Did Ralph Lauren Fire a 5’10, 120lb Model For Being Too Fat?

Hot on the heels of Karl Lagerfeld’s comments, model Filippa Hamilton-Palmstierna came out yesterday on the Today show and stated that she believes  she was fired from Ralph Lauren for being too fat.  The 5’10, 120lb size 4 model said that her agent received a letter that she says read, “We’re terminating your services because you don’t fit into the sample clothes that you need to wear.”

In what appears to be a confirmation that Ralph Lauren thought she was too large, this grotesquely photoshopped Ralph Lauren ad shows Filippa with a waist that is even smaller than her head.

Ralph Lauren shot back with this statement:

For over 42 years we have built a brand based on quality, integrity and a wholesome American lifestyle. Filippa Hamilton is a beautiful and healthy woman that we have worked closely with for over 6 years and we consider her an important part of our imaging and branding. We regret that our relationship has ended as a result of her inability to meet the obligations under her contract with us. The image in question was mistakenly released and used in a department store in Japan and was not the approved image which ran in the U.S. We take full responsibility for allowing this image to run as this is completely inconsistent with our creative standards and brand values. This error has absolutely no connection to our relationship with Filippa Hamilton.

Polo Ralph Lauren 

Source: msnbc.com

I’m not sure that this statement helps their case.  The regret that she is unable to “meet the obligations under her contract…” seems to confirm Filppa’s accusation.

What do you think about this? 

Take the Fashion Sensei Poll

Size 4 model: I was fired for being too fat [msnbc.com]

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Karl Lagerfeld : “Curvy Women Have No Place on the Catwalk”

 

Velvet D’Amour  Photo Credit: Jacques Brinon / AP Photo

The Kaiser is at it again.  If you remember, designer Karl Lagerfeld took pot-shots at Heidi Klum for being too fat for the runways.  Well, he’s now spouting off to news magazine Focus, “No one wants to see curvy women”.

Even worse, he is quoted as saying:

"You’ve got fat mothers with their bags of chips sitting in front of the television and saying that thin models are ugly". [independent.co.uk]

What’s wrong with you Karl?  That’s just downright offensive.

Apparently someone does want to see curvy women, because Glamour has already committed to using a broader range of body sizes in their fashion pages.  And in a surprising move by Brigitte, the popular German fashion magazine,  the magazine will no longer use professional models due to the overwhelming requests by their readership to feature women that they can relate to.  

Can you believe it?!

The revolution moving forward.  Get with it Karl.  Starving models are not pretty and finally someone is listening! 

Media Source: Independent.Co.UK

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Fashion Sensei Says…

Mantyhose?!

Photo Credit: Telegraph.co.UK

Seinfeld popularized the Manziere, and now a UK lingerie brand called Unconditional is banking on men rushing to the stores to purchase their 120 denier thickness man tights (£70 a pair). 

David Walker-Smith, Selfridges’ director of menswear and beauty, said: “This winter the city’s most stylish men will have a secret weapon hidden in their trousers.

“The ‘mantyhose’ are extremely versatile and we expect men to be wearing them not only as a way to as a way to give legs an extra boost of warmth on the chilliest nights, but as a true style statement.”  [Telegraph.co.uk]

The only explanation that I can venture is that they are worried about Marc Jacobs’ bare legs under that manskirt he has been sporting at his runway shows. 

You Go Glamour!

Photo Credit: Glamour.com

Glamour Magazine is featuring plus size (that’s any model over a size 6) models in their November edition to answer the call of readers who want to see a body type closer to the one that they see in the mirror.

I salute their effort and can’t help but wonder if this summer’s call from Vogue UK’s editor,  Alexandra Shulman,  to high-fashion designer’s to create samples that fit healthy proportions helped encourage Glamour Magazine.  Glamour editor, Cindi Leive, announced this morning on the Ellen Show, that the magazine is making a commitment to include models with a wider range of body types.  Bravo!

  To read more, go to Glamour.com.

Fab Find!

