoot both the men’s and women’s ad images, he declined to confirm the Madonna coup. "

2004-10-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

so sweet!

2004-10-27T08:08:00.001-07:00

Catch!

2004-10-27T08:08:00.000-07:00

Maggie Rizer, Italian Vogue, Summer '97, #1-Look how fresh she was! Athletic, pretty, natural, youthful.

2004-10-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

Maggie Rizer, Italian Vogue cover, '98- note Elsa Benitze, post rhinoplasty, pre-breast implants. 6 years later and Eugenia Silva is still in "law school", and engaging in pyramid schemes for Giorgio Armani. Style Ambassador my ass. When they clothes are so awful, that 'rexic prima donna like Eugenia Silva have to be paid to wear them, Giorgio Armani should just give it up.

2004-10-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

Maggie Rizer , Italian Vogue 3/99

2004-10-27T08:03:00.000-07:00

Maggie Rizer , Italian Vogue 12/99

2004-10-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

Maggie, "W", fall 2002

2004-10-27T08:01:00.001-07:00

Maggie in "Flair" 2003

2004-10-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

Maggie on the cover of "Lucky", 2003

2004-10-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to slowly rehab myself of my addiction to Page Six. Hand down, they have the best blind items in the world. However, I cannot abide by their latent and obvious homophobia and radical Republicanism. If you aren't going to stand for something, you'll fall for anything. I advise all my friends, and intelligent people to also boycot Page Six, NY Post and other Rupert Murdoch products (Fox News). Enough is enough. Election Day is Tuesday. That is for sure, but who can say when Judgement Day is?

Anyways, here is an example of the gossip that Page Six excells in.

SUPERMODEL Maggie Rizer's stepfather could get up to 800 years in jail after pleading guilty to ripping her off for $7 million.
As we first reported last year, Rizer's stepdad, John Breen, gambled away the covergirl's cash after she ill-advisedly put him in charge of her finances. However, the full extent of his spree was unknown until Breen pled guilty last Friday.
Breen copped to felony counts of first, second- and third-degree grand larceny, first-degree scheming to defraud and two counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument. He will be sentenced on Jan. 3 in the family's upstate hometown, Watertown.
Beginning in May 1998, Breen mostly gambled away his stepdaughter's earnings. In a plea for leniency, his lawyer, James R. McGraw, declared Breen has "been through several treatment programs," had "a severe alcohol problem" and "suffered from depression [and] an addiction to gambling."
Breen has agreed to pay restitution up to $7 million, but McGraw notes he doesn't have the dough. Rizer's lawyer, Ed Hayes, has speculated that he might have plenty of cash stashed away.
Rizer, who modeled for Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger among others, put on weight during her travails and dropped out of the scene for a while but is now poised for a comeback. Her biological father died of AIDS when she was 14; Breen later married her mother, Maureen.
"If there is one thing I hate it's an Irish guy who betrays his family and then whines it's because he's a drunk," Hayes (who's also Irish-American) told PAGE SIX's Jared Paul Stern. "He was drunk for four years? He never realized stealing millions was a crime in this world and the next?"
Hayes declares, "I just hope we can get some of the money back for this lovely, hard-working, young woman. It is much to her credit that she has been in the gym every day and has put her career back together."
Meanwhile, Hayes is battling with the mayor of Watertown, Jeffrey E. Graham. Hayes notes Breen gambled away most of the money playing Quick Draw at the Speak Easy tavern, which is owned by Graham.
"It makes me very uncomfortable that [Breen] allegedly washed all of this money through the mayor's bar and that's not being investigated," Hayes told the Watertown Daily Times. Graham says that's "slander."

http://www.nypost.com/gossip/pagesix_u.htm

2004-10-22T08:43:00.001-07:00

Daria is the Chanel spring 2005 campaign model.

http://www.wwd.com/content/article.cfm?ID=%25%22%2DP%27QE0%20%0A&xart=1&CFID=760312&CFTOKEN=48050155

SIGHTSEEING: Tourists soaking up the splendor of Place Vendôme in Paris encountered an extra attraction on Thursday: Karl Lagerfeld. The designer was there with his entourage shooting the spring 2005 Chanel campaign with model Daria Werbowy — along with dozens of curious onlookers. Lagerfeld said he was then moving on to other locations where there are Chanel boutiques, including Avenue Montaigne and Faubourg Saint-Honore. And while at first glance it might seem the advertising theme is a departure from Lagerfeld’s runway show, a paparazzi frenzy complete with supermodels and Nicole Kidman, Amanda Harlech begged to differ. Watching Werbowy pose with the Ritz Hotel and a cloud-flecked blue sky in the background, she observed: “Paris is the red carpet.”

2004-10-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

2004-10-08T13:36:00.000-07:00

My favorite collection in Paris, so far (I havn't seen Chanel yet) Is Martin Grant. If it is good enough for Lee Radziwill, it is good enough for me. This is look # 19 of 37, on Yasmin Warsame (NEXT)

2004-10-08T12:11:00.000-07:00

Irina Bondarenko (ELITE) was look #31 at the Dries Van Noten Spring 2005 show. There are vulgar philistines out there who claim that Linda's ex-husband Gerald Marie "created" her. That is false. Linda creatd Linda, or more accurately, her momma did. Gerald Marie is now married to this model, Irina. Irina Bondarenko, you are no Linda Evangelista.

2004-10-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

Christty,Spring 2005 - Marc Jacobs - Front Row
9/13/2004

2004-10-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

Louise Pedersen wears glasses "War is the destruction of life"

2004-10-08T08:23:00.001-07:00

Fighting for Peace is like Fucking for Virginity

2004-10-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

no War

2004-10-08T08:21:00.001-07:00

Carmen looks especially John Currin here,

2004-10-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken backstage at the Calvin Klein fall 2003 show, Calvins last show before retiring.

2004-10-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

No War

2004-10-08T08:17:00.001-07:00

Karolina"No, no, no more pain!"

2004-10-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

Jacquetta:"War is not the answer"

2004-10-08T08:16:00.001-07:00

Carmen and Angela talk to the press. The girl has a lot on her mind,

2004-10-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

"fighting for peace is like fucking for virginity"

2004-10-08T08:15:00.001-07:00

work

2004-10-08T08:15:00.000-07:00

carmen just says no-to war

2004-10-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

Natalia Vodianova, 2/14/2003. Reading the news today, it seems that Natalia was right. Saddam Hussein hasn't had any weapons since 1991. It was all a lie.

2004-10-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

Kisten Owen was look #19 at Helmut Lang's Spring 2005 show. Helmut Lang sold 100% of his company to Prada this week, making him an employee of Helmut Lang. It is kind of creepy to sell your name. After all what do you really ever own? Oh well, at least someone wanted to buy it. Ever since Helmut Lang abandoned clothing for fashion, and started casting children as his models, he really has lost the picture. I am glad to see Kirsten return to modelling, she has an editorial in Nylon also.

2004-10-06T09:03:00.000-07:00

Look # 66 was "Dior for Peace" long sleeve t. Again with the black eye makeup.

2004-10-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

John Galliano for Christian Dior made an anti-war statement on the spring 2005 runway "Dior Not War". Note the saddle bag-as-fagbag. Other things to note in the picture are black-eye makeup, platform shoes, Grace Coddington hair, white tights, and granny skirt.(on the bias, of course)

2004-10-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

May Andersen was look # 27 out of 30 looks at Balenciaga srping 2005. Note the high waisted sailor pants. Also note the snakeskin jacket treated to resemble acid-washed denim, with gold buttins on the lapel.

2004-10-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

Eva Was look # 16 at the Balenciaga Spring 2005 show. Stunning. I could do without the gold epaulet buttons.

2004-10-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

Balenciaga Spring 2005:
Yet again, Balenciaga is a variation on a theme. Unfortunately, this seasons theme is navy blue sailor pants with gold buttons. I am so disapointed. This looks like the Balenciaga Japanese widows licensed collection.

2004-10-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

I heard a rumour that Miuccia Prada tapped Caroline Trentini on the shoulder backstage at her show last week and said "You are too ugly, you can leave.". Reportedly she also expressed the same sentiment to Stam, who did do the show.

It's a mad world.

2004-10-04T07:07:00.000-07:00

In case any of you were wondering what the supermodels in Miss Kathy's Supermodels meant....a picture is worth a thousand words.

2004-10-04T07:01:00.000-07:00

Nadja has a story in the fall 2004 V, by Inez & Vinoodh, Kristen opened and closed the Spring 2005 Prada show.Clearly, Gianni Versace , & Richard Avedon had a talent for realzing classic beauty.

2004-10-04T06:57:00.000-07:00

Kristen & Nadja For Gianni Versace Atelier. These photographs were taken by the late Richard Avedon. Genius.

2004-10-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

Kristen was the Gianni Versace & Prada campaign model in spring 1995, showing her diversity, range, and classic beauty

2004-10-04T06:53:00.000-07:00

Kristen McMenamy, Gianni Versace campaign spring 1995

2004-10-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

Kristen was the original Gianni Versace supermodel

2004-10-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

Kristen McMenamy wearing a black sequined gown by Christian Lacroix.

2004-10-04T06:43:00.000-07:00

Kristen McMenamy, US Vogue, 1995, ph:Steven Meisel

2004-10-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

Supermodels, Dance Marathon story, Italian Vogue, 3/97, Ph: Steven Meisel

2004-10-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

Kristen McMenamy, American Vogue, 1997, Photographer:Steven Meisel

2004-10-04T06:33:00.000-07:00

Kristen McMenamy, look # 1, Prada Spring/Summer 2005

2004-10-04T06:32:00.000-07:00

Kristen McMenamy, look #33, Prada Spring/Summer 2005

2004-10-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

Kristen McMenamy, look # 44, Prada Spring/Summer 2005

2004-10-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

Kristen McMenamy, look # 57, Prada Spring/Summer 2005

2004-10-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

http://www.style.com/slideshows/fashionshows/S2005RTW/PRADA/RUNWAY/00010f.jpg>

2004-10-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

http://www.style.com/slideshows/fashionshows/S2005RTW/PRADA/RUNWAY/00010f.jpg>

2004-10-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

Guess who's back?