                 Multi Faux Stone Cuff

I’m kinda crazy about the selection of reasonably priced bracelets at Target right now.  The one pictured above was $24.99.  Check’em out!

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Hold On To Your Hair, First Lady of Cameroon’s Style Screams For Attention

While surfing the net today I ran across a report on both The Cut and the Huffington Post about Cameroon’s first lady Chantal Biya, 39,—a woman who looks like a cast member from the popular 80’s television show Dynasty.  Her wig is so high and big, I think Kim from the Real Housewives Atlanta may be taking notes for her future wig line.

I’m puzzled as to what part of her style is covetable, but she is so wildly popular in her native country, that they have named her signature hair style after her and she is inciting trends among her country women.

No doubt, some designer will use her as inspiration for their fall 2010 collection…

What do you think?

Photo Credit: HuffingtonPost.com  To see more photos go to www.huffingtonpost.com and www.nymag.com

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Self Magazine Defends Photoshopped Picture of Kelly Clarkston

Photo:  Scope Features, PacificCoastNews.com; Self; via eonline.com

The blog-o-sphere has been a buzz about the photoshopped cover shot of Kelly Clarkston for Self magazine’s September issue.  So much buzz in fact, the magazine felt the need to defend their decision even before the issue hit news stands.

The whole to-do started when it became very apparent that former American Idol winner, Clarkston had a significant amount of weight shaved off her cover shot.  When folks started calling out the photo, editor-in-chief Lucy Danziger defended her position with the following comments in a post on her blog at Self.com:

“Yes. Of course we do retouching (though it’s technically not Photoshop, but that is semantics). We correct color and other aspects of the digital pictures we take and then publish the best version we can.”

“Portraits like the one we take each month for the cover of SELF are not supposed to be unedited or a true-to-life snapshot…”

“Did we alter her appearance? Only to make her look her personal best. Did we publish an act of fiction? No. Not unless you think all photos are that. But in the sense that Kelly is the picture of confidence, and she truly is, then I think this photo is the truest we have ever put out there on the newsstand.”

My interpretation: She may look confident, but we thought she looked too fat—and this is a fitness magazine after all—so we had to shave off several inches.

“Then we edit the film and choose the best pictures.  “[W]e mark up the photograph to correct any awkward wrinkles in the blouse, flyaway hair and other things that might detract from the beauty of the shot. This is art, creativity and collaboration. It’s not, as in a news photograph, journalism. It is, however, meant to inspire women to want to be their best. That is the point.”

So Kelly, you should want to look 10-15lbs lighter and we, the reader, want that for you too. 

Danziger also willingly admits to altering her own photos issued in the magazine to look thinner in the name of looking her personal best.

“When I ran the marathon five years ago, I was so proud of myself for completing it in under five hours and not walking a single step. But my hips looked big in some of the photos (I was heavier then), so when I wanted to put one of them on the editor’s letter in SELF, I asked the art department to shave off a little. I am confident in my body, proud of what it can accomplish, but it just didn’t look the way I wanted in every picture.”

What do you think?  Much to do about nothing?  Or is this a real problem?

Tell me what you think.

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Cankle Awareness Month?

Photo via: timesunion.com

As if women aren’t hyper-conscious enough about their bodies, the WSJ published a report last week discussing the condition commonly referred to as “cankles”; where one’s calves appear to draw a straight line down to their ankles.

Intrigued by the idea, the Today Show dedicated a whole segment this morning to the story.

To combat the condition, Gold’s Gym has dubbed this month as “Cankle Awareness Month” and is offering special classes to whittle down your ankles.

If that isn’t enough, there are plastic surgeons out there that will do liposuction on your ankles to give them a more tapered effect.

Is there nothing better to worry about than whether we need lipo on our ankles?!

What do you think ladies?  Is this over the top or a serious malady that requires month-long awareness?  Leave a comment and let me know!

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Fashion Sensei Says…

 

 

Curtain Couture?