Back again. Kristen's back. Tell a friend!

Kristen McMenamy opened and closed the Prada spring 2005 show this week

http://www.style.com/slideshows/fashionshows/S2005RTW/PRADA/RUNWAY/00010f.jpg">

2004-09-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

NY Fashion week is over. And I for one have had just about all I can take of pastel colors, shredded tweeds, and pastel colored shredded tweeds. I am proud to be an American, but my patriotism goes only so far. Marc Jacobs is the king of fashion, and the king of my heart, even if he has gotten fat and old. Just like J Lo, I want those coats.

Here is a reprint of a recent interview Linda (no last name needed, obviously) gave to the UK press:

"A life more glamorous Linda Evangelista gave up modelling because it was making her someone she didn't want to be. Now whe's back, and she tells Colin McDowell why. Fashion is totally ageist: its allergy to the older woman is so strong, it simply refuses to consider her needs, for clothes or otherwise. As we all know, women do not become old dogs when they reach 30, 40 or 50, but if you paid any attention to the ad campaigns and catwalk shows, you would be forgiven for thinking the industry did not have the slightest interest in talking to anyone who was no longer a child. But there are enemies within. Right now, one of fashion’s greatest paradoxes is that Linda Evangelista, who is (whisper it) 39, has been embraced once again by the fashion world with the sort of fervour it normally reserves for 13-year-old schoolgirls on the bus from Croydon. Her career kick-started by a comeback US Vogue cover in 2001, Evangelista is now the face of Fendi, Mac Viva Glam V, Nars cosmetics and Oscar de la Renta and is back on the catwalk for both Dolce & Gabbana and Hermès. With her cat-like eyes, gravity-defying cheekbones and a certain kind of glamour that comes along perhaps once in a generation, hers is a welcome face among a sea of unsophisticated teenagers. Evangelista has had her ups and downs. That famous remark about not getting out of bed for less than $10,000 has stalked her career and linked her indelibly to the crassness of the money-grabbing 1980s. “That was a big mistake,” she admits, crossing her Amazonian legs in her suite at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris. “And I regret it, of course. But I wasn’t the only model who lived the 1980s like the 1980s. We were all a little full of ourselves and we flaunted what we had — luxury goods, Rolls-Royces. Nobody was hiding their wealth, and ‘more’ was what the 1980s were all about. But I now see that I was throwing my good fortune into other women’s faces and that is just so unfair. I’m much more sensible these days. I’ve made my mistakes, but I feel I’ve learnt and am wiser.” The “mistakes” include a disastrous marriage in 1987 to Gerald Marie, who was the director of Linda’s model agency, Elite, in Paris. “It was a mistake to marry him and it sure was a mistake to let him take control of my affairs,” she says bitterly. “But my life restarted when I walked away from my husband. I’d learnt an important lesson: your love interest, whoever he is, is not there to take care of your money. He’s there to take care of you. I was taken advantage of and I certainly didn’t walk out of it with all my earnings. But I just remind myself that there are no victims in a relationship, only volunteers.” Five years later, she was divorced, and soon began a high-profile relationship with the actor Kyle MacLachlan, which proved as disastrous as her marriage. Since then, there has been the French football star Fabien Barthez and, most recently, the Italian millionaire Ugo Brachetti Peretti. And now? “There’s no guy at the moment,” she says firmly. “Hey, I’m travelling with my mother — doesn’t that say something? But I’m not giving up hope. I still dream of having children [she had a miscarriage in 1999], but I don’t worry about it. I’ve learnt to live in the moment, something I never used to do. I was always regretting the past, worrying about the future, driven to go on working, taking every job. I grew up the day I gave up modelling. I realised that what I wanted was a normal life with a routine. But then, after all the hard work and pressure — listen, I used to take Concorde like people take the bus — I became really idle, and that didn’t work for me, either.” Evangelista was born in Ontario to an Italian immigrant family; her father worked in the foundry at General Motors. Her upbringing was strictly Italian. “It was traditional, even old-fashioned,” she says. “When I was a teenager, I had to choose whether to go out on a Friday or Saturday night. Never both. And we always had proper meals. I used to envy my friends who had TV dinners. But I always wanted to be a model because I’ve always loved clothes. I got a job selling magazines in a convenience store just so that between customers, I could flick through the pages and dream. I didn’t have a boyfriend, so nobody told me whether or not I was beautiful.” Her career began when she was 13. “My mum sent me to a model school to learn grooming and manners. They taught us how to pose, how to do runway, but there wasn’t any real work. There was one fashion show a year and maybe a couple of newspaper ads. Whenever I got work, my mother had to take time off her work to chaperone me. I got $8 an hour and $20 for a show, including rehearsal time. I was definitely not an overnight success,” she laughs. “Even after I moved to New York, it took three years for my career to get going. I went to see photographers more than once, usually with a changed portfolio, but the answer was always no. Eventually, Peter Lindbergh gave in and used me. Don’t ask me why — I think he just got sick of seeing me,” she says.

The beginnings of a modelling career are never pleasant. When she was 16, Evangelista won a contract for summer work in Tokyo and travelled there alone. “When I got there, I freaked out,” she says. “It wasn’t what they’d said it would be. They wanted nude and funny stuff. They asked me to strip to take my measurements, even though they had them already.” Put up for the night in an apartment, she escaped and walked the streets, looking for a phone booth. When she told her parents that a man had helped her and she was phoning from his apartment, they went crazy. She returned home after a day and a half. Even so, her mother let her have another try. When she finished school, Evangelista went to New York, on the condition that she would come home every weekend. “One of my first jobs was in Italy and that’s where I saw cocaine for the first time,” she says. “There was a murder in our group that weekend. I decided then and there that I would never do drugs. I have anxiety attacks, so there’s no way I could do them. I have this great fear of people — not when I’m on the runway, but backstage. In a room full of people, I really suffer. I sort of go into a tunnel and I feel very removed. I get so tense, I can’t swallow, and my heartbeat goes way up. It still happens now, although I’m better at controlling it.” What she does find hard to control is her clothes habit. In her not-so-small New York loft, an entire floor is reserved solely for her wardrobe — and her Manolos. “I’m a clothes obsessive,” she admits, rather stating the obvious. “It really is out of control. I can’t stop shopping, though I can’t even wear what I’ve got. I see something and I have to have it. Walking on the runway, passing people, I think, ‘I want it. That’s got to be mine.’” In fact, she’s not entirely indiscriminate. Her shopping list includes Chanel, Lanvin and Dior, and she is always delighted to be given clothes, although she orders and pays for the majority. “Usually,” she explains, “if you’re given something, it’s a used sample. I don’t necessarily want a used sample. But nobody throws the whole collection at you. I like good jewellery as well. That doesn’t fall from the sky either, so I buy my own.” The clothes might come naturally, but, she admits, her weight doesn’t. When she gave up modelling, she took up cooking, or “eating and getting fat”. “Cooking is one of my favourite things — from going to the market, bringing the stuff home and preparing it, to cleaning the kitchen afterwards. I’ve lost my figure a few times. There have been moments when I’ve overeaten, for comfort. But with discipline and hard work, you can get your figure back.” Now she is healthy to a fault. “I accept that keeping in shape doesn’t come naturally, so I work hard. I hit the gym every day: Pilates, yoga, weights. I used to love wine, but I’ve stopped drinking. I quit smoking and I’ll never start again.” But at 39, she thinks she may soon need some physical help. “I’m certainly thinking of plastic surgery,” she confesses. “I’ve already been Botoxed, like all the models. And I’m happy to admit it. If you don’t tell, how do other women feel they have a chance when they see the pictures? Models are not superhuman. We grow old. I really want to grow old and I don’t believe that age is ugly.” She certainly seems calmer nowadays, more in control. “I don’t struggle with things like I used to. It’s all part of being in charge of my life. That’s what makes it good to be the age I am, looking forward.” An advert for growing older if ever there was one. "

Wow, I must say I'm amazed. Linda Quit Smoking! Not that I ever started. It's a dirty filthy habit, Christy actually has a website called smokingisugly.com

http://smokingisugly.com/main.html

Please read it if you are considering smoking, or to get more info about womens health.

I am proud of Linda for saying no to nude modelling when she was a child. I was not raised to read pornographic fashion magazines. I belive pornography has its place, on the high shelf rack where children cannot reach it. But after seeing the latest issues of POP, Paris Vogue and the rest....I hate Kate Moss. Hate her muff, her moles, her champagne bottles, her fags, all of it. She is a shameless exhibitionist and a pig. How did we get here? This is not the same as it ever was. When I was young I, like Linda, would read all the Euro fashion magazines. Back then International editions of Vogue would feature the latest designer fashions worn by supermodels. Today there is just way too much focus on child pornography, nudity, sexuality, drug references, and the obligatory cigarette. I for one just say no to all that. Cheers to Linda for taking control of her destiny, refusing to pose nude, or compromise herself by allowing fashion people to put her in uncomfortable positions.

On that note, my fave fall magazine is the October issue of W-Steven Meisel tuke the concepts of nudity, and sexuality and turned them into a grand fashion pose. Breasts! Tan Skin! Pale Skin! Girls who kiss girls! But did you see those shoes? Have to have them, and a silk chiffon dress, and killer lipstick. Pretty is as pretty does.

2004-09-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

Cancel W, give me Vogue.