 

On the BBC’s Friday Night With Jonathan Ross last week, famed designer Vivienne Westwood awkwardly flounced onto the set of the interview attempting to make a grand entrance by tossing out the train of her make shift dress, which consisted of nearly 23 feet of Duchess Silk.  She then went on to advise fashionistas to turn in their cheap chic and instead either use materials you have at home, like curtains or towels, in a DIY fashion.  “But if you do buy fashion, choose well” the designer said.  Read: Don’t spend any money so that you can save up enough money to buy her uber expensive merchandise. 

Better to have one beautiful thing then look like everyone else, Ms. Westwood advised.  Further, she believes that it isn’t necessary to wash your one and only good outfit– “Wear it until it drops off your body”, she says; “It may get better with age—hopefully” .  

More like everyone will smell you coming. 

I slum it with the rest of the Target and TJ Max crowd.

 

Speaking of Couture…

 

Photo Credit: Style.com; Monica Feudi / Gorunway.com

The couture shows took place last week in Paris and at the Dior show, they seemingly took their inspiration from a period of the 80’s when women wore their underwear as outerwear.  Remember Prince ingénue Apollonia 6?

 Photo: Prince.org

The updated couture is a bit like a mullet; conservative on the top and party on the bottom.  No word yet how many socialites have these looks on order for their luncheons at the club.

Photo Credit: Style.com; Monica Feudi / Gorunway.com

 

Must Read…

Photo Credit: Givenchy via NY Times

In a hilarious article in the NY Times, “Where Have All the Eyebrows Gone?”   Author William Van Meter explores the newest form of fashion expression: no eyebrows. 

Now I remember the late 80’s when folks who wanted to be hip hop cool would shave stripes into their eyebrows—and then pray that said eyebrows would grow back properly when they came to their fashionable senses.  But this is something else.

The hairless look has been popping up on fall fashion runways and photo campaigns.  Fashion house Givenchy bleached model Adriana Lima’s eyebrows white (boy would I be bummed if I were her). 

But here’s the kicker—the look is being associated with the economy: “Could no eyebrows be a reflection of economic downturn? Can one be too poor to have them? Having no eyebrows is certainly a way to express oneself without buying a product.” Mr. Van Meter muses.   “Sarah Brown, the beauty director of Vogue, took a similar stance: “People are saying, ‘How can I shake things up? I might not be buying a new bag every three months, but what can I do to feel fresh and current and in style?’ ”

Sorry, sounds stupid to me.  I may not be able to go buy some new stuff, but I’m certainly not going to go bleaching or shaving off my eyebrows.  I can just imagine the looks that I would get come fall at kindergarten drop off.  “Don’t mind me…”

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Opinion Survey: What Are Your Summer Essentials?

Hi everyone, I hope you had a wonderful holiday.  I took a little time off to enjoy with the family.  During the past week we enjoyed a series of  first experiences together: my son lost his first baby tooth, the family saw their first fireworks display (the kids went crazy they had so much fun!) and we all went to a big amusement park (Cedar Point) together.   It was really wonderful, but now it’s time to get back to work.

 

What’s Your Opinion?

 

So here’s my question to you for the day: What are your summer essentials?  I conducted an interesting survey on the Fashion Sensei Fan Page asking readers what they liked to see on their men.  Now I would like to know what fashion, accessories or makeup items that you can’t live without in these summer months.  Leave a comment below.  I can’t wait to here from you!

Oh, and if you missed the Facebook survey, click here and become a fan!

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Full-Figured Fashion Week Welcomes Fat-shionistas

Velvet D’Amour  Photo Credit: Jacques Brinon / AP Photo

This weekend kicks off a Fashion Week event that was five years in the making—Full-Figured Fashion Week.  Starting today and continuing through the weekend, NYC will be hosting the self described “Fat-shionistas”, showing off the latest in full-figured fashion and discussing “The State of the Curvy Community”.