Italian Vogue if Bushie wins.

Just kidding. I survived the RNC. I wore my Marc Jacobs jeans with american flag ribbons appliqued on the slash pockets and belt loops. Didn't the B-52's write a song about designer jeans with appliques? Sisters doing it or themselves was the message on 8th avenue.

Miss Kathy is going no where. I love America. I have control of my body, and the fashions I put on it.

In fashion news...

Wednesday September 8, 2004
Subkoff Looks to Bring Women Comfort With Easy Spirit
NEW YORK — Tara Subkoff is walking a little lighter, thanks to a new collaboration with Easy Spirit. In an atypical maneuver, the Imitation of Christ designer has agreed to stamp her name on a collection for the company, which in turn is among the sponsors of her runway show today. Designing flats and sandals might seem primary on the surface, but like everything the designer does, it appears more complicated with a closer look. Developing comfortable footwear is something Subkoff, who briefly modeled Bally shoes as a teenager, has been kicking around for a few years, but a recent article in WWD’s sister publication W motivated her to get in gear. The article detailed one woman’s account of foot surgery that saved her from wearing flats instead of stilettos. But it was one phrase in particular that caught Subkoff’s eye, “So rather than surrender to a lifetime of Easy Spirits...” Even though she has a shoe fetish and has been known to have bought new kicks before paying the rent on at least one occasion, Subkoff was disturbed that women would go to such lengths to cram their toes into designer heels. She approached Easy Spirit through her agent Marc Beckman. Subkoff decided to try to offer a backup, or at the very least, shoes that can get the wearer to work or a party where they will slip into stilettos. Flip-flops don’t cut it in her eyes. “We’re busy, strong, independent women. If we’re more concerned about wearing Manolo Blahniks than what we’re actually saying or doing, we’re in trouble,” Subkoff said. “It’s pretty much the same as Chinese foot binding.” While some might snicker at her attempt to empower women with comfortable, stylish footwear, she insisted there is something to be said for giving women equal footing. At 5 feet, 2 inches, she often falls behind, when walking in heels alongside her male coworkers. “So much of shoemaking has been about fashion and a look — and not about people having to wear them,” Subkoff said. “We’re using the technology that’s out there without compromising style.” A month in the making, the Tara Subkoff for Easy Spirit collection consists of six to eight styles of flats, gladiator sandals and pumps. With retail prices starting at $160, the Brazilian-made line will be available at better specialty stores in February or March. At this point, Easy Spirit does not plan to distribute the collection in its 150 freestanding stores. This collaboration will give Easy Spirit, which is owned by the Jones Apparel Group, a step up in its distribution. Subkoff’s designs were inspired in part by a July trip to the island of Hydra in Greece, where she showed her clothing as part of a Greek art exhibition, “PREMAculTURE.” India was another source of inspiration. What she came up with are sleek leather shoes with hints of the ancient, as in the Gladiator design, and the modern, as evidenced in the polyurethane in the sole. Determined not to offer the shoes in generic skin tones, Subkoff designed them in a variety of shades, ranging from soap stone to java. Known for her fiercely independent approach to fashion, she said this commercial venture should enhance her work. “I’m really grateful that this allows me to continue working creatively,” she said. “Design wise, they allow me to do exactly what I want to do. I’m working organically with the technology available.” Her wading in the mass market isn’t exactly a novel concept. “If Karl Lagerfeld can design a collection for H&M, I think I can definitely design a collection for Easy Spirit.” Subkoff said. “We are in the future. It’s almost 2005. We really are designing for women who want very much to be comfortable, but they care about fashion and want to look good, too. They don’t want to compromise their integrity or their sense of style.” — Rosemary Feitelberg

Now isn't that special? I have been making like Chloe Sevigny and wearing my high waisted vintage levis 646's. I'm not ready to turn them into daisy dukes, thats a little too far for me.

2004-08-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

Guess What? Planit M is not the new One Management. I heard a rumour from a girl who recently quit there that Jan Planit only gets 5% of Cindy Crawford;s modelling earnings. And since the majority of Cindy;s work is lucrative appearances, (like for Omega watches in Russia), she makes 5% of $125 a day for editorial.

Apparantly Cindy C approached IMG Models, but was rejected.

I remember an article a few years ago about modelling that said if Cindy C walked into an agency today she would be rejected. And now she did, and was. How bitterly ironic.

So her 2nd option was Planit M, since her husband is friends with Jan's husband.

BTW, Elle sucks, in all its international editions, but especially Gilles Bensimon monthly. You know whats worse that Lori Goldstein? Carlyne Cerf. And Jessica Simpson is the lowest common denominator.

from WWD:

Friday August 13, 2004
Memo Pad: Elle-Mentary ... New In Town ... Juicy Fluke ...
ELLE-MENTARY: So is this how it works: Buy an ad in Elle, get a fashion sitting devoted to your products? Elle editors say no, it’s just coincidence that the September issue is a paean to Ralph Lauren and David Yurman, who happen to be big advertisers in the magazine. That might be one way to explain the advertiser love letter on the cover. Jessica Simpson, who was styled by ,Isabel Dupré and shot by Gilles Bensimon, appears on the cover and in the corresponding eight-page feature wearing only Lauren and Yurman. It just so happens that a four-page Ralph Lauren Collection gatefold is attached to the cover, and an eight-page Yurman ad adjoins the table of contents, where a photo of Simpson wearing the designer’s jewelry can be found. This despite the fact the magazine has positioned itself as a champion of the designer mix. As recently as May 24, Elle’s vice president and marketing director, Barbara Friedmann, told WWD, “The trend today is toward individual style. Head to toe is no longer cutting edge. This is something Elle has always been a voice for: mixing different designers, different price points.” Previously though, Nicole Kidman and Julia Stiles were shot for the magazine wearing only Ralph Lauren. And in August, Elle had a well fashion story devoted to Prada clothes. Bensimon defended the decision to favor certain designers, saying, “Sometimes it’s confusing to mix things. Do we support Ralph Lauren? Yes. Because we think he is a very important designer in America and around the world. But no one told me, ‘Gilles, because of advertising, we have to put Ralph Lauren on the cover.’” “I was flipping through magazines while I was on vacation,” said David Yurman. “I liked Elle. I thought it was young and upbeat and American and just an incredibly well-produced magazine. They had respect for jewelry as part of the editorial.” Just a few months later Yurman expanded his advertising in Elle, then the Simpson story appeared, which Bensimon says was not an intentional plug. The September issue hit newsstands just as The Wall Street Journal reported that the American Society of Magazine Editors would be re-evaluating guidelines for the separation of advertising and editorial content. And what does Elle’s competition have to say? A spokesman for Vogue (like WWD, part of Advance Publications Inc.) couldn’t resist pointing out: “Whenever we’ve shot one designer’s clothes, it’s been for a feature about that designer. We don’t showcase for sittings.” Bensimon countered, “We don’t feel the need to have an interview for a fashion story. It’s about the clothes, and how we use fashion to communicate style.” — Sara James

2004-07-16T10:56:00.000-07:00

What's it all about Alfie? When you sort it out. There is a new model in town. No, not Gemma Ward. A new business model. Advertisers are demanding results for their ads. Magazines are suffering, and the only thing that sells are celebrities. I am happy with all this. Why should a model get a cover just because she is beautiful? If that beauty cannot be translated into dollars, then its just an ephemeral thing. This is a great challenge to future supermodels. To become a cover girl they must have a quality that makes readers and consumers connect with her. Perhaps that quality is beauty. Or elegance. Taste, luxury, humour. Who can say what this X factor is. Linda has it, Cindy had it. I refuse to take a ride on the editor bashing roller coaster. Anna Wintour is a genius. She has produced the fattest issue of Vogue ever for September, and put a gaggle of supermodel hopefuls on the cover.

VOGUE

647 -ad pages for Sep

12.7 % increase since last sep

2,125 ad pages this year.
All that and not a model on the cover since Christy Turlington in 2002. And even then she was pushing her crazy culty yoga book. Is there a bigger turnoff that yoga? All those ludicrous positions. The smells. And the heat, my God the heat!

from WWD:

Friday July 16, 2004
Fashion Mags Take the Short View
NEW YORK — Over the past three years, magazine publishers have frequently resorted to that hoariest of business clichés — “cautious optimism” — when asked to prognosticate about the advertising economy. It seems they may finally have learned their lesson. Heading into yet another uncertain fourth quarter, publishers of the major women’s fashion and beauty titles are expressing a bit less optimism and a bit more caution. That’s not to say that the ad climate is any worse than it has been since the economy first began to sour in 2001. While beauty and retail spending have been down for most titles this year, those declines have been offset by gains in apparel, jewelry and watches, and secondary categories such as technology and liquor. Through the first nine months of 2004, four of 11 titles in the category were down in overall pages versus the same period last year, five were up and two were flat, according to publishers’ estimates. Fat September issues will bring a slight lift to the numbers: All 11 titles logged more pages this September than last, with Vogue and W publishing their heftiest issues ever. (Vogue, W, Glamour and Allure are all owned by Advance Publications, parent of WWD.) But it would be unwise to read too much into those pumped-up page totals, said Alyce Alston, vice president and publisher of W. “That’s part of what’s happening with advertisers — they’re allocating more to March and September,” she said. “What really matters is the bigger picture. I wouldn’t say it’s any kind of bonanza out there. The market is more depressed than it looks.” An even more significant development is the way marketers in all categories are increasingly viewing their magazine buys as a means of moving product, not just building a brand. This shift in thinking is closely tied to the rising population of shopping magazines such as Lucky and Hearst’s new Shop Etc., which pitch themselves to advertisers as the ultimate tool for converting readers into buyers. Internet advertising has also played a part in encouraging marketers to demand a more immediate, measurable return-on-investment — not something historically associated with print ads. “I’m noticing that sell-through is more important this year than ever before,” said Bill Wackermann, Glamour’s vice president and publisher. “When people had a lot of dollars, they were spending more on image.” “Basically, there’s a new formula out there — a new model,” agreed Valerie Salembier, senior vice president and publisher of Harper’s Bazaar. “And that is if your pages sell product, the advertisers will keep coming back.” This heightened emphasis on bang-buck ratio has everything to do with the pressures marketers themselves are feeling to show immediate results, given the unpredictability of the current economy. “People used to assess the bottom line a couple times a year,” said Sandy Golinkin, vice president and publisher of Lucky. “Now it’s assessed daily, monthly, constantly.” As ad buys become ever more closely linked to the fluctuations in merchandise sales, publishers find their lead times collapsing. “We’re closing issues a week after close,” said Katherine Rizzuto, Marie Claire’s vice president and publisher. That, in turn, makes it harder for publishers to get any firm sense of what the future holds. “It used to be you could forecast your business in a much clearer way,” said Salembier. “Now it’s a challenge to forecast even issue by issue.” All that said, early indications are that the fourth quarter will bring a slight improvement in publishers’ fortunes. Beauty spending, which was down sharply for most books in the first half, is expected to rebound somewhat thanks to a number of foundation and treatment launches. Through September, Allure is down 2.5 percent in ad pages, but Nancy Landsman Berger, the title’s vice president and publisher, said she expects to finish the year 2 to 3 percent up thanks to strong fourth-quarter beauty spending. Retail, which has been spotty in 2004, is also showing signs of improvement. “People are shopping, and it’s not just main-floor business,” said Salembier. “When you go up to the third or fourth floors, there are now people there.” W’s Alston sums up the overall mood best: “We keep saying it’s a challenging market. But when has it not been a challenging market?” — Jeff Bercovici

2004-06-24T14:22:00.000-07:00

Clearly I'm obsessed with denim. Thursday is denim day in WWD-however, for me, every day is denim day. They published a helpful glossary of terms I am happy to reprint here:

Acid Wash: A technique for washing jeans popular in the Eighties. Created by using pumice stones soaked in various chemicals in the stonewashing process. Also known as marble wash, moon wash and snow wash. The visual effect is mottled and uneven.

Antiquing: A manufacturing process that gives apparel a worn, broken-in look. Such processes include stonewashing, hand-sanding, sandblasting and grinding.

Bar-tacks: The closely spaced stitches that connect to form a band or bar to reinforce stress points on jeans, such as pocket openings, belt loops, seams and buttonholes.

Broken Twill: Denim weaves that combine a left-hand twill with a right-hand twill so that the twill line reverses every two warp ends. This breaking of the continuous twill line reduces the natural torque that is characteristic of regular twill weaves. This balance eliminates leg twist due to fabric torque, a common problem in jeans.

Bull Denim: Piece-dyed cotton twill made from coarse yarns to resemble denim; however, the warp yarns are not dyed with indigo before weaving.

Capri Pants: Three-quarter-length pants, typically with a short slit on the outside of the leg. The style was originally worn in the Fifties, and revived after 2000. The name is derived from the Italian island resort of Capri, where the style first became popular.

Chambray: A plain weave fabric with an indigo warp and natural weft yarn, often made in lighter weights for shirting.

Cowboy Cut: A style of jeans featuring high back pockets, a tapered leg from knee to bottom to fit over boots, a wide space between front belt loops to accommodate a wider belt and heavy buckle, smooth round rivets and extra room in the seat and thigh to make riding easier and more comfortable.

Crosshatch: An effect in the denim weave created by using uneven yarn in the weft direction, combined with uneven yarns in the warp direction.

Denim: Traditionally a cotton fabric made of warp yarns dyed with indigo and woven with natural weft yarns in regular twill. One apocryphal story holds the word “denim” is a contraction for the French term “serge de Nîmes,” a twill fabric that was made in Nîmes, France. However, fashion historians in the U.S. and France call that story a myth, noting that the serge fabric in question was made of wool and bore little if any reference to the cotton fabric common today.

Dungaree: 1. A piece-dyed or solid-colored, yarn-dyed twill fabric used for pants or overalls. 2. Synonymous with denim. 3. The term for pants made from this fabric, derived from the Hindi word used to describe the trousers once worn by sailors from the Indian port of Dungri.

End: An individual warp yarn. Constructions are expressed as the number of ends and the number of picks.

Enzyme Washing: A process that uses cellulase enzyme to “stonewash” jeans. The enzyme eats away cotton, exposing the white core of the indigo-dyed yarn (see ring dyeing). It is often used in conjunction with pumice stone to enhance the stonewashed look.

Fabric Weight: A measure of the ounces per square yard of a fabric. Denim is typically woven in weights from 4 to 15 ounces per square yard.

Five-Pocket Jeans: A popular style of jeans in which there are two rear pockets, two front hip pockets and a coin pocket inside the right front pocket. What’s called a coin pocket today started out in the late 19th century as a place for miners to keep dry the matches they relied on to ignite their lamps.

Garment Dye: A dyeing process for intense saturation of color. Natural or even indigo-dyed jeans are dyed (or overdyed) a color in garment form at the laundry. A good indication that a pair of jeans has been garment-dyed is if the pocket linings and labels are dyed as well.

Hipster Jeans: A style of jeans that start about 10 centimeters below the navel.

Hand: Also called “hand feel.” The way a fabric feels to the touch. For example, left-hand twill might feel softer than right-hand twill, and ring-spun denim might feel softer and smoother than open-end denim.

Hand-sanding: Vintage jeans show wear patterns that occur naturally. “Whiskers,” “chevrons,” and “damage” refer to local areas of abrasion that form on the garment after long periods of wear. Hand-sanding is often used to replicate these characteristics on new jeans.

Indigo: Once harvested from plants, most indigo is now synthesized from chemicals. It is used to dye various cellulose-based fibers. Pure indigo can produce deep, brilliant blues that cannot be duplicated with any other dye; it often lends a slightly red cast to the fibers.

Inseam: The seam that runs vertically down the inside of a pant leg.

Jeans: 1. A durable fabric made of carded yarns, primarily of cotton or cotton blend, in a twill weave. It may be bleached, dyed solid colors or printed. 2. The modern-day term that refers to a style of pants with five pockets and that may be made from a wide range of fabrics, including corduroy, twills or bull denim. Derived from the French word “genes” that was used to describe the pants once worn by sailors from Genoa.

Laundry: A manufacturing company that treats unwashed jeans through washing, stonewashing, sandblasting, hand-sanding or garment dyeing.

Left-Hand Twill: The weave of denim where the twill line rises to the left, usually resulting in a softer feel to the fabric after washing. Also know as “S” Twill.

Levi Strauss: Born as Loeb Strauss in Bavaria in 1829, the founder of the company that invented Levi’s jeans, and inventor of blue jeans.

Lycra: Invista’s trademark for spandex fiber; Invista, formerly the fiber unit of DuPont, is owned by Koch Industries.

Mercerization: An industrial process used on yarn or fabrics to increase the luster and dye affinity. On denim, the process is used to create a flat, smooth appearance.

Open-end Spinning: A process for making coarse yarns used in denim. It is faster and cheaper than ring spinning. Fibers are fed into a high-speed rotor shaped like a cup. The end of a yarn is placed inside and drawn out as the fibers accumulate on the “open end.” Open-end yarns are not as strong as ring-spun yarns of the same size, because some of the fibers do not lie parallel to the axis of the yarn.

Outseam: The seam that runs vertically down the outside of a pant leg.

Overall: A one-piece garment style with pants and a bib top and suspenders, traditionally made from denim or canvas and originally created for workwear.

Preshrunk: A term used to describe denim that has been pretreated so that the garment will shrink less than 3 percent in the laundering process.

Pumice Stones: Lightweight volcanic stones used for stonewashing garments. These “rocks” actually float on top of the water, wearing away during the stone-wash process and turning into a sand-like material.
Right-Hand Twill: The majority of denim is woven in right-hand twill, where the twill line rises to the right. Also known as “Z” twill.

Rigid Denim: Describes unwashed denim. Most denim garments are typically prewashed before going to retail.

Ring Dyeing: Refers to the lack of full penetration all the way through the yarn. For example, when a yarn has a “ring” of dyed fibers around a core of nearly white cotton, it is said to be “ring dyed.” This effect occurs naturally in the process of indigo dyeing. When abraded, either by normal wear or through a garment finishing technique, the white core becomes exposed and affects the overall color and appearance of the garment, giving denim a unique appearance that improves with age.

Ring Spinning: A process used to spin yarn, especially fine counts. Fibers are fed onto the end of the yarn while it is in the twisting zone, which consists of a ring, a ring traveler and a bobbin rotating at high speed. The yarn produced is more uneven than open-end yarn, but it is stronger and smoother to the touch because the fibers are more parallel. Because the yarns in denim are relatively coarse, open-end spinning provided a less expensive way to make yarns for denim. In the Seventies, a lot of ring spinning for denim was replaced due to the lower cost of open-end spinning.
Rivet: A metal accessory used in jeans both to reinforce stress points and for nonfunctional decoration.

“S” Twist: The direction in which the fibers in a yarn are twisted. Viewed from any angle, the twist direction is represented by the “S,” which shows the fibers having a slight angle rising to the left, whereas the typical direction of twist for denim yarns is the “Z” variety.

Sandblasting: A laundry process in which unwashed jeans are sprayed with sand or chemicals to give the jeans a worn appearance.

Sand Wash: A garment washing technique in which sand, or some other abrasive substance, is used in the wash bath. This treatment imparts a faded appearance and a soft hand.

Selvage: Originally known as a self-edge, the term used since the 14th century for a narrow, tightly woven band on either edge of fabric parallel to the warp that prevents fabric from raveling. Today, modern weaving machines produce wide fabric, and the weft yarn is cut on every pick, or “fill insertion.” This “fringe” selvage is not used as part of the jeans, but the selvage does prevent raveling as the fabric is processed and spread out for cutting. The selvage from antique narrow shuttle looms is formed as the shuttle passes back and forth during weaving. Since the yarn is not cut, the selvage is tightly bound and forms a clean edge. This type of selvage is durable and can be used as part of the jeans. Today, only the most premium jeans are made from “selvage denim.”

Slim-Leg Fit: A style of jeans in which the leg offers very little ease, and thus a hugging effect from the thigh to the knee.

Slub: A soft, thick nub in yarn that is either an imperfection, or intentionally spun to look irregular in shape. Slub yarns are typically regular in repeat and size.

Spandex: The generic name for man-made fibers derived from a resin called segmented polyurethane, best known for their stretch and recovery properties. (See Lycra, the trade name for Invista’s spandex.)

Stonewash: A technique by which fabrics or garments are treated to produce certain color and/or texture effects by tumbling them with pumice stones or other abrasives. Where the stones come into contact with the fabric, abrasion occurs and color is removed.

Twill: The diagonal lines formed by the weave.“S” twill, or left-hand twill, has the most defined twill line, because the twill lines are opposite the typical twist direction of the yarn. (See “Z” twist.)

Warp: The lengthwise, vertical yarns carried over and under the weft. Because they are subjected to more strain in the weaving process, warp yarns generally have more twist and are stronger than weft yarns.

Weaves: Warp and weft yarns are combined in different ways to produce different weave designs. These designs affect the appearance, feel, strength and durability of the denim. The simple warp face designs used in denim are designated by the number of weft yarns that the warp ends pass over, followed by the number of weft yarns they pass under. The most common weaves in denim are three over one (3/1 or 3 x 1), two over one (2/1 or 2 x 1), and three over one broken twill. The 3/1 and 2/1 come in either left- or right-hand direction. The most common design in denim is the 3/1 right-hand twill.

Weft: Also known as filling, the crosswise, selvage-to-selvage yarns in the weave. These yarns are subjected to less strain in the weaving process, and thus require less strength than warp yarns.

“Z” Twist: The direction the fibers in a yarn are twisted. Viewed from any angle, the twist direction is represented by the “Z,” which shows the fibers having a slight angle rising to the right. The typical direction of twist for denim yarns is “Z.”

2004-06-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

HEREBY NOTIFY: Linda Evangelista will help Notify designer Maurice Ohayon celebrate the brand’s launch of limited-edition men’s jeans Friday in Florence during Pitti Uomo. The supermodel will host a dinner party at the Gallery Hotel Art followed by a bash at Luisa Via Roma, the three-floor specialty store that will be transformed into a nightclub. Mick Jagger, L’Wren Scott and members of the Agnelli family are expected to be in the crowd.

2004-05-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I rapped at 'ya. I heard a rumour that Scarlett Johansson got $5 million to do this campaign. But it's rude to talk about money, so you didn't hear that rumour from me.

Christina Ricci on the cover of POP a/w 2004 issue? I dunno. Her i-D cover was fab last year. I just don't think she is POP worthy.

Monday May 10, 2004
Vuitton Campaign Channels Hollywood

By Miles Socha

PARIS — Marc Jacobs is fast becoming a savvy casting director — thanks to Louis Vuitton’s new penchant for celebrity advertising.

Confirming a WWD report April 21, Jacobs said Friday the upcoming fall-winter campaign features a cast of five young actors: Scarlett Johansson, Chloë Sevigny, Christina Ricci, Diane Kruger and Hayden Christensen.

Not that he shouted “Action!” much on set.

That’s because he directed the stars to assume a “lazy, louche and loungy” posture for their individual portraits — which will run as single pages and spreads in magazines starting with August issues.

“There’s definitely a Hollywood film-still aspect to [the pictures], but they’re not at all nostalgic in any way,” Jacobs said in an exclusive interview. “Each one was very glossed up, glamorized and Vuitton-ized.”

The photographs, by Vuitton regulars Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, are still being retouched and won’t be ready for a couple of weeks. But Jacobs, who spent four days in a London studio supervising the shoot, said the campaign would have the “iconic” quality sought by the world’s biggest luxury brand.

“It all looks very opulent in a very young way,” he said. “There’s this beautiful, old, relaxed glamour to the whole thing.”

Vuitton plunged into the celebrity realm last year when it cast Jennifer Lopez — with spectacular reaction. Jacobs said Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, loves the idea of featuring celebrities, as they’re very “attention-getting” — and have the potential to boost business.

Jacobs said he was fortunate the five were able to participate, with Johansson interrupting filming of Paul Weitz’s upcoming “Synergy” to take part. “She was just a hoot — totally up for it, vampy and glamorous,” Jacobs said.

One of the most dramatic moments of the shoot came afterward, when Ricci agreed to do additional poses for campaign stylist Katie Grand, who is also editor in chief of Pop magazine and will feature Ricci in an upcoming issue. For that shoot, Ricci played three different characters, and for a “Dangerous Liaisons” type, suddenly burst into tears, smearing her makeup dramatically.

“They were all such good models, we almost forgot these people are actors,” Jacobs said. “[Ricci] put on this performance, which was just so compelling.”

The campaign features many categories of Vuitton products, although Jacobs noted a preponderance of eveningwear, in line with his collection’s focus on fancy dresses with Scottish airs.

The budget for the campaign was not disclosed, however, analysts estimate Vuitton spends more than $200 million annually on advertising, or about 6 percent of sales.

2004-04-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

It is all about Chloe Sevigny. From Liquid Sky to Louis Vuitton, to her MAC Viva Glam ads, She is my style icon for life. I loved her Mario Sorrentti ed in the Oct. Vogue Italia. I am curious about the collaboration between Mert & Marcus and Chloe. I am glad they stuck to their guns and rejected the prancing, Tina Turner rip-off/Christian mintrel show known as Beyonce Knowles. Ain't it cool?

from WWD:
THE NEW MATH: “The more the merrier” seems to be the new motto at Louis Vuitton. After showcasing six supermodels in its current spring advertising, the French luxury firm is said to be banking on a gaggle of hot young actresses for its upcoming fall campaign. According to sources, Scarlett Johansson, Chloë Sevigny and Christina Ricci are among those slated to pose for photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, who famously lensed Jennifer Lopez for Vuitton last year. Vuitton officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

2004-04-06T21:12:00.000-07:00

Don't mess with Texas.

from:http://www.angelfire.com/scary/sphadoigal/antierin.html:
"The Devil Incarnate
During the tender ages of child development in my life, I encountered the supreme epitome of evil. Erin Wasson be thy name. In case you are unaware, Erin Wasson is a not so super model. She has graced the pages of just about every fashion magazine on the planet and is currently a Maybelline model. You may have even seen her on tv and on the displays in the cosmetic section of the supermarket. She's modeled for famous designers such as Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, and companies like the GAP. Putting her stardom aside, I hate her. Because she's a model? No. Because she's filthy fucking rich? No. Because she has everything she could ever want? Not even. I hate her because she tormented me and everyone else we went to school with from kindergarten all the way up to the present day. She is evil, she is malevolent, she is vile, immoral, and deserves a stake thru her still, black heart.

You are looking into the eyes of evil...

In first grade, Erin and I were playing on the playground during recess. She had made a point earlier that day to tell everyone she wasn't wearing shorts underneath her jumper (we wore uniforms and girls usually wore shorts underneath them to save time changing for P.E.). We were crawling through this jungle of tractor tires and when we crawled out, she stopped and I bumped into her. She tripped, he skirt went up exposing her days of the week undies. She then goes and tells our teacher that I had purposefully lifted up the back of her skirt, which of course I hadn't. Obviously the teacher believed her over me becuase Erin was a kiss-ass, so I get into deep shit for something I never did."

2004-04-02T09:51:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to the official Vogue Italia website, where you can view an image of Lydia Hearst's Cover:
http://abbonamenti.vogueitalia.it/vogueitalia/
here is a listing of the editorials in the April Vogue Italia:
Numero: 644
Mese: Aprile
Moda

LISA E LYDIA.
Foto di Steven Meisel.
Fashion editor Brana Wolf.

A FLUTTER OF GAUZY COLORS TO DANCE IN.
Foto di Stéphane Sednaoui.
Fashion editor Victoria Bartlett.

PSYCHO.
Foto di Peter Lindbergh.
Fashion editor Nicoletta Santoro.

PRINTS IN POWER.
Foto di David Sims.
Fashion editor Joe McKenna.

DOMESTIC GODDESS.
Foto di Miles Aldridge.
Fashion editor Joanne Blades.

OR SHORT OR SMALL OR TINY.
Foto di Paolo Roversi.
Fashion editor Alice Gentilucci.

FITTED SHAPES.
Foto di Vincent Peters.
Fashion editor Alice Gentilucci.

&

Beauty & fitness

BEAUTY CAMEOS.
Foto di Greg Lotus.
Fashion editor Patti Wilson.
Testo di Sandra Bardin.

2004-04-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

I found a link to this article on another blogspot. I have no problem acknowledging the sources for the info on my blog. Only my opinions are truly my own.

From The Copenhagen Post Online:
"Eccentric inheritance case comes to a close
31-1-2003

A battle of silver spoons: six years after the beginning of one of the most bitterly bizarre inheritance lawsuits in Danish and Swedish history, daily newspaper Ekstra Bladet reported that a banished heir has won his rightful settlement.