I ran across an interesting article on TheDailyBeast.com, which features a full length story about the event and discusses plus size fashion frustrations with fatshionista bloggers:

Despite the growing headway fatshionistas are making into the consciousness of clothing manufacturers and designers, well-designed and high-quality choices for plus-sizes are still miniscule. “I’ll say there are more options now than there used to be, but that’s sort of like saying ‘he doesn’t hit me nearly as often as he used to.’” says Gammill [of Manolo for the Big Girl]. “I’m fat, I have money. I’m more than willing to give it in quantity to the store who will supply me with beautifully made clothes that don’t make me look like a hooker, a tranny, or someone’s bingo-playing grandma from Duluth. I would love to see Kate Mulleavy of Rodarte, a big girl herself, do a ready-to-wear line that extends to the plus-sizes.” (Rodarte just won the CFDA Womenswear Designers of the year award, with clothing lines for svelte women.)

Those of us who have been on the “wrong” side of fashion are well aware of the shortcomings and poor availability of style conscious clothes in the plus size category.  Wouldn’t it be nice if plus size clothing weren’t sequestered to it’s own shameful department—usually located in the far reaches of the department store—and instead mixed in with “regular” sized clothing?

I believe the biggest issue comes down to fit.  Designers, need to start making clothes that actually fit women and flatter our bodies, not their designer’s distorted views of beauty.

To read more about Full-Figured Fashion Week, go to fffweek.com.

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Fashion Sensei Says…

 

Choo’s 4 All!

 

H&M

Great news for shoe lovers!  H&M is collaborating with Jimmy Choo to design an exclusive collection for the discount retailer.  The luxe shoes which normally sell for $500 or more, will be up for grabs (and I’m sure there will be a few catfights to get your hands on these babies) for only $60-$200. 

What’s more, included in the Jimmy Choo collection are men’s shoes, accessories, bags and even clothes.  So mark your calendars for November 14th and get your running shoes ready.  The mad dash for Jimmy Choo will be a great warm up for the after Thanksgiving sales the following week. [People.com]

 

“The Letter” Rages On, Spawning “Cosmosexuals”…

Earlier this week, I wrote about the now infamous letter penned by Vogue UK editor Alexandra Shulman and her criticism to the fashion industry for supplying the fashion tome with clothing so tiny that the magazine is forced into using tiny models and later photo shopping their pictures to look heavier.

This has caused quite a buzz on the internet. 

Now, columnist Kevin Meyers of Independent Ireland, is coining a new phrase to describe the designers who are promoting the emaciated “New Woman”, he’s calling them “Cosmosexuals”.

Almost no designers of women’s clothes are women. Most are male Cosmosexuals — who are either homosexuals, such as Yves St Laurent, Christian Dior or Gianni Versace, or more ambiguous denizens of the Cosmosphere, such as Gaultier, Lagerfeld and Valentino. Hardly any designers for women are simply straightforward heterosexual men. Tommy Hilfiger and Paul Costelloe clearly love women as they are. Which is why their clothes celebrate women’s carnality, their sexuality and the sheer exuberant bodiness of the female form.

This cannot be said of gay designerdom: Versace, St Laurent, Dior, or of their Cosmosexual peers. Together, they have redesigned the female body to suit their own demented needs. This ambition is very 20th century, and echoes the earlier schemes of Marxists and National Socialists, to create The New Man. Except, the Cosmosexual project is to create The New Woman — and what do you know: she looks just like a teenage boy (emphasis mine). [Independent.ie]

Meyers believes that when we look back to this time in history,  Shulman’s letter will be regarded as “that point where history turned”.  I certainly hope so. 

A Fit Revolution

With the revolution brewing in the fashion industry, I believe we will have another woman to thank; her name is Cricket Lee.  She has taken on the industry to standardize fit through her Fitlogic technology. 

Imagine being able to walk into a store and buying a pair of pants that fit your exact body shape and size without having to try on dozens of styles.  Click here for a post I wrote about her crusade on our behalf.   This is a cause that we can all rally behind!

What do you have to say?  Leave me a comment!!

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