The story of Michael Palmstierna Hamilton, a dapper Swede with the ruddy complexion of a born aristocrat, begins, in Copenhagen, with an eccentric heiress whose life story is parlayed in repeat broadcasts of the popular 1996 DR documentary 'The Countess on the Third Floor.'

Erna Hamilton was a flame-haired socialite and relic of Copenhagen's bygone upper crust. The daughter of a capital city industrial scion, a surprisingly robust 96-year-old Erna Hamilton shared with interviewers the story of her charmed early life in an extravagant Copenhagen palais. Though she died the same year the documentary originally aired, television audiences couldn't get enough of the eccentric Erna, with French affectations, recalling her laissez-faire attitude to the Great Depression, her long life on the purse-strings of well-to-do parents, and her three marriages, all on a steady diet of morning martinis and canned caviar served by a working-class butler. Despite her obvious eccentricities, totally out of step with the benevolent socialism many of us have grown up with, Countess Hamilton's place in 20th century Danish cultural history is undeniable. Erna was once the wealthiest woman in Denmark, heiress to the Simonsen industrial fortune, onetime lover of the nation's most famous stage actor Johannes Poulsen, and mistress of the extravagant manse known as Little Amalienborg, which still stands on Dag Hammerskjold's Allé (the estate was seized from the Simonsens by Nazi occupiers during World War II).

Erna was mother to a son from her first, doomed marriage to British-Swedish Count J. Douglas Hamilton. Her mysterious son, Ulph, born in 1920, later immigrated to Sweden, and did little to credit the family reputation. He joined the Waffen SS during World War II, and after revelations of his Nazi past emerged with charges of embezzlement, he committed suicide in 1967. But Ulph Hamilton had another skeleton in his closet. Though married to a well-to-do Swedish woman in 1959, Ulph died apparently childless. Shortly after his death, however, reports emerged of a poor Swedish commoner named Margaretha Palmstierna, who bore a son, Michael, after a one-night stand with Ulph Hamilton at a Stockholm masquerade ball on New Year's Eve 1955. Despite the passing resemblance to the ginger-haired Simonsen clan, Sweden's Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that there was not sufficient proof for Palmstierna's paternity claim.

Meanwhile, Erna Hamilton - who later married Denmark's General Consul to the Dominican Republic - declared that she had no living heirs, and willed a sizable portion of her father's estate to a charitable foundation, the Erna Hamilton Scholarship for Science and the Arts. Despite limited liquid assets, the financial anchor of the foundation has remained its lucrative real estate holdings, worth an estimated DKK 150 million.

Shortly after the 1996 documentary, DR produced an independent documentary on Palmstierna. 'A True Hamilton?' followed Michael's demand to legitimize his identity. In 1999, Sweden's Supreme Court made the shocking decision to re-open the Hamilton paternity case, after DNA evidence provided by Ulph Hamilton's half-brother revealed a more than 99 percent certainty that he and Palmstierna were related. Palmstierna won the right to bear the Hamilton name, and was recognized as one of Sweden's 601 nobles. Even Ulph's surviving widow, Ulla Birgitta Hamilton, spoke publicly of her support for Michael's claim.

But Erna Hamilton refused to acknowledge Michael's existence even to her death. Today, Michael Palmstierna - who lives and works in Biarritz, France - admits he could have handled the case better.

'I just showed up one day. Today I realize that older people need time to accept things,' Palmstierna Hamilton told DR.

Palmstierna's shameless appeals to the press were also promptly exploited. After vowing that no price was too high to pay for the Gerda Wegener portrait of Ulph Hamilton as a bonny two-year-old, under auction from the Hamilton estate, auction-goers queued up to outbid him, inflating the price from it's appraised DKK 15,000 value to a whopping DKK 146,000.

After this week, however, that's small change to the new Count Palmstierna Hamilton. Under Danish law, children cannot be denied the inheritance of their parents. Regardless of the terms of a will and testament, half of any estate must devolve to surviving children. Ekstra Bladet reported this week that the born-again count was granted DKK 7 million of the Hamilton foundation's assets."

Now that is what I call drama. Filippa was on an Italian Marie Clair cover in spring 2001-her big break was spring 2002, when she did a Paris Vogue cover, Ralph Lauren Collection, Romance fragrance, and was one of the Balenciaga girls (with Maggie, Missy, Isabeli, Diane Heid/Krueger, Jayne Windsor and others). There was so much info in that article I am still trying to untangle it. If anyone understands it better than I feel free to email me at anclaudia_michels@yahoo.com.

Filippa is the shortest model working today, and only does Ralph Lauren runway shows.

2004-04-02T08:33:00.000-08:00

Lydia Hearst IS on the cover of the April Vogue Italia. To see the image copyt and paste this link:
http://www.b2g3.com/boards/board.cgi?action=read&id=1080911388&user=fashistinfo

Isn't it nice when pretty girls finish 1st?

2004-03-26T12:03:00.000-08:00

Linda Evangelista's Jeans

I have seen paprazzi pics of Linda wearing these jeans in several magazines. I would follow Linda anywhere, she is a fashion icon and my own personal Jesus. She died her hair for your sins. Have youa accepted her as your personal saviour? Although I will not be seen at Scoop. I am a Bergdorf Goodman kind of lady.

from WWD:
Thursday March 25, 2004
Notify Jeans Getting Noticed

PARIS — Maurice Ohayon aims to make jeans that get noticed.

After creating and later selling the Fetish, Western Passion and Seven7 denim lines, the French designer’s latest project, Notify, debuted exclusively in the Bon Marche flagship store here in November. The new line boasts details like adjustable seams and strategic gathers in the fabric for a flattering fit.

“Women’s bodies have evolved and certain fits for women no longer correspond with their bodies today,” said Ohayon, who grew up watching his mother sew made-to-measure men’s suits. “I wanted to make a classy jean that was sexy just by its fit and not by a vulgar wash.”

Handmade touches are emblematic of the Notify line. The label, for example, is hand-stitched on every waistline, an idea Ohayon picked up from seeing his mother stich her client’s names into the hems of suits. The jeans, which retail between $180 and $220, are also washed and brushed by hand without the use of acid or bleach.

“The hardest part of denim design is mastering the fabric’s wash and shrinkage characteristics,” said Ohayon. To do this, Ohayon supervises production of the fabric in Belgium to the jeans’ assembly in Italy. Pocket placement is an obsession for Ohayon.

“Women are always looking at the pockets’ placement,” he said. Notify’s 45-degree style, which uses fabric cut on a 45-degree bias, caught the eye of Linda Evangelista, who has since become a fan of the brand.

While Notify is growing, Ohayon is determined to maintain a niche approach for his Paris-based company, Crystal Denim. Only 2,000 pieces were exported to the U.S. last season, though waiting lists are growing. U.S. stores that carry the line include Scoop, a New York specialty chain, and Bergdorf Goodman. Ohayon said he plans to limit production of Nymphea, a best-selling style, figuring that having only “one successful model can be the rise and fall of a brand.”

Looking ahead, Ohayon plans to take Notify to the next level by making jeans for women that can be selected by not only the waist size, but the curve of the buttocks and the degree of arch to the back. In June, he will also ship his first limited-edition collection for men to Luisa Via Roma in Florence.

— Emilie Marsh

2004-03-24T08:48:00.000-08:00

Fabulous. Drew Barymore vs. Vanessa Lorenzo's head on top of Emma Heming's body. Guess who won? Drew Barrymore. I love Drew's hair. So glad she is done with those daisies.

from reuters:
By Martha Graybow
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Watch out supermodels! One of the biggest U.S. women's magazines is putting fewer top fashion models on its covers in favor of beautiful and popular - yet maybe not quite so flawless - Hollywood celebrities.

Conde Nast's Glamour magazine in recent months has focused heavily on cover images of celebrities like Drew Barrymore, who has been through divorce, battled childhood drug addiction and seen her weight fluctuations documented by the paparazzi, or singer Britney Spears, another tabloid favorite whose two-day marriage in Las Vegas to a friend was annulled earlier this year.

The trend is likely to continue, said Glamour editor-in-chief Cindi Leive, because readers of the young women's magazine identify more with stars -- who despite their multimillion-dollar bank accounts and lavish homes -- still are generally seen as more down to earth than gorgeous models.

"Models seem to them like unreal creatures - six feet tall, 95 pounds, genetically blessed," Leive told Reuters after an appearance at an industry conference in Washington focused on magazine marketing. But readers "know that Drew (Barrymore) has had her weight struggles or that J. Lo's had her failed marriages. All of these things make these women seem more real and more realistic than models."

The choice of cover models, as well as the cover lines that promote the stories inside a magazine, is big business in the publishing world, particularly in the universe of women's magazines where many readers buy a title on impulse at the checkout counter. Magazine editors are competing for customers with myriad other titles, as well as television and the Internet.

NEWSSTAND APPEAL

Glamour relies heavily on newsstand sales for its circulation, and overall was the ninth best-selling U.S. consumer magazine in total single-copy sales in the second half of 2003, according to data from the Audit Bureau of Circulation, an industry group that tracks sales data.

Glamour's average single-copy sales per issue was 963,813, compared with 995,439 for O, The Oprah Magazine or 1.12 million for Woman's Day. Overall, Glamour's total paid circulation averages about 2.33 million.

When Glamour picks a celebrity to be a cover model, the magazine works from the premise that "flawed is better" than perfect, Leive said. She said early sales trends for the March issue, which featured Barrymore on the cover, show sales were "way, way up on the newsstand" compared with the year-earlier issue.

Glamour also recently scrapped a column focused on entertainment reviews in favor of a feature in which stars talk openly about the struggles they've faced, Leive said.

Abe Peck, a journalism professor at Northwestern University, said he thinks the celebrity focus of many women's magazines is here to stay. Other magazines, like Vogue, also frequently feature celebrities instead of models on their covers.

"Readers want someone who will share everything with us," he said.

Barrymore, for example, "radiates likability, and good humor and warmth and I think readers feel she has survived something and learned from it and is fundamentally a good person," Leive told the industry gathering, which was sponsored by the Magazine Publishers of America.

© Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.

2004-03-23T14:04:00.000-08:00

The last issue of The Face will go on sale April 8.
Gee-Whiz! That's crazy talk. Well , POP is better than The Face. The Face lost it for me when they used that vulgar picture of Gisele by David La Chapelle to promote their twentieth anniversary.

On the lighter side, I am glad to see that US Vogue will be covering the entire social scene that is the United States of America.
from WWD:
Tuesday March 23, 2004
Memo Pad: The Party's Over ... Losing Face ... Gimme Shelter ...

THE PARTY’S OVER: The New York Times Magazine’s brain drain continues. First Adam Moss left, he then enticed features editor Hugo Lindgren to join him at New York Magazine, and now Style & Entertaining editor William Norwich has been poached by Vogue’s editor in chief Anna Wintour.

Norwich worked for Vogue (which, like WWD, is owned by Advance Magazines) for most of the Nineties before joining the Times and starting the Style & Entertaining supplement in 2000 with late Style editor Amy Spindler. He’ll rejoin Vogue as a contributing editor, writing a first-person “social diary” 10 times a year for the front of the book’s “Talking Fashion” section. He’ll also deliver an entertaining column several times a year and write features as needed. “I’m off to discover the social life of America,” Norwich said on Monday. “It will not be New York-centric. I hope to pay attention to national [and international] affairs.”

His last Style & Entertaining issue will be bundled with this Sunday’s paper, featuring on the cover Calvin Klein model Natalia Vodianova, “who gives a 1920s-style party at her apartment,” Norwich said.

Times readers have not necessarily seen the last of him. Norwich’s byline might occasionally appear in the Sunday Styles section, “with Anna’s blessing,” he said. — Greg Lindsay

LOSING FACE: Emap has suspended publication of The Face, and is in early conversations with possible buyers for the 24-year-old title. The London-based publisher said in a statement Monday that it would now be focusing its energies on the other style titles in its portfolio: Pop, Arena and Arena Homme Plus.

The last issue of The Face will go on sale April 8.

“Reluctantly, we are suspending The Face with immediate effect from the May issue,” said Dharmash Mistry, managing director of Emap East. “Over the coming weeks and months, we will be exploring opportunities to radically reinvent the title; however we will also be considering its sale or closure.”

Meanwhile, the company also said it was closing J17, which was launched in 1983 under the title Just Seventeen. The last issue of J17 will also be May’s.

One source close to Emap said the company is already in preliminary conversations with possible buyers for The Face, but declined to name names. However, in the event that Emap does hang on to the ailing title, it is unlikely it will return to the newsstands on a monthly basis, or in a similar format, the source added.

“It’s sad. The Face is a great magazine, and I’m surprised Emap couldn’t make it work,” said Terry Jones, founder, editor and publisher of i-D, which launched around the same time as The Face. “I think big publishing houses can do well with special interest publications, although, in the end, it always depends on who is driving the title.”

On the contrary, Nick Walker, a managing partner at the London-based planning and buying agency Walker Media, said he’s not surprised at all by the news.

“The men’s magazine market has been struggling for a while: Circulation is dropping off — or being propped up by the publishers of the big titles — and advertisers’ budgets are tight. They’re sticking to what they know works.”

Emap said last week that the future of The Face was being subject to review. It has been struggling on the newsstand, and sources believe circulation has dipped to 25,000, although the latest ABC figures put The Face’s monthly circulation at just over 40,000.

The suspension will not affect the advertising staff, as they all work on other Emap titles in addition to The Face. — Samantha Conti

2004-03-19T08:36:00.000-08:00

Discovery stories are sometimes amusing for models. Tilda Swinton is a genius. I loved seeing all the Victor and Rolf models made up to imitate her. Th odd thiong is,all of the models personalities showed thru the hair and makeup. It was refreshing to see a modern fashion icon honored, instead of a dead one. I have had it with John Galliano's resurection of Marlene Dietrich and Joan Crawford. Mercedes McAmbridge died yesterday. Patty Hearsts daughter for the cover of Italian Vogue! I wonder if that is the April issue? I was obsessed with the story of Patty Hearst as a teenager.

from WWD:
RIDING WITH FORD: Ford Models has signed Tilda Swinton — she of the stunning cheekbones and current Viktor & Rolf muse. Turns out, the actress and Neal Hamil, Ford’s executive vice president, share the same personal attorney, who suggested she find proper representation outside the Hollywood circle. Hamil, meanwhile, is a big fan and signing her was a no-brainer. “I’m kind of infatuated with her,” he said. He’ll filter the proper advertising, endorsements and editorial gigs for her. “I’m looking for Tilda to do a beauty or some really groovy fashion campaign,” he says. “With those shoulders, long neck and gorgeous legs, she’s a natural clothes hanger.” Outside of the modeling world, Ford now reps model-turned-heartthrob Trent Ford, Olympic skier Jeremy Bloom and publishing heiress Lydia Hearst-Shaw, who just shot a cover and 16 inside pages with Steven Meisel for Italian Vogue.

2004-03-18T14:28:00.000-08:00

Q: How to respond to Miss Kathy's Supermodels?
A: I am just getting started. So for now, you can email me responses and designer jeans at:
anaclaudia_michels@yahoo.com

2004-03-18T14:17:00.000-08:00

I must say I am amazed. I am completely obsessed with denim. I cannot tell you how many pairs of jeans I have. Today I am wearing a pair of Big E Levis, reproductions. Now that Levi's are not made in the USA anymore, I will no longer buy them. My new fave pair is my "Sorority Girl" jeans by Chip + Pepper-Kate Moss is wearing them in a special paparazzi style page devoted to her in the April US Vogue. I wonder what it would take to be a brand rep for Carpé Denim? I'd do it in a heartbeat. In other denim news, I hear a rumour that Paris Hilton will be the Guess? jeans model for fall. Apparantly some hope that this will return Guess to fashion relevance. Yawn. The only way Guess? can get fashion relevance is to increase their casting budget and dump Ellen Von Unwerth. I'd love to see what Inez & Vinoodh could do for Guess?. They did something very interesting with Jessica for CK 2 years ago. The CK jeans product is poor, but the images were smoking. And Van Heusen bought it, even if I didn't.
from WWD:
Seize the Jeans

A trio of former fraternity brothers who got their start in the fashion world by souping up friends’ jeans during their college years, are trying to turn that business into a brand.

Carpé Denim jeans made their debut earlier this year at Atlanta’s women’s apparel market. The line is the creation of James Costa, the 26-year-old chief executive officer of the Atlanta-based design and manufacturing company, and partners chief operations officer Matthew Klein, 22, and chief marketing officer, Gregory Mensching, 21.

The trio got started during their years at Florida State University in Tallahassee, when they decided they were dissatisfied with the jeans business.

“We looked at the market and saw a saturation of finishes and designs — super-distressed, faded, whiskered and super-holey jeans — and it got under our skin,” said Costa.

Costa, a biochemistry major, began experimenting with new denim finishes and taught himself to sew by downloading instructions from the Internet. Along with Klein, a business and pre-law major, and Mensching, a graphic design major, he started a “denim customization” service for FSU students in 2001. After restyling and refinishing about 500 pairs of jeans, they decided to “seize the day” — that’s the English translation of the Latin maxim “carpe diem” that inspired the brand’s name — and begin designing and manufacturing their own line of men’s and women’s jeans.

The company’s first batch, Collectibles, was a limited edition of 1,000 pairs of jeans, hand-finished and numbered, which launched in October 2003. The partners said the jeans, wholesaling for $60 and up, sold out in two months. The new Basics collection is produced and finished in China.

Made of ring-spun cotton and available in five vintage finishes, the jeans wholesale for $60 to $65, depending on color and complexity of the finish. Women’s styles are named after Atlanta streets and landmarks — Crescent, Phipps, Lenox, LaVista and Pharr, in honor of Carpé Denim’s new hometown.

The company moved headquarters there in December, running design, graphics and public relations out of a two-story house in Buckhead, where the three partners all live together. Greg Ereckson, the company’s new chief financial officer, lives in Florida.

Building the brand means playing to “style junkies,” described by Mensching as those who “go out of their way to be exceptionally fashion-forward. They’re seizing life through their clothing — not following trends, but creating them.”

Carpé Denim’s partners seek out “style scouts” to serve as brand representatives, both on their travels and through the Web. Style scouts get Carpé Denim business cards and free products.

“All they’ve got to do is wear the products, and tell people about them when they ask,” said Mensching.

With women’s product now 60 percent of sales and growing, the company plans to introduce denim miniskirts and jackets, along with midrise jeans next month at Atlanta’s AmericasMart.

Two logo T-shirts, a “girly gym T” and a cap-sleeve style, retail for $40, with the word “Carpé” centered on the signature brown-and-white ribbon.

The partners are hoping the line will bring in $600,000 in sales this year.

“Marketing accounts for 75 percent of our success,” said Costa. “Anybody can have a great jean, but marketing is so important. If you don’t properly and effectively market your product and look for longevity, you can become a flash in the pan.”

— Faye Musselman

2004-03-17T13:18:00.000-08:00

I am deeply commited to living in the present. Tommorow is a season I have been storing up for the past few weeks, analyzing the contents of my wardrobe. All I need are some of those Italian tourist/Super Nintendo outfits, a Sophia Petrillo perm, and a Libra man. Just kidding about the Sophia Petrillo perm.

from NY Times:
Designers Who Don't Look Back

PLENTY of designers show insight into their times, but which ones possess that rarer quality of foresight? Tom Ford does, and only time will tell if his successors at Gucci have that ability to look ahead, rather than merely to preserve the brand's heritage. This season, though, two other designers made that leap of faith: Miuccia Prada and Alexander McQueen.

Both Ms. Prada and Mr. McQueen conveyed a sense of history in their collection, Ms. Prada more so with her references to 19th-century German Romantic paintings. Yet her print work was all future shock, as she toyed with the idea of what's real and what's virtual. Her most accomplished design was a slim dress printed with vaguely skeletal lines, making you think, when the model first appeared, that she was nude underneath. It was just a mirage. Such a dress would cause heads to turn and brains to whir. A new sack for the social X-ray? Or a sly commentary on elusive beauty? Store buyers deemed the dress tricky, but don't dismiss it on that basis. Diana Vreeland used to ask designers to show her "the lemons" — the stuff that didn't sell — suspecting that tomorrow's ideas were lodged in the rejects.

There were so many alien overtones in Mr. McQueen's show — from crop-circle patterns on leather to the models' whitened faces — that many observers saw only the spacey components without questioning what he was up to. But skip the "galactic" nonsense and concentrate on Mr. McQueen's line: you won't find another like it in fashion. The clothes, often cut on the round and in a bisque-to-beige palette, have a seamless quality that jibes (not incidentally) with the designer's new molded shoes and boots. The handsomest dress is in beige double-faced cashmere with a silk slip underneath. It's different — and you don't know why.

But don't take our word for it. The collection will be at the McQueen store in New York next Monday and Tuesday.

CATHY HORYN

2004-03-17T13:13:00.000-08:00

If Andre Leon Talley were my partner I would show "Chinatown" starring the unforgettable Faye Dunaway.

from WWD:
CINEMA SCOPE: Fashion designers have taken enough inspiration from the silver screen, so now it’s time to give back. As part of a benefit for the American Film Institute, Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs are planning to present some of their favorite films, along with editors from Vogue, during a series of screenings at Soho House with Indyssey Entertainment. The new series, Grand Classics: Films With Style, kicks off March 23 with Hamish Bowles and Kors presenting “Shampoo,” the 1975 Warren Beatty and Julie Christie classic that played a big part in Kors’ fall collection. Jacobs and Sally Singer are planning to show “The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant” in May, while André Leon Talley is still working out his designer partner and selection.

2004-03-17T12:15:00.000-08:00

I am very excited by the positive reaction I have received about my new blog. Miss Kathy's Supermodels
was created as a reaction to the biases and predjudice found on the web about fashion, and fashion models. Being a fashion winner is my goal, never a victim. A certain blogger who shall remain nameless has taken information that I have provided to fill the space on his blog. Miss Kathy's Supermodels is here to provide info thru my filter. Another modelling website posts a top 50 list of models. many have debated the veracity of this list. Yet so far, no one has offered an alternative. Now I will.

There are two roads this blog can take-Celebrate only the good things about fashion and models, like US Vogue, or highlight the good and bad, like WWD.

Fashion is a reflection of the times-Yves Saint Laurent

Some say the golden era of supermodels is over. I disagree. We only get the models, magazines and designers we deserve. How can the supermodel era be over when Linda is on the cover of V, i-D, and in a Fendi campaign?

How can fashion be boring when my Murakami bag still makes me lose control?

Here is a list of the top 10 fashion models currently working:
1)Linda Evangelista /DNA(V, i-D)
2)Naomi Campbell /One (Valentino)
2)Nadja Auerman/DNA (Chanel runway)
3)Stella Tennant /MARILYN (Burberry)
3)Natalia Vodianova /DNA(Calvin)
4)Daria Werbowy /IMG(Prada)
5)Gemma Ward /IMG(Prada, W, Vogue UK & Vogue Italia covers)
6)Amber Valetta /DNA(Louis Vuitton, Calvin)
7)Karen Elson/DNA (Louis Vuitton)
8)Hannelore / Vision (Prada)
9)Hana S./DNA (Gucci)
10)Lily Cole / Storm (Hermes)
11)Jacquetta Wheeler / IMG (Ellen Tracy)
12)Filipa / Next (Ralph Lauren)
13)Jaunel / Supreme (US Vogue)
14)Anne-Catherine / Vision (Balenciaga runway)
15)Caroline Trentini / Marilyn (Vogue Italia)
16)Isabeli / Women (Self Service cover, MaxMara)
17)Louise / Women
18)Elise / DNA (Jil Sander)
19)Danielle Z./Women (V)
20)Carmen Kass (Liz Claiborne)
21)Liya Kebede /IMG (Estee Lauder
22)Chandra North/Women (Oil of Olay)
23)Carolyn Murphy/IMG (Estee Lauder
24)Missy Rayder /ELITE (Prada)
25)Morgan Quinn /IMG (Balenciaga + Helmut Lang runway)
26)Theodora Richards/? (Burberry)
27)Roos van Bosstreaten /FORD (Balenciaga runway)
28)Dasha Tchernova /MARILYN (Balenciaga runway)
29)Marcelle Bittar /Ford (Liz CLaiborne, Balenciaga runway)
30)Raquel Zimmermann /VIVA (opened Prada show, Miu Miu/Balenciaga runway)
31)Natasha Pola /WOMEN (Balenciaga runway)
32)Polina Kouklina /City(Marc Jacobs runway)
33)Eugenia Volodina /DNA (Dolce & Gabanna)
34)Jessica Stam /IMG (Vogue Italia)
35)Shelly Zander (Marc Jacobs runway)
36)Tiiu Kuik /Major (J'adore)
37)Heather Marks /Women (Vogue Italia)
38)Anouck Lepère /IMG (Shiseido)
39)Anna J. /NEXT (Paris Vogue,Louis Vuitton runway)
40)Lily Donaldson /MARILYN ( Louis Vuitton runway)
41)Valentina (Calvin Klein runway)
42)Romina Lanaro (Prada/Miu Miu runway)
43)Madeleine Blomberg /IMG(Self Service ed)
44)Diana Dondoe (V ed )
45)Lisa Cant /T (Vogue Italia cover)
46)Ciara Nugent/Marilyn (Anna Sui runway)
47)Vika (Anna Sui runway)
48)Gerren/NY Models (Marc by Marc Jacobs campaign)
49)Dewi Driegen /Elite (Oscar de la Renta)
50)Jessica Miller/Next (Marc by Marc Jacobs runway)

2004-03-17T09:36:00.000-08:00

Hi!

I am Miss Kathy. Welcome to my blog. I've got something to say! I will be a beacon of reason in a sea of insanity.

from WWD:
Memo Pad: Going Glossy ...

GOING GLOSSY: What’s suddenly gotten into Nylon? It appears that founder and editor in chief Marvin Scott Jarrett has started steps two and three in what looks like a master plan to take the consummate fashion magazine for art school students a bit more mainstream.

Step one was a more accessible redesign, now two issues old, by National Magazine Award winner Patrick Mitchell, and Andrea Fella. Step two is hiring a new editor in chief, and sources inside and close to the magazine said Jarrett is talking to former Seventeen and YM editor Annemarie Iverson about the position. Discussions are still in the early stages and may fall through, the sources said, but Jarrett is apparently serious about passing editorial control to a strong, name-brand editor fluent in the languages of both fashion and young women. “I can’t comment on Annemarie,” said Jarrett. “There are a lot of exciting things going on at Nylon.” Iverson could not be reached for comment.

Step three is perhaps the most shocking of all: Nylon has begun paying some of its longer-suffering contributors. (Nylon was once sued by its former p.r. firm over non-payment, and Milk Studios once threatened to do the same.) Former freelancers who had long since given up on receiving compensation are suddenly receiving calls from the magazine’s accountant, who is offering only 20 cents on the dollar but is finding takers because that’s 20 cents more than they expected. “He said they were trying to refinance because they owed so much money,” said one former contributor recalling his conversation with Nylon’s accountant. “He said they owe several million dollars — he went into it in detail.”

And the goal of this flurry of changes? The successful completion of Jarrett’s long-rumored endgame: a sale. “If they bring Annemarie in, they’re more likely to sell it to a big company,” said one source close to the magazine. Jarrett declined comment on his intentions.

Several people familiar with both Nylon and Iverson expressed surprise that the latter, who has a very refined personal style, would entertain the idea of editing a cash-strapped magazine devoted to scruffy chic and that’s housed in even scruffier offices. “Last year at Nylon, there were times when they ran out of tissue in the bathroom and had to use back issues,” said one former staffer. “This is a woman with six Birkins!” referring to Iverson’s collection of Hermès Birkin bags.

But there are connections. A pair of former Nylon executive editors — James Servin and Emily Dougherty — worked with Iverson at Harper’s Bazaar at the end of the Liz Tilberis era, and a source close to Gruner + Jahr USA said the company had approached Jarrett several years ago, during then-ceo Dan Brewster’s drive to expand the publisher’s portfolio, and that Iverson had been consulted during the process. (A G+J spokeswoman could not be reached for comment.)

Teaming up could be a win-win for both; Iverson, who’s been keeping a low profile working on custom publishing projects for Hearst since her ouster from Seventeen in 2002, would get to make a splash again, and her presence would make advertisers pay attention again — not to mention everyone else. — Greg Lindsay

I am superjazzed about any magazine that aspires to have the elegance of the Liz Tilberis era Harpers Bazaar.

Linda Evangelista interviewed JPG in the new V (with Miss Jackson on the cover). She revealed that years ago Hermes wanted to name a bag after her, like they did for Grace Kelly and Jane Birkin. However she did not have enough time to make the appointment. Her ambition is to achive that delayed goal. God bless her, she is THE fashion icon, and having an Hermes bag willexted her immortality.